Baldwin County Commission Regular Meeting and Work Session - June 16, 2026

The Baldwin County Commission held its pre-meeting work session at 9:00 a.m. and its regular meeting at 10:02 a.m. on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at the Baldwin County Fairhope Satellite Courthouse in Fairhope, Alabama. All four commissioners were present: Chairman James E. Ball (District 1), Matthew P. McKenzie (District 2), Billie Jo Underwood (District 3), and Charles F. Gruber (District 4). Also present were County Administrator Roger Rendleman, County Engineer Frank Lundy, and County Attorney Brad Hicks. The work session adjourned into executive session at 9:25 a.m., and the regular meeting adjourned at 11:22 a.m. Key actions included approval of a 40-plus-item consent agenda, denial of a public water-access right-of-way vacation, denial of two rezoning requests, tabling of three planning cases, and withdrawal of one rezoning request.

Pre-Meeting Work Session (9:00 AM)

• Commissioners reviewed agenda items and set the consent agenda, adding addendum items GA1, GA2, and GA3, with approval of GA3 contingent upon receipt of a certificate of liability insurance.
• Natural Resource Planners Ashley Campbell and James Howard and Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) Director Jason Kudulis presented two grants: the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Longleaf Pine Restoration grant (seeking $150,000 to plant up to 80 acres of longleaf pine, complementing the Magnolia River project) and the Styx River Watershed automated GSSHA hydrologic modeling project with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab / MBNEP. Planning Director Jay Dickson said the modeling software lets County staff assess regional and downstream stormwater impacts; Ms. Campbell noted municipalities can share the subscription service.
• Commissioner Underwood requested a five-month moratorium on new zoning applications while the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) and Master Plan are being updated, citing the complexity of Baldwin County's planning process and long-term implications of rezoning decisions. Commissioner Gruber suggested a six-month moratorium instead. Mr. Lundy said draft versions of the revised zoning ordinance, FLUM, and Master Plan are being reviewed and will be presented at the next Planning and Zoning Commission meeting and the July 14 Road & Bridge Division meeting. He said staff was not specifically recommending a moratorium, though the timing was applicable. Commissioner McKenzie opposed the timing, citing optics relative to a separate north Baldwin County moratorium request. No motion was made, and Chairman Ball observed the discussion did not appear to have support.
• The Commission voted 4-0 to adjourn into executive session at 9:25 a.m. to discuss with their attorney the legal ramifications of pending or imminent litigation, per Code of Alabama Section 36-25A-7. The work session did not reconvene.

Consent Calendar

The Commission approved the consent agenda, including addendum items GA1-GA3, by a 4-0 vote. Items included:

