Baldwin County Commission Work Session and Regular Meeting — July 2, 2024

The Baldwin County Commission met on July 2, 2024, at the Baldwin County Administration Building, 322 Courthouse Square, Bay Minette, Alabama. The pre-meeting work session began at 8:30 a.m.; the regular meeting began at 10:12 a.m. All four commissioners were present: James E. Ball (District 1), Matthew P. McKenzie (District 2), Billie Jo Underwood (District 3, Chairman), and Charles F. Gruber (District 4). Also present were County Administrator Roger Rendleman, County Engineer Frank Lundy, and County Attorney Brad Hicks. The Commission set a modified consent agenda, received presentations on behavioral health and disaster recovery, approved a large consent agenda, and adjourned into executive session without reconvening.

Consent Calendar

• Adopted the minutes of the June 18, 2024, Regular Meeting by a 4-0 vote.
• Approved payment of bills and tax distributions listed in the Baldwin County Accounts Payable Payments by a 4-0 vote.
• Approved the Consent Agenda by a 4-0 vote with these modifications: Items FR1 (one-time paid holiday), FE1 (architectural services for Probate and Revenue Commission offices), GA1 (Gigapower, LLC bond release), and FC1 (Christmas Extravaganza) were added to the Consent Agenda; Item CC2 was removed for a separate vote; staff recommendation #3 was stricken from Item CR4; and the contingency of Governor Ivey's approval was removed from Item FR1.
• Acknowledged City of Daphne annexation ordinances No. 2024-09, No. 2024-15, and No. 2024-20.
• Authorized disbursement of Baldwin County Library Cooperative, Inc. circulation materials among member libraries of the Baldwin County Public Library System.
• Reappointed Alan L. Samry to the Baldwin County Historic Development Commission for a four-year term expiring July 3, 2028.
• Approved an amendment to the CrowderGulf, LLC pre-event debris removal and disposal contract to add PUSH Crews.
• Authorized a competitive bid for renovations of the Oak Street Building for the Building Inspection Department in Bay Minette.
• Awarded construction of miscellaneous protective partitions at various buildings to TripTek Construction, LLC for $253,200.00, with a 180-day construction period.
• Approved the Request for Qualifications for engineering services for the Scenic Highway 98 Bridge Replacement in Point Clear.
• Approved a service agreement with Kofile Technologies, Inc. for Probate Office wills and minutes microfilm conversion at an estimated cost of $9,200.00.
• Adopted Resolution #2024-126 updating the allocation of Baldwin County local cigarette tax revenue, including a new allocation to The Dream Center of Baldwin County, and repealing Resolution #2016-103.
• Authorized sale of surplus CIS equipment on GovDeals.com, including servers, access points, switches, and miscellaneous networking equipment.
• Approved Council on Aging items: $5,710.00 for cabinets at the Loxley Senior Nutritional Center and a Title III Older Americans Act application for $146,106.14 for FY2025.
• Authorized transfer and sale of three Sheriff's Office vehicles on GovDeals.com and approved the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Memorandum of Agreement with ALEA.
• Approved the Revenue Commission amended report for insolvents, errors, and taxes in litigation for 2023.
• Approved the Safer Places Program Memorandum of Understanding for severe weather sheltering.
• Authorized advertising for County Road 68 drainage improvements, County Road 65 paving, and U.S. Highway 98 at Old Foley Road intersection improvements.
• Adopted Resolution #2024-096 transferring portions of certain roads to the Town of Summerdale and Resolution #2024-132 transferring Parker Lane to the City of Daphne.
• Approved multiple personnel actions, including hires, promotions, reclassifications, and updated position descriptions.
• Accepted the resignation of Mark Corn from the Baldwin County Commission Board of Adjustment #2 and thanked him for his service.
• Approved FC1: the Christmas Extravaganza and Holiday Light Display at Bicentennial Park, scheduled for Saturday, December 14, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., free to the public, with a $50.00 vendor fee; the Drive-thru Holiday Light Display will run Monday through Saturday from December 2, 2024, to December 21, 2024, 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• Approved FE1: architectural services with John Randall Wilson, Architect, for renovation of the Probate and Revenue Commission Offices at the Central Annex in Robertsdale; preliminary construction cost is estimated between $2,000,000.00 and $2,500,000.00, with a design fee of 6.8%.
• Approved FR1: a one-time additional paid holiday for county employees on Friday, July 5, 2024, and Resolution #2024-131 closing certain public buildings that day.
• Approved GA1: authorization to execute a letter of release for a $50,000.00 surety bond on behalf of Gigapower, LLC, with a cancellation date of September 22, 2023.

