Baldwin County Commission Regular Meeting - May 6, 2025

The Baldwin County Commission held its pre-meeting work session at 9:00 AM and regular meeting at 10:00 AM on May 6, 2025, at the Baldwin County Administration Building in Bay Minette, Alabama. All four commissioners were present: James E. Ball (District 1), Matthew P. McKenzie (District 2, Chairman), Billie Jo Underwood (District 3), and Charles F. Gruber (District 4). The work session included a review of agenda items, an executive session on pending litigation (adjourned at 9:42 AM), and reports from senior staff. The regular meeting concluded at 11:34 AM after presentations, proclamations, and unanimous approval of all items.

Consent Calendar

• Approved minutes of the April 15, 2025, regular meeting.
• Payment of bills and ratification of interim payments authorized.
• Consent Agenda (including Item FA1): Approved unanimously, covering:
  • CA Administration: Annexation notifications (Fairhope, Foley, Summerdale); letters of support for Brightspeed and Mediacom ADECA broadband grants; OverDrive digital library services agreement ($6,000 annual fee); 3Circle Church voting precinct cleaning ($235/event); Resolution #2025-116 incorporating the Industrial Development Authority of Baldwin County with eight initial directors.
  • CC Archives & History: Fort Mims Restoration appropriations ($13,500 for repairs; $10,950 for re-enactment Aug 29-31, 2025).
  • CE Budget/Purchasing: 15 items including bid awards, contract extensions, change orders, and budget resolutions (e.g., $161,898.70 change order for District Attorney building helical piles; $72,968 change order for Corrections Center door interlocks; resolution #2025-114 for female housing addition).
  • CH CIS: Sale of surplus equipment on GovDeals.com.
  • CN Grants: Third amendment to Civix contract for CDBG-DR planning phase (added compliance clauses, no cost change).
  • CO Highway: Nine items including functional reclassifications of three roads; appraisal contract; turn lane development agreement with Central Baldwin Management; ACAMP grant application ($50,000 for Mullet Point boat launch); intergovernmental mowing agreement with Spanish Fort; equipment auction; fiber optic license agreement with Point Broadband; road transfer to Foley; on-call engineering contracts for Allen Engineering and Driven Engineering.
  • CR Personnel: Employment and promotions for Highway, CIS, Juvenile Detention, and Probate departments (e.g., Communications Technician II at $21.54/hr; multiple Highway technician hires/promotions; four Detention Workers; Probate promotions).
  • FA1 (911 Board): Reappointed Sheriff Anthony Lowery (term through Nov 14, 2028) and Raymond (Tony) Lovell (term through Jan 1, 2029).

Public Comments & Testimony

• DeeAnn Campbell introduced herself as a candidate for the District 65 House of Representatives seat. She described her background in newspaper publishing (25 years), community service, workforce development, and as Executive Director/Chief Development Officer of the Choctaw County Chamber of Commerce. She expressed her intention to run in the Republican primary and promised to be a present, responsive representative.

Discussion Items

• Work Session – Commissioner Requests:
  • Commissioner Underwood requested staff to study reconfiguring parking at Central Annex I in Robertsdale (to improve traffic flow and add spaces) and to update building signage (e.g., "Tag Office" and "Vital Statistics"). Commissioners agreed to proceed with cost analysis.
  • Discussion on appointing a county commissioner to the 911 Board concluded it was not appropriate at this time; instead, existing members were reappointed.
• FY2025 Mid-Year Budget Review (Beth Hodges, Budget Director):
  • Major revenues (ad valorem, sales tax, gas tax) are continuing to grow but at a slower rate; year-over-year rate of change has declined (sales tax: from 19% in 2022 to 4.6% in 2025; gas tax: flat or slightly negative).
  • Economic indicators (mortgage tax, building permits) also show deceleration, attributed to interest rates and inflation.
  • Operational expenses under budget: General Fund at 48.7% utilization, subsidized funds at 41.6%, Highway at 40.4% (mid-year target 50%). High workman’s comp and prisoner medical costs noted.
  • Reserve fund balance is approximately $36 million (30% policy); staff advised conservative budgeting and prioritizing capital projects using available fund balances.
• CDBG-DR Program Update (Brian Underwood, Grants Director):
  • Planning phase closed; implementation phase pending subrecipient amendment (expected June 2025).
  • Scoring matrix for $14 million competitive infrastructure grants developed; committee to be formed for application review.
  • Public workshops and website updates planned to publicize the program; homeownership assistance stakeholder emails to be sent.
• Presentations & Proclamations:
  • Older Americans Month (May 2025): Proclamation presented to Kelly Childress (Council on Aging), Robertsdale Mayor Charles Murphy, and senior center staff.
  • Mental Health Awareness Month (May 2025): Proclamation presented to NAMI Baldwin representatives; Commissioners discussed Stepping Up Initiative and partnerships.
  • Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week (May 4-10, 2025): Proclamation presented to AltaPointe Health and the Child Advocacy Center; Commissioner Ball noted the ACE study.
  • Resolution #2025-099 – Retirement of Corporal Ricky Tobin (Sheriff’s Office): Recognized his 30+ years of service.
  • Lifesaver Award – Deputy Megan Johnson: Awarded for saving a citizen accidentally shot with a nail gun on Feb 11, 2025 (applied chest seal, victim survived).
  • National Correctional Officers Week (May 4-10, 2025): Proclamation; Sheriff Lowery noted 144 correctional officers oversee ~600 inmates daily, processing ~13,600 bookings annually.
  • National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Week (May 11-17, 2025): Proclamation honored 15 Baldwin County officers killed in the line of duty.
  • Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit Presentation: Eight K9 teams (four dual-purpose, four single-purpose) since 2023 have deployed 467 times (357 detections, 110 patrol), resulting in 119 seizures of drugs/currency and 101 apprehensions. Deputy Dalton Anderson certified as first in-house handler.

Key Outcomes

• All votes were unanimous (4-0) with no dissenting votes or abstentions.
• Consent Agenda approved en bloc, including reappointments to the 911 Board and 15 budget/purchasing items.
• Resolutions adopted: #2025-099 (retirement), #2025-102/103/104 (road reclassifications), #2025-109/110/114 (budget amendments), #2025-115/117 (historic parks appropriations), #2025-116 (Industrial Development Authority incorporation), #2025-118 (road transfer to Foley).
• Proclamations declared May 2025 as Older Americans Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, and May 4-10 as Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, National Correctional Officers Week; May 11-17 as National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Week.
• Commission directed staff to explore Central Annex parking redesign and signage.
• No public hearings or addenda items were considered.