Commission split over chairman nomination

Britt’s nomination failed to pass after a 3-3 tie.

Commissioners Britt, Ellis and Dean Smith supported the motion and commissioners Jimmy Jones, Josh Carnley and current chairman Tom Grimsley opposed the nomination.

Commissioner Kevin Mitchell abstained from voting.

Following the failed nomination, Jones moved that Grimsley retain his position as chairman. That motion also failed as a 3-3 tie, with Mitchell abstaining once again.

Grimsley will remain the chairman until the commission approves a nomination.

In other news, Grimsley read statistics from the county’s ongoing and completed resurfacing projects funded by the Alabama Transportation Improvement Program (ATRIP).

“There are 184 miles of rural major collectors in the county,” he said. “Through ATRIP, we’ve replaced a bridge and resurfaced 88 miles of roads within the county.”

Grimsley said that equates to resurfacing 46 percent of county’s major collector roads.

Though some are already finished, Grimsley said all ATRIP projects would be completed by this time next year.

He also thanked Governor Robert Bentley for providing funding through the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT).

In other business, commissioners accepted a bid for ADC Mulch from Landfill Solutions.

The full truckload quantity, 880 total bags, will cost the county $16.50 per bag, and the half-truckload quantity, 440 bags, will cost $17.25 per bag.

Larry Walker, director of the Coffee County Emergency Management Agency, also updated the commissioners on the county’s storm shelter installation project, which is now completed with 114 storm shelters installed throughout the area.

The project, which began in 2011, funded $634,000 worth of new storm shelters.

Coffee County Extension Agent David Garrett also discussed the Coffee County Livestock team’s weekend competition in Perry, Ga.

“We were invited by Jerry Douglas, who is the livestock judging coach at the University of Georgia,” he said. “Most of the teams were from Georgia, and It was big complement to us to be personally invited.”

The county team finished second place overall in the livestock competition, which was a part of the Georgia National Fair.

Other actions taken by the commission:

• Renewed a long-term retention contract with the Alabama Department of Youth Services.
• Approved a request from the maintenance department to purchase two trucks, which is a budgeted item.
• Agreed to wave the fee for use of the Farm Center for the “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” organization and the Zion Chapel Alumni Association.
• Agreed to change the time of an Oct. 22 working session from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The Coffee County Commission will meet again at 9 a.m., Oct. 28, in the community room at the Coffee County Complex.