• Administration (CA): Acknowledged annexation notifications from the City of Gulf Shores (Ordinances 2176, 2180, 2194) and City of Loxley (Ordinances 2026-14, 2026-18); adopted amended Policy 2.27 on Consumable Hemp Products License Applications.
• Budget/Purchasing (CE): Extended dumpster/garbage collection bid with BCC Waste Solutions, LLC for 12 months (expires June 18, 2027); approved Change Order No. 1 ($9,000.00) for a Trane chiller in lieu of a Carrier chiller at the Fairhope Satellite Courthouse; awarded mower blade bid to Equipment Sales Company, LLC; awarded bagged ice bid to LRT Solutions, Inc.; authorized roof replacement bid specifications and a purchase order up to $250,000.00 for roofing materials via the OMNIA Partners cooperative; extended human remains transportation contracts with Lifestar Alternative Transportation Service, LLC and Coastal Body Removal & Transportation, LLC for 12 months; approved Allowance Authorization No. 13 ($3,000.00) for the Bay Minette courthouse outdoor atrium project; awarded the Lillian Boat Launch planting, irrigation, and lighting improvements project to Coastal Contractors and Renovations, LLC for $232,950.00 (60 working days).
• Council on Aging (CH): Approved the FY2027 Title III Older Americans Act funding application for $145,052.00 (October 1, 2026 - September 30, 2027).
• Elected Officials (CI): Appointed Samuel Curry, Jr. as Deputy Coroner/Chaplain effective July 1, 2026, with IRS-rate mileage reimbursement; approved donation of a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe to Josephine Volunteer Fire Department.
• Finance and Accounting (CM): Authorized the annual ADCNR subrecipient risk assessment questionnaire.
• Grants (CN): Approved Amendment No. 1 to the Opioid Settlement Funding Program Resolution #2026-081; authorized ASPCA Critical Shelter Infrastructure grant application for $65,000.00 for kennel visual barriers; approved submittal of 10 CDBG-DR LGRIP projects totaling approximately $12.13 million to ADECA, including projects for the Cities of Daphne, Robertsdale, Loxley, Orange Beach, Fairhope, and Bay Minette, East Central Baldwin Water Authority, Town of Magnolia Springs, North Baldwin Utilities, and Perdido Bay Water, Sewer and Fire Protection District; authorized Bridge Investment Program grant application for County Road 64, County Road 87, and Phillipsville Road bridge replacements; retroactively extended the LaBella Associates, D.P.C. professional services agreement for Foley Satellite Courthouse ventilation improvements (through August 3, 2026); adopted Resolution #2026-092 approving the CDBG-DR Infrastructure Policy Manual.
• Highway (CO): Amended the City of Daphne intergovernmental agreement to add widening and resurfacing of Milton Jones Road, Jonesboro Road, and Pollard Road; authorized right-of-way acquisition for six dirt road paving projects; approved Shipp Road Extension design fee with Jade Consulting, LLC up to $313,250.00; adopted Resolution #2026-106 transferring portions of Buckingham Boulevard and Arlington Boulevard to the City of Spanish Fort; approved a Right of Entry with Release Agreement and additional insured coverage for Novelis Corporation.
• Parks and Recreation (CQ): Approved Baldwin County High School's request to waive park fees and use Live Oak Landing Park and pavilion for its first annual Jambalaya Cookoff fundraiser on November 21, 2026.
• Personnel (CR): Approved employment, promotion, and reclassification actions, including a part-time custodian, two Highway Department promotions and two Traffic Control Technician hires, a Planner, a Recording Officer I, and reclassification of a Revenue Clerk I position to Revenue Compliance Officer.
• Planning and Zoning (CS): Authorized the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Longleaf Pine Restoration grant application; authorized the Subrecipient Agreement with Dauphin Island Sea Lab / MBNEP for Styx River Watershed GSSHA modeling (June 1, 2026 - April 30, 2027).
• Addenda (GA): Terminated the agency agreement with Symbol Health Solutions, LLC for employer-sponsored near-site clinics and health management; approved a 3-year agreement with Vigilant Health Network, Inc. including $70,000.00 in start-up fees; approved the Facility Event Space Rental Agreement with Beachcombers LLC for filming of the feature film "Beachcombers" at The Launch at CR6 on July 1, 2026 (noon to 11:30 p.m.), contingent on proof of liability insurance.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Work session public comments: None.
• VAC-26-1 (right-of-way vacation): Austin Gerald, son of the adjacent property owners, urged approval, arguing the 6.7-foot unopened, unimproved right-of-way is too narrow for meaningful public access, is a public safety and maintenance liability, and that nearby Mary Ann Beach Park and Pelican Point already provide public bay access.
• Z25-55 Sweetwater Investments: Jessica McDill, on behalf of the adjacent Radcliffe family, requested denial, citing the property's existing RSF-1 zoning, lack of conformance with the FLUM, and what she characterized as a speculative rezoning request. Dwayne Smith of Anchor Engineering, for the applicant, stated the request concerns minimum lot size rather than increased density, is compatible with surrounding properties, would maintain the Happy Trails Drive easement, and would not require a traffic study or create environmental impacts to Headwater Branch.
• Z26-15 Peturis Property: Hunter Smith of Smith Clark & Associates requested approval to improve the marketability of the former farmland. Four residents — Gordon Baker, Phillip Owens, Shannon Harden, and Kimberly Krebs — spoke in opposition, citing concerns about spot zoning, increased traffic and impacts to infrastructure, drainage and flooding issues, school overcrowding, and preserving the rural character of the area.
• Z26-17 GPS Land Company: Adjacent property owner Christine Morrison spoke in opposition and expressed concern about possible commercial uses, including a gas station or kennel. Property owner William Tyndall described spending $75,000-$80,000 on cleanup, roughly $65,000 in legal fees, and two years of unsuccessful attempts to sell the home, and said he only sought to sell the house on a two-acre parcel.

