Tag Archives: Mac Underwood

Greene County Commission urges ‘yes’ vote on Amendment 1 on March 5th primary ballot

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The Greene County Commission held its regular monthly meeting on Monday, February 12, 2024. All five commissioners were present, including: Corey Cockrell, Chair and District 3, Garria Spencer, District 1, Tennyson Smith, District 2, Allen Turner, District 4, and Roshonda Summerville, District 5. The Commissioners handled an agenda of routine business, taking a forty-minute Executive Session to discuss personnel and legal matters, without announcing any actions that needed to be approved by vote.
The Commission approved a resolution urging voters to support Amendment No. 1 on the March 5th primary ballot. Amendment No. 1 would allow the Alabama Legislature to consider and approve ‘local legislation” by a majority vote prior to passing a budget in the session.
Currently the legislative rules require a 60% super-majority for votes on legislation prior to the approval of the budget. This change would allow for easier passage of ‘local legislation’ when the Legislature does not approve a budget until the end of the session. In the past, some ‘local legislation’, including some Greene County proposals, have been lost or postponed because they could not be voted on prior to passing the state budget.
In other actions, The Greene County Commission:
• Approved levies for Alcohol Licensing for 2024-2025.
• Approved a contract with M&H Construction for $1,950 to replace ceiling tiles at J. C. Poole Memorial Library, that were damaged in a recent storm. The Commission had already repaired the library roof with insurance funds.
• Approved contract with the State of Alabama for clean-up at dump site on County Road 181; and also accepted state funding for clean-up of up to three other illegal dump sites.
•Approved travel for Assistant Engineer to attend a training class in March in Prattville, Alabama.
•Approved purchase of a full-page ad in the Greene County Democrat’s Black History issue.
•Tabled action on the Greene County Golf Course to gather more information.
The Commission also heard and accepted a financial report from CFO, Mac Underwood, in which he listed $8,610,648 in Citizens Trust Bank of which $4,189,591 is in unrestricted General Funds and $4,421,055 are in restricted funds for designated government purposes, like road and bridge repairs. He also reported $5,542,720 in Merchants and Farmers Bank, including $3,129,181 in unrestricted funds and $1,413,539 in restricted funds. This is a total of $14,153,366 in restricted and unrestricted funds available to the county government. There is also $894,166 in Bond Sinking Funds.
He also reported the expenditure of $1,769,202, in bills and claims paid for January 2024. Another $101,056 in electronic claims were paid during the same period. For the four months of the fiscal
year, October 1, 2023, to January 31, 2024, 68% of the budgeted funds are left to be utilized for expenditures this fiscal year, which is in line with proposed budget, for this point in the fiscal year.

County Commission Work Session

At the Greene County Commission’s monthly work session, held Wednesday, February 7, 2024, County Coroner, Ronald Kent Smith, presented his concern regarding his salary. Smith noted that a local Bill authorizing an increase in salary for the County Coroner was passed by the Alabama Legislature in 2020. The Bill scheduled the salary increase for the next election term. Smith was re-elected in 2022, expecting that his salary increase would go into effect at that time. To date, the Greene County Coroner has not received an increase in salary as designated in the 2020 Legislation. Smith also indicated he receives no travel compensation for transports to Montgomery. The Commission’s response was to take all this under advisement, referring the matter to the Alabama State Attorney General for an opinion on how to proceed.
The County’s Greenes Committee also addressed the Commission at this work session.relative to the Greene County Golf Course. Committee members James E. Morrow, Don Black, and Doug Bell alerted the Commission that the golf Course was in danger of closing within the next three weeks, due to lack of funds to continuing operating.
Morrow noted that the Golf Course was receiving Bingo resources until Sheriff Jonathan Benison cut off community distributions in May, 2023. Morrow indicated that there are no designated funds from the county for the Golf Course. “The county owns the Golf Course. It comes under county sponsored recreational activities, therefore the county should support it,” he stated.
The Greenes Committed stated that there are 22 members, contributing $40 per month, but it takes approximately $4,000 per month for utilities and upkeep.

