Baldwin County Commission Regular Meeting and Work Session - October 15, 2024

The Baldwin County Commission held a pre-meeting work session at 8:30 AM and a regular meeting at 10:00 AM on October 15, 2024, at the Fairhope Satellite Courthouse. All four commissioners were present. The work session included a presentation on the South Baldwin Workforce Development Authority master plan update and an executive session. The regular meeting addressed consent agenda items, a proclamation, four public hearings, and staff recommendations including changes to the meeting schedule and a sales tax exemption for hearing aids.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of the October 1, 2024 regular meeting.
• Approved payment of bills and distribution of taxes.
• Approved the consent agenda with a replacement attachment for Item CA3 (Purchase of Real Property Near Lillian Boat Launch).
• Consent items included:
  • Alcohol license for La Revancha LLC (special event, November 30, 2024).
  • Authorization for additional 117 precinct election officials for the November 5, 2024 general election, not to exceed 600 total.
  • Purchase of property near Lillian Boat Launch for $422,000 ($412,750 from GOMESA fund balance, $9,250 from contingency reserves) and $5,000 earnest money deposit.
  • Award of bids for annual traffic signal repair (Bagby and Russell Electric), bituminous materials (Mobile Asphalt, H.O. Weaver, Advanced Asphalt), pest control for corrections center (Bay Pest Control), construction of outdoor atrium at courthouse (Tindle Construction, $2,800,000 total), construction of sally port at courthouse (Rogers & Willard, $3,613,500), paving County Road 65 from CR-24 to CR-28 (Mobile Asphalt, $1,019,403.12), River Road drainage improvements (Murphree Bridge Corporation, $2,165,047.96), and change order for Mega Site Novelis Rail Spur ($169,708.50).
  • Permission to advertise for engineering services for six highway projects.
  • Agreements for cybersecurity enhancement services (BlueVoyant, $160,000/year for three years) and Microsoft Security Government Community Non-Disclosure Agreement.
  • Sale of surplus equipment (two FortiGate filters, 30 laptops, 20 desktops) on GovDeals.com.
  • Certificate of exception from garbage pick-up for one individual.
  • Low income garbage fee exemptions: 2nd quarter (April-June 2024) approved 11, denied 12; 3rd quarter (July-September 2024) approved 8, denied 13.
  • Grant agreements: Alabama Department of Youth Services ($353,736 for Juvenile Court), Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant ($15,906 for K-9), ARPA subrecipient amendment with AltaPointe Health Systems, ARPA fund allocations for drainage improvements on County Road 65 ($232,478.81), courthouse sally port ($3,613,500), courthouse queuing structure ($2,993,303.55), and River Road drainage improvements ($79,920.97).
  • Highway items: authorize removal of crepe myrtle trees at Bay Minette building office ($1,500), permission to advertise for CR-99 shoulder widening Phase 3, acceptance of donated right-of-way on four projects (Paul Cleverdon Road, Sherman Road tracts 2 and 4, Greeno Road), license agreements for maintenance on Mateja Road and Lescali Drive, and authorization for sediment containment measures at Magnolia River.
  • Personnel actions: employment of an animal placement specialist, building inspector III, creation of Director of Finance position, updated position descriptions, employment of operator technician trainee, two traffic operations positions, five detention workers, a probate license revenue officer, and two assessment technicians.
  • Letter of support for Mobile Bay National Estuary Program Gulf of Mexico Division grant proposal on water quality monitoring.

Presentations

• Domestic Violence Awareness Month Proclamation – Chairman Underwood read and presented the proclamation to Ms. Shannon Hesse, Vice President of The Lighthouse Board of Directors. Ms. Hesse discussed the mission and services of The Lighthouse, which makes more than 1,500 contacts annually. The commission unanimously adopted the proclamation for October 2024.

Public Hearings

• Case No. PID23-01 – Ecovery LLC – Modification of approved site plan to reduce parking from 416 spaces to 94 spaces. No public speakers. Unanimously approved (4-0).
• Case No. Z24-27 – Corn Branch, LLC Property Rezoning – Request to rezone 5.7 acres from RA (Rural Agricultural) to RSF-1 (Residential Single Family) for five lots. Two speakers: Hunter Smith (applicant) supported approval; Amanda Moore presented a petition from about 75 residents opposing due to infrastructure, safety, and character concerns. A motion to deny failed for lack of a second. A motion to approve passed 3-1 (Commissioner McKenzie dissenting).
• Case No. Z24-33 – Chadwell Property Rezoning – Rezone 20 acres from RA to RR (Rural District) for a wholesale warehouse distribution center. No public speakers. Unanimously approved (4-0).
• Case No. Z24-34 – Renfroe Property Rezoning – Rezone 2 acres from B-1 (Professional Business) to B-2 (Neighborhood Business) for an antique store. No public speakers. Unanimously approved (4-0).

Discussion Items

• South Baldwin Workforce Development Authority Master Plan Update (Work Session) – Mr. Harlan Foster, Managing Director of Community Development Group, presented progress on the master plan for a proposed workforce site. Key points included: a movie production studio company (Seven Studios) is proposing eight production studios with $100 million direct investment, potentially creating 3,000 jobs. Housing for seasonal and student workers was discussed as a need. The city of Foley has interest but concerns about donating land. The authority is also working with universities (USA and Coastal Alabama) and a healthcare facility. The master plan is delayed due to this new opportunity.
• Exemption of Hearing Instruments from Sales Tax (Item FE1) – Representative Margie Wilcox, sponsor of HB 51, spoke in favor of exempting hearing aids from Baldwin County sales and use tax. She noted that neighboring states do not tax hearing aids, and that hearing loss is a top reason experienced workers leave the workforce. The commission adopted Resolution #2025-006 unanimously (4-0).
• Changes to Meeting Schedule and Department Head Meetings (Items FA1 and FA2) – County Administrator Roger Rendleman proposed two changes: (1) move the work session start time from 8:30 AM to 9:00 AM, keeping the regular meeting at 10:00 AM; (2) remove the quarterly Department Head meetings from the divisional resolution (making them non-public meetings) and replace with a policy requiring quarterly staff-level meetings. After discussion, the commission approved the time change unanimously (4-0). The motion to eliminate the public Department Head meetings passed 3-1 (Commissioner Gruber dissenting). Subsequently, the commission unanimously approved Policy #2.25 for quarterly Department Head meetings (4-0).

Key Outcomes

• Consent Agenda – Approved with noted replacement attachment (4-0).
• Proclamation – Unanimously adopted for Domestic Violence Awareness Month (4-0).
• Public Hearing Votes:
  • Ecovery LLC – Approved 4-0.
  • Corn Branch, LLC – Approved 3-1 (McKenzie nay).
  • Chadwell Property – Approved 4-0.
  • Renfroe Property – Approved 4-0.
• Resolution #2025-006 – Adopted unanimously to exempt proceeds from sale of hearing instruments from county sales and use tax (4-0).
• Resolution #2025-016 – Amended to change work session time to 9:00 AM (4-0) and to eliminate public Department Head meetings (3-1).
• Policy #2.25 – Adopted unanimously to require quarterly Department Head meetings (4-0).
• Executive Session – The work session adjourned into executive session at 9:03 AM to discuss pending litigation (4-0). The work session did not reconvene.
• Public Comments – None during the regular meeting; one speaker signed up but did not appear.
• Next Meeting – The next regular meeting will be chaired by Commissioner Matthew P. McKenzie, with the work session beginning at 9:00 AM.