County enters emergency spending mode

Published 2:22 pm Tuesday, July 24, 2012

As has become common about this time every year, the Chilton County Commission went into emergency spending at its meeting Monday.

Emergency spending mode requires that an order be placed for every purchase made by a county department. Commission Chairman Tim Mims would approve or disapprove each request individually.

Emergency spending will be in effect until the beginning of the 2013 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

The vote to enter into emergency spending was 5-2, with commissioners Bobby Agee and Heedy Hayes opposed, county administrator Connie Powell said.

Agee and Hayes were against the measure because not all county departments are running out of money, yet all would be subject to the same limitations on spending.

In other business, the commission:

•Agreed to a grant program for the construction of storm shelters at the Cedar Grove and Isabella fire departments.

•Took in the Transit Authority as a county department, effective Oct. 1. The county previously helped the authority with acquisitions of grants. Based on the county already being involved with the department’s finances–and the desires of transit employees to be eligible for the benefits package offered by the county–both parties determined it was a desirable arrangement.

•Purchased insurance for the Chilton County Airport. Though the Airport Authority already has insurance, the commission was advised that it also needed to add a rider policy onto its own insurance.

•Allowed students at the LeCroy Career Tech program to construct a new entrance sign for Higgins Ferry Park, as long as the cost of the sign doesn’t exceed $250.

•Approved advertising the open position of assistant administrator.