Public Comments & Testimony

• During the work session, four speakers addressed the Christmas Extravaganza at Bicentennial Park after the Commission indicated it would proceed. Sara Davis of the North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce thanked the Commission and said the Chamber would help supplement the event. Susan Martin Burger, a volunteer docent at Bicentennial Park, expressed gratitude and offered volunteer help. Kristina Pittman, Executive Director of the North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, pledged chamber support for sponsors, volunteers, and the proposed master plan. Charlie Chestang, with the musical group The Chestangs, thanked the Commission and pledged his family's help with funding and sponsors.
• No public comments were made during the regular meeting.

Discussion Items

• Christmas Extravaganza and Bicentennial Park: Commissioner Gruber said the event is enjoyed by the community but costs are escalating, including over $200,000 for lighting, and he supported proceeding this year while seeking sponsors for next year. Commissioner McKenzie said he received favorable emails, described the event as special to North Baldwin County, and said the cost was not significant relative to the county's roughly $250 million budget. Commissioner Ball said the event is in his district, would be entering its fourth year, and that canceling it would be detrimental to the community. Chairman Underwood said the event was not being canceled but that fiscal responsibility required transparency: the county budgeted $150,000 for events at Bicentennial Park, but total expenditures for five park events were $674,000; labor for all events was $254,000; the Christmas festival alone cost $196,000; and one department had more than $90,000 in overtime. She proposed developing a master plan for Bicentennial Park and Live Oak Landing as a combined destination and seeking corporate sponsors.
• AltaPointe Health presentation: Steve Dolan, Vice President of Administrative Services, presented the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) designation. He explained that CCBHC is a four-year demonstration model created under Section 223 of federal legislation, and Alabama was one of 10 states added in June 2024. The model provides whole-person care integrating mental health and primary care, enhanced reimbursement rates, 24/7 crisis services, and care coordination. AltaPointe served about 15,000 Baldwin County citizens last year and expects to grow its workforce and services by about 30%.
• Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) update: Brian Underwood, Grants Director, reported the program remains on schedule and in compliance with the ADECA sub-recipient agreement. Angela Trail, Senior Grants Manager with Civix, presented a draft Local Recovery Plan. The plan includes about $24 million for infrastructure and $19.2 million for housing, identifies priority recovery zones, and emphasizes serving low- and moderate-income persons and urgent needs. Chairman Underwood questioned the proposed $85,000 maximum homeownership assistance award, expressing concern that low-income buyers might not be able to afford the resulting mortgage payments. She asked staff to obtain lender feasibility data before the plan is published.

Key Outcomes

• The Consent Agenda was approved 4-0 with the noted changes.
• The Gulf Coast Resource Conservation and Development Council grant application for $10,000.00 for Phase II of the Baldwin County First Settlers Brick Paver Program was approved 3-0, with Chairman Underwood abstaining because she is a voting member of the RC&D Council.
• The Christmas Extravaganza and Holiday Light Display at Bicentennial Park were approved for 2024. Commissioner Ball requested community help with fundraising, volunteers, and corporate sponsorships, and the Commission committed to exploring a master plan for Bicentennial Park and Live Oak Landing.
• County employees received a one-time additional paid holiday on Friday, July 5, 2024, and public buildings were authorized to close that day.
• The Commission approved a motion to enter executive session at 10:28 a.m. for approximately 20 minutes to discuss pending or imminent litigation and real property matters. The motion passed 4-0, and the Commission did not reconvene after the executive session.