Pay increases, redistricting discussed by commission

What Steve McKinnon called “the highest cost of living increase ever for Dale County employees” was approved at the Dale County Commission meeting Sept 28.

McKinnon is the chairman of the Dale County Commission and he said after the unanimous vote that the 5 percent COLA increase effective Oct. 6 for the county employees is just one of the benefits that the commission approved.

The commission also approved giving all employees who have reached a five-year service milestone $1 per hour longevity bonus increase, following the reaching of said milestone, beginning Oct. 1 of this year. McKinnon said that previously the longevity bonus was 10 cents after each five-year milestone.

McKinnon credited Dale County Administrator Cheryl Ganey’s “great financial management” for the increased money for the employees. “We started with a 3 percent cost of living increase and we worked on it a long time to be able to do this for our employees,” he said.

In unrelated business, the topic of redrawing district lines within the county was brought to the table by Southeast Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission Executive Director Scott Farmer.

“Traditionally after the United States Census results are published is the time that local, state and federal governments look at their populations,” Farmer told the commission. “Traditionally local governments have allowed up to 10 percent deviation between the districts with the highest and lowest populations.”

Farmer said that the recent census revealed about a 25 percent deviation between Commissioner Charles “Chic” Gary’s District 3, the most populated district, and Commissioner Chris Carroll’s District 1, the lowest.

“The normal recommendation is to move the district line to get back within that 10 percent deviation,” Farmer said. “There is not a large boundary where you could just move the district line so it might have to affect other districts.”

With the impending primary election May 24, 2022 and the legal public notification requirements before any such re-districting, Dale County Attorney Henry Steagall suggested beginning the process as soon as possible.

Steagall reminded the commission that Fort Rucker officials had notified the county that no building on the military installation can serve as a voting location. “We’re going to have to change the precinct lines to get the Fort Rucker and Rocky Head voting district lines straight and when we do that it may involve some other precinct lines,” he said. “If the commission approves the contract with Scott, hopefully in October we can get this going and hopefully by Thanksgiving have a plan. I don’t anticipate any major changes but the fact is that some population will have to come out of District 3 and some will have to be added to District 1.”

In other business, the commission approved the $2,500 a month cost for the county attorney. Longtime County Attorney Henry Steagall said the amount is the same as it has been but that he will join the Ozark firm of Bull and Simachak Attorneys at Law as serve as a consultant on county business.

The next meeting of the Dale County Commission is Oct. 12 at the government building in Ozark. A work session begins at 10 a.m. and is followed immediately by a voting meeting. Both meetings are open to the public.