Baldwin County Commission Regular Meeting – October 6, 2026

The Baldwin County Commission held its regular meeting on October 6, 2026, at 10:00 AM, preceded by a work session at 9:00 AM. The commission adopted a consent agenda (with one item pulled for separate vote), approved a resolution supporting ARC of Baldwin County, heard public comments, issued a proclamation for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, adopted a floodplain ordinance amendment, authorized an RFQ for engineering services, and imposed a 180-day moratorium on rezoning, new data centers, and renewable energy projects.

Consent Calendar

• CA1–CS3 (excluding CF1): All routine consent items were approved unanimously, including payment of bills (949 invoices, $8,074,510.06), ratification of interim payments (116 invoices, $5,577,465.88), and numerous administrative, animal control, budget, building inspection, CIS, elected officials, EMA, environmental, grants, highway, juvenile detention, personnel, and planning items.
• CI4 – Resolution #2027-018 in support of ARC of Baldwin County: Placed on consent and approved. The resolution expresses the commission’s support for ARC of Baldwin County, which was recently decertified by the Alabama Department of Mental Health.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Judge Bill Scully (speaking as a father of an ARC client) urged the commission to approve the resolution supporting ARC of Baldwin County. He detailed ARC’s 50+ years of service, its 125 clients and 230 employees, and the devastating impact of decertification by the Alabama Department of Mental Health. He stated that ARC’s appeal is scheduled for January 2027. He noted that ARC provides services for the most severely intellectually disabled residents, including day habilitation and residential care.
• Tim Cooper (Executive Director of ARC of Alabama) voiced support for ARC of Baldwin County, stating it remains a member in good standing with the state and national ARC organizations. He affirmed ARC of Alabama’s support during the appeals process.
• Shannon Smart (Board President, Lighthouse of Baldwin County) and Andre Reed (Board Member) spoke after the Domestic Violence Awareness Month proclamation. Smart described the Lighthouse’s services (24-hour crisis line, shelter, court advocacy, etc.) and noted they make over 1,500 contacts annually.

Discussion Items

• CF1 – Termination of Building Construction Regulation Agreement with Town of Summerdale: Pulled from consent per Commissioner Ball. Discussion centered on the timing: the agreement was renewed only two months earlier, and Commissioner Ball argued termination appeared unfair to Summerdale. Staff explained that a large development (approx. 280 lots) was about to start, and terminating now would avoid confusion. Commissioner Ball opposed, but the motion carried 2–1 (Ball opposed).
• GA1 – FY 2027 RFQ for Engineering Services – Permission to Advertise: Approved. Staff noted that current on-call contracts are capped at $100,000 and many upcoming projects exceed that, requiring a full RFQ process (estimated 5–8 months).
• Moratorium – Resolution imposing 180-day moratorium on rezoning requests, new data centers, and renewable energy projects: Commissioner Ball proposed and Commissioner Underwood seconded. Discussion emphasized the need to pause due to the lack of a planning director, an updated master plan, and current flume mapping. Commissioner Underwood reported insights from a recent NACo Energy Symposium, noting that technology (e.g., hyperscale data centers) is evolving rapidly and that Baldwin County needs a framework before approving large projects. The moratorium takes effect immediately and can be lifted early by the incoming commission.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved (less CF1) – unanimous.
• Resolution #2027-018 supporting ARC of Baldwin County adopted via consent – unanimous.
• Proclamation – Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October 2026) adopted – unanimous.
• Amendment to Floodplain Development Ordinance (EF1) adopted after public hearing with no speakers – unanimous.
• CF1 – Termination of agreement with Summerdale approved 2–1 (Commissioner Ball opposed).
• GA1 – Permission to advertise RFQ for engineering services approved – unanimous.
• 180-day moratorium on rezoning, data centers, and renewable energy projects adopted – unanimous.
• Hurricane preparedness update: Staff (Tom and Mark) reported that the National Weather Service is conducting partner webinars through Saturday, and the county is leaning forward in preparation mode (fuel, sandbags, chainsaws, pre-positioned strike teams). Commissioner Underwood thanked highway crews for recent drainage work that prevented flooding on county roads during heavy rains.
• Commissioner comments: Commissioner Ball expressed concerns over the Summerdale termination but accepted the vote. Commissioner McKenzie thanked staff and outgoing members. The meeting adjourned at 10:32 AM.