OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Baldwin County Commission Regular Meeting - April 7, 2026

County Commission — Tuesday, April 7, 2026
BodyBaldwin County, Alabama
SessionCounty Commission
DateTuesday, April 7, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:52:21

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

All right, good morning and welcome to our April 7th uh pre-meeting work session.

0:09

Uh today I will um ask uh Commissioner Underwood to lead us in the prayer and Commissioner McKenzie to lead us in the pledge.

0:19

Please rise.

0:22

Thank you.

0:23

If you would bow your heads with me, please.

0:25

Dear gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day, Lord.

0:28

We just thank you for everything that you do for us here in this wonderful place we call home.

0:33

Lord, we just ask you to be with us today as we conduct the business of Balling County, help us to make the best and wisest decisions that would be to your glory.

0:42

In Jesus' name we pray.

0:43

Amen.

0:44

Please join me in a pledge of leading.

0:46

I pledge to the United States of America and to the Republic for which one nation under God.

0:56

Is it visible with liberty and justice?

1:01

Thank you.

1:06

I'll tell you what, you couldn't have dialed up a prettier day today.

1:09

I woke up this morning, it was something else and coming right off of the Easter weekend holiday.

1:14

Hope everybody had a good one of those.

1:16

And great weather out there, though.

1:18

I mean, I wish we could have the meeting outside, tell you the truth.

1:22

Guess we could if I wanted to, huh?

1:25

All right.

1:26

So um commissioners, we're gonna work on setting our consent agenda.

1:38

First items are administrative items.

1:42

CA1 all the way through CA8.

1:46

We have um let's see.

2:03

Okay.

2:07

We've got an archives and history item.

2:13

I'm good with that.

2:14

Excited about America 250.

2:17

That's great.

2:19

Um, we've got our budget and purchasing items, CE1 through CE12.

2:24

Is there any questions on those?

2:27

No.

2:30

Good enough?

2:31

Yeah, I'm good.

2:32

Good to go.

2:37

Got a CIS item CG1 through CG3.

2:50

I'm okay.

2:52

What was the one, Brian?

2:53

That you were talking about Brian.

2:55

What was the one you said earlier that you had to put in there?

2:58

Uh DOG.

3:00

Just the ADA statement that we're going to be placing on the website.

3:03

And who's asking us to do that?

3:06

Oh, the DOJ has passed down some rulings associated with ADA compliance.

3:11

And this just gives us a blanket on our website to cover some of those compliances.

3:18

Thank you, Brian.

3:19

I got a quick question.

3:20

It's not about this, but I think it's an outside vendor on our maps.

3:26

You now have to click, I'm not a robot, but I didn't see that on our internal, like when I go to the um parcel viewer.

3:35

Is that something that we can request them to take off, or is that I mean, a lot of times I'm this has been someone from the outside that uses our parcel viewer a lot, and they're like, you know, you'll click here, click here, go back, and you're constantly having to say I'm not a robot.

3:53

Is it are you aware of what I'm talking about?

3:55

Yes, ma'am.

3:56

Do you can you tell me is it strictly an outside vendor?

4:00

Is that something we requested?

4:01

No, that's strictly an outside vendor, and it's due to um cybersecurity compliance that's coming across the board that we're having to ensure that there's not a malicious attack that would be getting in to capture that data from us.

4:18

Okay.

4:19

And plus, we want to know if you're not a robot or not.

4:21

So good to answer.

4:25

I I just want to make sure it's not just a extra step that I had to keep clicking every time I go in and out of there.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Personnel Matters███████████████████████23%
Public Safety██████████████████████22%
Public Engagement███████████11%
Procedural█████████9%
Affordable Housing███████7%
Zoning███████7%
Community Engagement██████6%
Veterans Affairs█████5%
Fiscal Sustainability███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Baldwin County Commission Regular Meeting - April 7, 2026

The Baldwin County Commission met for a pre-meeting work session at 9:00 AM and the regular meeting at 10:00 AM on April 7, 2026, in Bay Minette, Alabama. All four commissioners were present: James E. Ball (Chairman), Matthew P. McKenzie, Billie Jo Underwood, and Charles F. Gruber. The meeting covered routine approvals, presentations, proclamations, public hearings, and a discussion item on a future dragon boat race event.