Public Hearings & Decisions

• EO1 - VAC-26-1: The public hearing opened at 10:13 a.m. and closed at 10:16 a.m. The Commission voted 4-0 to deny the vacation of the 6.7-foot unopened, unimproved right-of-way from County Road 1 to Mobile Bay, consistent with Baldwin County Commission Policy 9.21, which preserves public water access and rights-of-way terminating at bodies of water.
• ES1, ES3, ES4: At the applicants' request, the Commission voted 4-0 to table the Goodrich Property rezoning (Z25-53), the Morgan Property rezoning (Z25-62), and the Bridle Creek Planned Residential Development conceptual site plan (PRD25-09).
• ES2 - Sweetwater Investments (Z25-55): The Commission voted 3-1 (Commissioner Underwood dissenting) to deny rezoning of 29 acres, more or less, in Planning (Zoning) District 39 from RSF-1 to RSF-2. Commissioner Underwood noted the case received a scorecard of 25 out of 40 and was the only rezoning case that day with consistent marks under the current FLUM and Master Plan.
• ES5 - Peturis Property (Z26-15): The Commission voted 4-0 to deny rezoning of 113.35 acres, more or less, in Planning (Zoning) District 15 from RA to RSF-2. Commissioner Underwood explained the scorecard result of 12 out of 40 did not support the rezoning.
• ES6 - GPS Land Company (Z26-17): After an initial motion to deny was made and seconded, County Attorney Brad Hicks advised that a denial would bar the applicant from resubmitting for one year. The Commission withdrew the motion to deny and voted 4-0 to approve the applicant's request to withdraw the rezoning request (4.12 acres, more or less, in Planning (Zoning) District 12 from RA to RSF-E and RR), allowing the applicant to return with a different zoning designation. Planning Director Jay Dickson noted the property cannot be further divided under its current RA zoning, which requires a three-acre minimum lot size.

Other Staff Recommendations

• Resolutions #2026-114 and #2026-115: The Commission adopted, each by a 4-0 vote, resolutions providing for continued local recognition of the names "Foley Beach Express" and "Baldwin Beach Express" for State Route 161 within the unincorporated areas of Baldwin County for 911 addressing purposes, ensuring no addresses would change.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes of the June 2, 2026, Regular Meeting adopted 4-0, including a correction to account numbers in Resolution #2026-096 (Agenda Item CE8).
• Payment of bills (approximately $16,084,024.06 across 606 invoices) approved 4-0; ratification of interim payments (61 invoices, approximately $3,388,870.29) approved 4-0.
• Consent agenda, including addenda GA1-GA3, approved 4-0.
• Motion to enter executive session passed 4-0.
• VAC-26-1 right-of-way vacation request denied 4-0.
• ES1, ES3, and ES4 tabled 4-0.
• ES2 (Sweetwater Investments) denied 3-1, with Commissioner Underwood voting nay.
• ES5 (Peturis Property) denied 4-0.
• ES6 (GPS Land Company) withdrawal approved 4-0.
• Resolutions #2026-114 and #2026-115 adopted 4-0 each.
• The proposed moratorium on new zoning applications was discussed but no motion or vote was held.