Greene County Commission approves implementation of $361,500 grant to Historical Society for repair of the inside of old Courthouse

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At its regular monthly meeting on Monday, August 11, 2023, the Greene County Commission agreed to accept a plan for use of a $361,500 grant awarded by the Alabama Historical Commission for repairs to the interior of the historic old Courthouse, on the central square in Eutaw.
The grant was made to the Greene County Historical Society. The Courthouse building and square, apart from some of the buildings, has been leased to the Eutaw Area Chamber for maintenance and improvement. The Courthouse Square is part of the central business and administrative district for the City of Eutaw and Greene County.
The Chamber enlisted the support of the Greene County Historical Society to seek funding to restore the old Courthouse building, which housed offices on its first floor and a courtroom/community meeting room on the second floor. There are photographs in the new William M. Branch Courthouse of historic mass meetings held in the old courthouse when Black officials were elected to county offices in 1969 and 1970.
Lloyd Dawe, President of the Greene County Historical Society, said, “We met all three criteria for this grant, it was a government building built before 1840; it was involved in the civil rights movement of the 1960’s and it was listed on the National Register of Historic places.”
Dawe continued, “We asked for more funding than we received to fully renovate the inside of the old Courthouse. We plan to scrape, sand, and paint the interior, fix and reinforce the ceiling, plaster and stucco the walls, fix the windows and doors, redo the restrooms, and do other things necessary to make the building useable as a welcome center and community center for the county. We will need to raise more funds to complete the work and move from the first floor to rehabilitate the second floor as a community meeting room for the county.”Commissioner Garria Spencer pointed out that although the Commission has accepted the grant, they want to be informed in writing of all steps the Historical Society and Chamber of Commerce take in restoring the old Courthouse. “At our work session before the meeting, we made clear that we expect written reports to the Commission and our Legal Counsel as the work progresses,” said Spencer.
The Commission also granted the Greene County Historical Society permission to inspect the former Miles College Building for possible renovations and restoration work. Lloyd Dawe said, “The Miles College Building was established originally as the Mesopotamia Female Seminary in 1846 and was a post-secondary educational institution for white women, at a time when education and equal rights for women was not an accepted societal standard.”
The Commission owns the Miles College Building but has not used it since the college and other groups using the building moved in the early 2000’s.
The Commission approved a letter of support to ADECA for a grant to the Spectrum Southeast LLC for $7 million of state and federal funds to provide high speed broadband to rural communities in Greene County that currently lack service. Spectrum is the Internet Service Provider (ISP) that has expressed the greatest interest in bringing fiber optic cables for service to Greene County. ADECA is currently working on a plan to provide broadband services to underserved communities across the state, using federal and state funding.

In other actions, the Greene County Commission:
• Approved a $168,786 bid from Central Alabama Asphalt and Construction for road building and improvement projects in the county.
• Approved a revised quote of $63,500 from the original of $55,000 to repair the roof on the William M. Branch Courthouse building.
• Approved a travel request from the Assistant Engineer to attend floodplain training; and the Board of Registrars to attend an October 5th election conference in Tuscaloosa.
• Approved a $62,069, 2023-24 Worker’s Compensation Self-Insurance Fund contract with the State Association of County Commissioners.
•Tabled a proposed Greene County Wastewater Ordinance, pending more information.
• Approved a travel policy which included an option for the traveler to either fly or accept vehicle mileage rates for a trip, based on Federal government reimbursement rates.
Mac Underwood, CFO presented the County financial report for August 2023, showing $8, 123,248 on deposit in Citizens Trust Bank, of which $2,615,487 is unrestricted; $4,038,760 in Merchants and Farmers Bank, of which $2,903,842 is unrestricted. There is also a Bond Sinking Fund of $887,902. A total of $666,206 was spent for claims in August and another $129,845 in electronic payments were made. Most of the departments are on budget as of the end of the month, which is the 11th month of the fiscal year.