Consent Calendar

  • Adoption of Minutes: Unanimously approved the minutes of the March 17, 2026 regular meeting.
  • Payment of Bills: Approved 942 invoices totaling $4,364,932.75.
  • Ratification of Interim Payments: Approved 980 invoices totaling $9,307,249.65.
  • Consent Agenda (Items CA1 through CS1): Approved en bloc, including:
    • Alcohol license for Bottles Up Mobile Inc. d/b/a Weeks Bay Plantation (one-time special event on April 18, 2026).
    • Board appointments to the Baldwin County Eastern Shore Health Care Authority, Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization, and temporary Board of Equalization member.
    • Rescheduling the May 19, 2026 meeting to May 21, 2026 at the Fairhope Satellite Courthouse.
    • Tent rental ($1,385) for the Annual Law Enforcement Memorial Event.
    • Striping of handicap parking spaces at Stockton Civic Club polling location (expenditure up to $1,024).
    • Letter of support for City of Bay Minette’s federal funding request for a Multi-Agency Emergency Response Command Center.
    • Approval for installation of a Revolutionary Patriots Monument at Bicentennial Park.
    • Various competitive bids and contract awards for equipment, services, and construction projects (e.g., chiller, boiler, vehicle, meals, police accessories, erosion control, resurfacing, atrium renovations, Sheriff's Office renovations, Central Annex II improvements, intersection improvements on County Road 26).
    • Resolution #2026-068 recognizing new revenue and reallocating funds.
    • Adoption of Baldwin County Commission Accessibility Statement for the website.
    • Service order agreements with Uniti Fiber for voice and internet upgrades.
    • Law enforcement service contracts for Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
    • Transfer of six surplus Sheriff's Office vehicles for sale on GovDeals.com.
    • Certificate of exception from garbage pick-up for Marcus Armstead.
    • Adoption of Purchasing Card (P-Card) Policy #8.26.
    • Resolution #2026-070 for ACCA Liability Self-Insurance Fund Longevity Bonus.
    • Renewal of TaxMaster software licensing agreement ($1,560).
    • Donation of approximately 4.5 acres of county property to Prodisee Pantry, Inc. for a food distribution facility in Stockton, Alabama.
    • Write-off of $63,485.68 in uncollectable judgment.
    • Employment of seven new staff (Animal Control Technician, part-time Park Attendant, Custodian, Detention Worker, Detention Supervisor, Civil Engineer, Administrative Support Specialist IV).
    • Employee Handbook revisions effective April 7, 2026.
    • Resolution #2026-072 certifying petition for zoning election in Planning District 3 (Stockton) and instructing the Judge of Probate to hold an election no later than July 7, 2026.
    • Resolution #2026-077: Added during the work session, naming portions of Alabama State Route 225 in unincorporated Baldwin County as "American Patriots Way."

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made during either the work session or the regular meeting. Two public hearings were held with no speakers from the public.

