Leah Ingram Eagle
Shelby County Commission 3/8
A subdivision off AL-119 that was originally developed in unincorporated Shelby County in 1993, then annexed into the city of Pelham, will once again be zoned unincorporated Shelby County.
Property owners in Summer Place, a 46 home subdivision (along with four homes in Brook Ridge) across from Heardmont Park, have petitioned to de-annex their properties from Pelham and to be restored to unincorporated area of Shelby County.
The commission originally approved the road plans and will agree to accept the roads back. County Engineer Randy Cole said this was a very unusual circumstance.
“The difference on this one is it originally came through our planning commission and the plans approved by my office,” Cole said. “My inspectors oversaw all the construction. For it to come back to us is not a problem.”
In his county manager’s report, Chad Scroggins said he is still pressing the ADPH to work with the county to get more vaccines.
“We have just vaccinated a large number of those ages 85 and up in our county,” Scroggins said.
“I appreciate Phil [Burns] and Hub [Harvey], who have done an amazing job trying to target those most vulnerable of our population.”
Every Tuesday at 9 a.m., Shelby County will post available vaccine appointments for the next two weeks from the ADPH. The information will be available at covid19.shelbyal.com. Blocks of appointments can be booked online or by phone while they are available. All first dose appointments will be held on a Thursday at the Old Mill Square Park in Columbiana. Approximately 65 people will be scheduled every 30 minutes during the allotted time.
“We are still in a critical need to get more and more vaccinations,” Scroggins said.
CFO Cheryl Naugher gave a revenue update:
- For sales tax, more was collected this February than last February.
- Rental taxes are only down 0.15% since last February.
- Lodging is down over $26,000 from last year, but is meeting the budget.
- Gas taxes are about 2-5% below what they were last year, but still within budget.
- Rebuild funds show a positive variance, and are tracking along as expected.
Scroggins said that a lot of the county’s events are coming back and that should increase the county’s revenue.
Sheriff John Samaniego reported at the last meeting that the jail received a very positive inspection by the National Institute of Jail Operations, putting it in the top 5% in the nation. This week, the jail is being inspected by CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies).
Samaniego also mentioned House bill 477 that proposed adjustments to the fiscal permit fund, which would take a big burden off the commission annually. Another bill that would affect the jail is to alleviate the probation parole violators to allow voluntary jails take them “so they don't stack up and fill up our jail,” he said.
The commission approved a resolution from County Engineer Randy Cole for a standard agreement for a permanent right of way easement from Norfolk Southern Railway on CR-55 over the Cahaba River.
The commission also approved a resolution for an agreement with CSX Transportation to install a traffic signal at the intersection of CR-11 and CR-36 in Chelsea. Due to the proximity to the railroad, a preemption connection needs to be installed so traffic doesn't back up across the track.
Cole also presented the commission with information and maps before getting ready to go to bid for the county’s annual resurfacing contract. He said he is anticipating a really good price this year, around the $5.5 million dollar range.
Three award bids were approved for the following items: inmate footwear (to Bob Barker and Victory Supply), ballistic vests (to Blaze Defense) and personal safety gear (to Blaze Defense and MAC uniform).
The commission recognized the Chelsea girl's basketball team for making it to the Final Four and the Oak Mountain boy's basketball team for winning their first state championship.
The next commission meeting will be held on March 22 at 6 p.m. at the County Administration Building in Columbiana.