Greene County Commission names roads for Lester Brown and George Hall

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At its regular meeting on January 9, 2023, the Greene County Commission approved naming County Road 191, connecting Union and Jena as the “Lester Brown Memorial Highway” to honor the deceased District 1 commissioner.
The Commission also named County Road 133 for George Hall, a former Sheriff and community leader. They also adopted a resolution honoring former Probate Judge Earlean Isaac and agreed to hang a picture of her in the county courtroom.
The Commission tabled a request to pave Savior Way in District 2, near the old Eatman School, until residents sign a resolution deeding their right of way property to the County for continued maintenance of the road.
The Commission approved a request from the County Engineer to apply for a $250,000 grant to repair a bridge on County Road 220. They also approved the Rebuild Alabama Report on on-going road and bridge improvements, supported with state funds.
The Commission also approved advertising for equipment operators for the Greene County Highway Department and for hiring an Engineer with EIT (Engineer in Training Certification). This certification ensures that the engineer has graduated from a properly accredited engineering college, has taken the first proficiency test, and is planning to take the examination to become a PE (Professional Engineer) in the future based on more practical experiences in the field.
The Commission agreed to purchase a full-page ad ($600) in the Black History issue of the Greene County Democrat. Commissioners Corey Cockrell and Roshonda Summerville abstained from voting on this motion.
Mac Underwood, CFO presented a financial report for the county finances as of December 31, 2023, three months into the 2022-23 fiscal year. His report indicated $6.4 million in accounts in Citizens Trust Bank, $4 million in Merchants and Farmers bank, and $874,897 in certificates for bond sinking funds.
He clarified that only a small proportion of the over $10 million in county funds was available for discretionary spending. Most of the funding is designated for specific purposes. The report shows a balance of $890,844 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, however, some of these funds have already been committed to projects.
The financial report also shows claims paid for the month of December 2022 at $1,487.928.10, which includes $476,975 for payroll, $774,949 for accounts payable, and $236,404 for fiduciary expenses. Expenditures for the General Fund are in line with the budget.

Greene County Commission approves funds for roads, bridges, equipment and support for the ambulance service

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At its regular monthly meeting on August 8, 2022, the Greene County Commission approved funding and solicitation of bids for several road and bridge projects as well as the purchase of needed equipment to support the work of the Highway Department.

Willie Branch, County Engineer brought many of these issues to the attention of the Commission at its work session on August 3 and many of these items were placed on the regular monthly meeting agenda for action.

At Engineer Branch’s suggestion, the Commission approved projects to be funded under the County Transportation Plan in conjunction with the ALDOT Rebuild Alabama Program. These projects include repairs on  CR 100, CR 174, CR 148, and a bridge on CR220.

The Commission approved advertising bids for renovation of the William M. Branch Courthouse including bathrooms, flooring and lighting in the courtroom, and some additional work on the walls in the courtroom.

In the work session, Engineer Branch reported mechanical difficulties with the garbage truck in picking up garbage on schedule. At the meeting the Commission approved advertising for bids on a truck for the Solid Waste Department. Branch also recommended giving all county solid waste customers a two-month credit on their garbage bills to cover the period of
delayed or missed services. The Commission approved this credit for all garbage customers.

The Commission also approved Branch’s request for additional equipment to have two crews for road repairs and grass cutting on the roadways. He was authorized to purchase two spreader boxes for gravel, four tractors, a single drum roller and a replacement for the current backhoe. Mac Underwood, CFO, said this equipment could be purchased with monies saved from earlier refinancing the County’s bond issues as well as funds in the Capital Improvements Account from bingo.

The Commissioners also approved a resolution to close the 2007 Bond Warranty Account and to close two CD accounts in Robertson Bank at maturity and deposit funds in the Gasoline Fund to be used for purchase of construction equipment.

The Commission voted to give the Greene County Emergency Medical Services, which administers the ambulance in the county $18,000 towards one month’s payroll expenses. The GEMS had requested a year’s worth of subsidy of its payroll and expenses, of $40,000 a month, prorated on a population basis from the County and four municipalities.

The Commission choose between two options of giving $54,000 for a quarter or $18.000 for a month and allowing the ambulance service to report back before allocating additional funds. Commissioners Brown and Smith voted for the quarterly option which was voted down by the other three Commissioners – Turner, Summerville, and Cockrell. Chair Turner voted with Brown and Smith to approve the one-month option. Cockrell said, “We need to use our funds for things the people really want like recreation and a water park, or they will all move away from Greene County and then you won’t need an ambulance service anyway.” Commissioners Brown and Smith said ambulance services were a necessary service for everyone.

The Commission approved a resolution to support settlement of an opioid lawsuit and agreed to sell ten acres of land on Choctaw Road to Mercy and Grace for an assisted living project.

The Commission received a financial report from CFO Mac Underwood and agreed to pay all bids and claims for July 2022.The Commission reappointed three members of the DHR Board and appointed Gavin Edgar to the E-911 Board from District 2. All other available board nominations were tabled.