Discussion Items

  • Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Update: Brian Underwood, Grants Director, reported progress on three programs: Local Government Recovery Infrastructure Program (LGRIP) with $12 million available, 14 organizations submitted 28 project proposals; County Priority Infrastructure Program (CPIP) with $10.7 million, awaiting ADECA funding for CR65 extension phases; Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP) with $19 million, aiming to help up to 200 households purchase homes, with public meetings planned in May 2026. Commissioners thanked the grants team.
  • North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce Dragon Boat Race Event: Kristina Pittman and Nick Jackson presented a request to host a dragon boat race at Live Oak Landing on October 17, 2026, with boat launch closure from 7 AM to 2 PM. The item was discussed but not voted on; it was decided to prepare an agenda item for the April 21, 2026 meeting to address staff assistance and launch closure.
  • Employee of the Quarter Presentations (1st Quarter 2026): Five employees were recognized: Kyna Philips (Council on Aging), Karen Giordano (EMA), Bo Bonner (Personnel), Robert White (Highway), and Lauren Thompson (Right-of-Way). Commissioners praised their dedication.
  • Proclamation – National Telecommunicators / Communication Officers Week (April 12-18, 2026): Sheriff Anthony Lowery and communications officers received the proclamation. The commission highlighted the critical role of telecommunicators, noting over 100,000 calls for service annually. Unanimously adopted.
  • Proclamation – Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month and Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Month (April 2026): Representatives from CARE House and The Lighthouse spoke about services and challenges. Commissioner Ball shared statistics: every 68 seconds an American is sexually assaulted, every 9 minutes the victim is a child; only 25 out of 1,000 perpetrators end up in prison. Unanimously adopted.
  • Public Hearing – Consumable Hemp Products License (Case No. LV-26001H): No public speakers. The commission approved the license for Yogir LLC d/b/a Country Liquor in Foley, Alabama. Commissioner McKenzie asked about the county's share of licensing fees; County Administrator Roger Rendleman replied it is unclear but may be part of alcohol levies. Unanimously approved.
  • Public Hearing – Petition by The Point Clear Club Improvement District for Property Assessment: No public speakers. The commission approved Resolution #2026-076 authorizing the assessment method requested by the property owner. Unanimously approved.
  • Addendum – Cancellation of Jacobs Engineering Contract: The commission cancelled the contract (approved Feb 19, 2026) for permitting review of a utility-scale solar facility in north Baldwin County, as no active applications exist. Unanimously approved.

Key Outcomes

  • All votes were unanimous (4-0) on every motion throughout the meeting.
  • Consent Agenda passed with the addition of the “American Patriots Way” resolution.
  • Dragon Boat Race will be formally considered at the April 21, 2026 meeting.
  • CDBG-DR programs continue to move forward: LGRIP applications due May 4, 2026; HAP public meetings in May 2026; CPIP construction bids anticipated for CR65 extension later in 2026.
  • The meeting adjourned at 11:13 AM after commissioner comments.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good morning and welcome to our April 7th uh pre-meeting work session. Uh today I will um ask uh Commissioner Underwood to lead us in the prayer and Commissioner McKenzie to lead us in the pledge. Please rise. Thank you. If you would bow your heads with me, please. Dear gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day, Lord. We just thank you for everything that you do for us here in this wonderful place we call home. Lord, we just ask you to be with us today as we conduct the business of Balling County, help us to make the best and wisest decisions that would be to your glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Please join me in a pledge of leading. I pledge to the United States of America and to the Republic for which one nation under God. Is it visible with liberty and justice? Thank you. I'll tell you what, you couldn't have dialed up a prettier day today. I woke up this morning, it was something else and coming right off of the Easter weekend holiday. Hope everybody had a good one of those. And great weather out there, though. I mean, I wish we could have the meeting outside, tell you the truth. Guess we could if I wanted to, huh? All right. So um commissioners, we're gonna work on setting our consent agenda. First items are administrative items. CA1 all the way through CA8. We have um let's see. Okay. We've got an archives and history item. I'm good with that. Excited about America 250. That's great. Um, we've got our budget and purchasing items, CE1 through CE12. Is there any questions on those? No. Good enough? Yeah, I'm good. Good to go. Got a CIS item CG1 through CG3. I'm okay. What was the one, Brian? That you were talking about Brian. What was the one you said earlier that you had to put in there? Uh DOG. Just the ADA statement that we're going to be placing on the website. And who's asking us to do that? Oh, the DOJ has passed down some rulings associated with ADA compliance. And this just gives us a blanket on our website to cover some of those compliances. Thank you, Brian. I got a quick question. It's not about this, but I think it's an outside vendor on our maps. You now have to click, I'm not a robot, but I didn't see that on our internal, like when I go to the um parcel viewer.

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