Baldwin County Commission Regular Meeting - April 15, 2025

The Baldwin County Commission held a pre-meeting work session at 9:00 a.m. and a regular meeting at 10:00 a.m. on April 15, 2025, at the Fairhope Satellite Courthouse. All four commissioners were present. The work session included an executive session for real property and trade negotiations. The regular meeting addressed consent approvals, presentations, three public hearings on rezoning, an addendum property purchase, and commissioner comments.

Consent Calendar

• Adoption of Minutes: Unanimously approved the April 1, 2025 regular meeting minutes.
• Payment of Bills and Ratification of Interim Payments: Approved unanimously.
• Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously, except Item CO4 (Change in Functional Classification of Langford Road, portion of County Road 32 and portion of County Road 3) was removed at the County Engineer’s request. The consent agenda included 42 items covering administration, transit, budget/purchasing, elected officials, highway, parks, personnel, and planning and zoning actions, such as:
  • Rescheduling future meetings (June 17 to June 24; July 15 to July 16, 2025).
  • Reappointment of Robert “Robbie” Owen to AltaPointe Health Systems Board.
  • Approval of Foster Family Cemetery in Stockton.
  • Agreement with Spare Labs for BRATS credit/debit card processing.
  • Award of bids for resurfacing, crushed aggregates, pre-cooked meals, pavement markers, police vehicle accessories, drainage improvements, and renovations to the Central Annex in Robertsdale ($1.6M total).
  • Addition of employees to take-home vehicle lists (Probate Office and Highway Department).
  • Road acceptances for Eastgate Bend and Bayou Ridge Estates subdivisions with sureties totaling $1,099,859.92.
  • Waiving of fees for Bay Minette Fire Department bass tournament.
  • Personnel actions: hires, demotions, promotions.
  • Acceptance of resignation and appointment to Environmental Advisory Committee.
  • Letter of support for Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium grant.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Public Hearings (Rezoning): Chairman McKenzie opened public hearings for each case (Z25-01, Z25-03, Z25-05). No members of the public signed up or spoke. Each hearing was closed after opening, and the commission approved all three rezonings unanimously.

Discussion Items

• Rain Event Recovery Update: Tom Tyler, EMA Director, reported that Baldwin County received 9 to 13 inches of rain in a short period, causing flooding in Daphne, Spanish Fort, Stapleton, and Bay Minette. As of April 14, 103 events were logged into the state disaster program. The Highway Department logged nine incidents, with costs approximately $493,000. Tyler stated it is unclear if the county will meet the threshold for federal assistance, as the state threshold is roughly $9.5 million. Damage assessments were expected to be completed by the end of the week.
• Heroic Rescue Recognition: Forrest Davis, Assistant Area Supervisor, and Tucker Stuart, Construction Engineer, recognized Ian Hantz, Operator Technician III, for rescuing a small child from rushing water on County Road 64 during the April 6 rain event. The rescue was captured on video shown to the commission. Commissioners commended Hantz for going above his duties.
• Retiree Recognition: Bo Bonner, Assistant Personnel Director, presented service plaques to 10 employees retired January–April 2025, including Paulette Johnson (11 years), Dean Mott (6 years with county, 25 total), Lynn Parmer (14 years), Edith Hammock (4 years with county, 17 total), Jeanine Walker (10 years), Tammy Mason (11 years), Mikyong Jackson (7 years with county, 28 total), Troy Smith (17 years with county, 30 total), Michael Royster (11 years), and Douglas Watts (10 years).
• Environmental Stewardship Awards: Ashley Campbell, Natural Resource Planner, and the Environmental Advisory Committee presented 12 awards to individuals and organizations for environmental stewardship. Recipients included Cleverdon Farms (Agriculture), B&B Outdoors (Forestry), Streamline Environmental (Small Business), Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (Educational Program), Charlotte Roberts (Teacher), Alabama Coastal Foundation (Non-Profit), Mark Wetzel (Government Employee), Ben Raines (Individual Citizen), NRCS (Government Agency), Mason Hobgood (Student), Baldwin County Solid Waste Authority (Special Recognition), and In Memory of Casey Fulford (Special Recognition). The commission adopted Resolution #2025-098 recognizing the awards.
• Proclamation of Two Lights for Tomorrow Day: Commissioner Underwood read a proclamation designating April 18, 2025 as “Two Lights for Tomorrow Day” in Baldwin County, coinciding with the nationwide celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. Mike Bunn, Director of Historic Blakeley State Park, and former Probate Judge Tim Russell spoke about local revolutionary heritage, noting approximately 300 revolutionary families in Baldwin County. The commission adopted the proclamation.
• 911 Board Discussion (Work Session): Chairman McKenzie raised the issue of a 911 board member not attending meetings and suggested replacing that seat with a county commissioner on a rotating basis. County Attorney Brad Hicks confirmed legality. The item was deferred to the next meeting.
• Board Website Cleanup: County Administrator Roger Rendleman reported ongoing review of all boards to ensure accurate listings of vacant or expired terms. Commissioner Underwood noted outdated information on the website.
• County Attorney’s Report: Brad Hicks announced two items for executive session.
• Planning and Zoning Discussion: Commissioner Underwood asked Planning Director Jay Dickson about the zoning process for newly added planning districts. Dickson explained that going forward, a sector plan process will be used to guide zoning based on current land use and future growth, reducing corrective rezonings.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Agenda: Approved 42 items unanimously (Commissioner Ball absent on some votes? No, records show all 4 aye).
• Rezonings: All three public hearings (Z25-01, Z25-03, Z25-05) passed unanimously, rezoning 34.95 acres, 3 acres, and 1.7 acres respectively.
• Addendum – Real Property Purchase: Approved Resolution #2025-112 to purchase property from North Baldwin Utilities adjacent to the County Corrections Center in Bay Minette for $30,000. Vote: 4-0.
• Executive Session: The work session adjourned into executive session at 9:12 a.m. for discussions on real property and trade negotiations. The regular meeting proceeded at 10:00 a.m.
• Commissioner Requests: Chairman McKenzie directed Planning Director to explore placing Planning staff at the Fairhope Courthouse.
• Adjournment: The regular meeting adjourned at 11:06 a.m.