Baldwin County Commission Regular Meeting – August 18, 2026

The Baldwin County Commission met on August 18, 2026, for a pre-meeting work session at 9:00 AM and a regular meeting at 10:00 AM at the Fairhope Satellite Courthouse. Commissioner Billie Jo Underwood was absent. The work session included setting the consent agenda, a staff update on the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, and a motion to enter executive session to discuss pending litigation. The regular meeting adopted minutes, approved payments, ratified interim payments, unanimously approved the consent agenda, recognized Employees of the Quarter, and held three public hearings where all rezoning requests were withdrawn by the applicants and accepted by the commission.

Consent Calendar

• Administration: Approved Resolution #2026-138 contributing $10,000 to the University of South Alabama Blankenship Scholars Program.
• Animal Control: Approved a two-year spay/neuter agreement with Animal Medical Center (August 18, 2026 – August 18, 2028, with automatic one-year renewal).
• Budget/Purchasing: Extended bids for industrial fittings (Bay Side Rubber), HVAC chiller maintenance (Star Service), awarded sidewalk repair bid (Parten Smith), approved specifications for mosquito management and inmate telephone/video visitation bids, authorized allowance for courthouse atrium construction ($25,385.34), approved credit change order for Annex II renovations ($11,069.50), and approved water cooler rental agreement with Cintas Corporation.
• Building Inspection: Authorized $38,500 contractual agreement with ADEM for Coastal Area Program (October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027).
• Elected Officials: Approved law enforcement services contract with Town of Magnolia Springs, prisoner housing agreement with City of Loxley, and transfer of four Sheriff’s Office vehicles to be sold on GovDeals.com.
• Emergency Management: Approved disaster assistance agreements with 33 volunteer fire departments and search and rescue squads (36-month term).
• Environmental Management: Corrected typographical errors in Policy 7.6 (solid waste rates: quarterly rate $87.00, seasonal annual $114.00, re-delivery fee $20.00).
• Grants: Adopted Resolution #2026-129 approving CDBG-DR Homeownership Assistance Program policies, approved Family Promise of Baldwin County as support services provider, accepted Edward Byrne JAG grant ($17,323), retroactively extended LaBella Associates agreement for Foley courthouse ventilation improvements, and approved COPS Technology and Equipment grant application ($500,000 for Fort Morgan beach safety markers).
• Highway: Released maintenance bond ($349,647) for Fairhope Falls Phase 4, adopted FY 2027 County Transportation Plan (resurfacing projects on Pine Grove Road, Lottie Road, County Road 24, and Scenic Highway 98 bridge replacement).
• Personnel: Approved employment of two Animal Control Technicians (Wesley Favre and Caleigh Keith, grade 304, $16.30/hr), and reclassified Timothy O’Brien to Senior Cybersecurity Engineer (grade S317, $76,051.80/yr).
• Planning and Zoning: Accepted notice of intent to request a referendum for Planning District 18.

Public Comments & Testimony

No members of the public spoke during the meeting.

Discussion Items

• Work Session: Commissioner McKenzie requested a letter of recognition for Bouch’s Premium Cigars for fundraising for Prodisee Pantry; it was placed on the September 15, 2026, agenda. Katrina Taylor, Grants and Compliance Manager, provided an update on the CDBG-DR program, noting the Homeownership Assistance Program (HAP) will launch September 21, 2026, with $19 million for low-to-moderate income households, local government infrastructure ($13.3 million), and county priority infrastructure ($10.7 million) for County Road 65 corridor projects. The commission voted unanimously (3-0) to enter executive session to discuss pending litigation with the county attorney.
• Regular Meeting – Public Hearings: Three rezoning requests were withdrawn by the applicants before the public hearing. The commission unanimously approved each withdrawal. County Engineer Frank Lundy explained that applicants may withdraw at their discretion; if they return, they must restart the full rezoning process including readvertising and a new public hearing.
• Commissioner Comments: Commissioners thanked staff for preparing the agenda and recognized the Employees of the Quarter. Commissioner Ball requested Lundy clarify the withdrawal process for the public, which Lundy did.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes: Adopted (3-0) the August 3, 2026, special meeting and August 4, 2026, regular meeting minutes.
• Payments: Approved $18,573,049.13 in bills (645 invoices) and ratified interim payments of $4,766,182.08 (71 invoices).
• Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously (3-0) as presented.
• Employees of the Quarter: Recognized Crystal Richardson (Council on Aging), Wendy Bryant-Sellers (Citizen Service Center), Derica James (Highway), Jerald Wilson (Highway), Rhonda Ryals (Custodial), and Melissa Adams (Probate).
• Rezoning Withdrawals: All three requests (Gulf Coast Farm LLC, MLI – Coopers Lake, Carlton Fine Properties LLC) were withdrawn and accepted by the commission (3-0 each).
• Executive Session: The work session adjourned to executive session at 9:15 AM; the regular meeting convened at 10:01 AM.