The Greene County Democrat

Tag: Roshonda Summerville

  • Greene County Commission  handles administrative matter

    Greene County Commissioners L to R: Tennyson Smith, Allen Turner, Jr., Garria Spencer, Roshonda Summerville, Corey Cockrell with EMS President Joe Powell and  EMS Director  Chris Jones in front of new ambulance.
    Before the start of the regular monthly Greene County Commission meeting Monday, December 12, 2022, the commissioners welcomed a new refurbished ambulance to the Greene County Emergency Medical Services.
    The Commission provided the funding for the new ambulance from its allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.
    The Commission received a financial report from . The report indicates that county expenses as of November 30, two months into the fiscal year are in line with budgetary projections which should ideally show 16% expended and 84% available.
    The Commission has $6,635,619 in accounts in Citizens Trust Bank, $4,030,259 in accounts in Merchants and Farmers Bank, and $873,562 in bond sinking funds.  Most of these funds are pledged to budgeted expenses, with a smaller amount for discretionary expenses, mostly bingo proceeds and ARPA funding.
    The Commission approved budgetary amendments dealing with elections and engineering costs on road projects. The Commission also agreed to advertise for a CDL licensed truck driver. They also agreed to continue the time for the garbage fee extension until December 30, 2022.
    The Commission approved working with the Goodwin, Mills and Caywood architectural and engineering firm on repairs to the William M. Branch County Courthouse since only one bid was received for work on the restrooms, lobby, and courtroom.
    A holiday schedule giving employees Monday and Friday off before Christmas and New Years Day, which falls on Sunday this year, was approved by the Commission. They also approved extending the time for employees who have accumulated over 208 hours of vacation leave time to utilize their extra time until April 2024.
    The Commission adopted a resolution granting $500 to the Greene County Chamber of Commerce for the participation of the Stillman College Band in the Christmas parade. They also approved a resolution allowing the location of medical cannabis production and dispensary services in Greene County, if the state licenses a business to engage in those activities. The State of Alabama allowed counties to decide if they would allow these activities within their borders by the end of this year.
    The Commission approved several annual agreements with the Alabama County Commission Association (ACCA) for insurance coverage.
    The Commission agreed to accept a grant from ADECA for technical assistance on providing broadband in the county. An initial session under this grant will be held on December 14, 2022, for Greene County at the R. H. Young Community Center (old Carver School).
    The Commission tabled the next three items on the agenda to get more information before making a decision. One involved a donation for a football booster banner for Greene County High School. The second was to allocate $5,000 in discretionary funds from bingo for each Commissioner to use for activities or organizations in their district. The third was for the use of $5.000 of ARPA funds for each the library, GCEMS, E-911 and the Greene County Industrial Development Board. Commissioner Spencer pointed out that these groups had asked for more funds, like repairing the roof on the library and that the amount allocated would not do the job.
    The Commission also failed to give a second for a proposal from Commissioner Allen Turner for a 5-mil ad valorem property tax increase to provide raises for employees, support for Highway Department Projects     support for PARA, senior citizen activities, GCEMS and E-911. Turner said he plans to bring his proposal up again in future meetings. If approved by the Commission this proposal must go to the Alabama Legislature for approval and placement on the ballot for a referendum by the voters of Greene County
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  • Low turnout decisive in runoff results

    Roshonda Summerville, Robert Davis and Brandon Merriweather

    In yesterday’s runoff election, only 1,567 people in Greene County voted, as compared to 2,955 in the May 24 First Primary, which was almost a 50% decline. In the runoff there were 1,348 Democrats and 219 Republican voters in the county.

    In the race for County Commission, District 5, incumbent Roshonda Summerville received 201 votes (51.14%) to Marvin Childs with 192 votes (48.85%). Summerville will serve a second four-year term, since she is unopposed in the November General Election.

    In the Greene County Board of Education races, in District 1, Robert Davis won with 208 (62%) votes to 127 (38%) for Dr. Carol P. Zippert, the incumbent; in District 2, Brandon Merriweather garnered 143 votes (56%) to defeat Tameka King with 113 (44%) votes. The Greene County Board of Education will have two new members, for six-year terms, after the November elections.

    Commenting on his victory, Robert Davis said, “ I want to thank the voters of District 1 for placing their confidence in me. I am ready to go to work.”

    In Greene County, Malika Sanders Fortier had 751 votes (59%) to 530 for Yolanda Flowers with 530 (41%) for the Democratic nomination for Governor; but statewide, Flowers won with 32,416 (55%) to 26,363 (45%) for Fortier. Flowers, who like Fortier is African-American, will challenge Kay
    Ivey for the Governor’s position. This is the first time an African-American was nominated by a major party in Alabama for Governor.

    Katie Britt, Republican candidate for U. S. Senate won in Greene County with 147 votes (67%) to Mo Brooks with 72 votes (33%), Britt also won the Republican nomination statewide by 252,877 (63%) to 148,420 (37%) for Mo Brooks. Britt is being challenged by Democratic nominee Will
    Boyd, an African-American preacher and business owner in the November election.

    In the Republican races statewide, Wes Allen was nominated over Jim Zeigler, in the Secretary of State race and will face Democratic opposition in November. Andrew Sorrell was nominated over Stan Cooke for State Auditor band has no opposition in November. In the Alabama Public Service Commission races, Jeremy Oden was nominated for Place 1 over Brent Woodall; and for Place 2, Greene County resident, Chip Beeker was nominated statewide over Robert McCollum.

    In the District 23, State Senate race, Hank Sanders of Selma lost his bid to be elected to his old seat in the Alabama State Senate representing Selma-Dallas County and surrounding areas. Robert L. Stewart, a former employee of Congresswoman Terri Sewell, won with 8,245 (55.6%) to 6,585 (44.4%) for Hank Sanders.

  • Arnelia ‘Shay” Johnson inaugurated as Greene County Revenue Commissioner

    Arnelia “Shay” Johnson (center) being sworn-in as Revenue Commissioner, by Circuit Clerk, Veronica Morton-Jones; Ariyanna Johnson holds Bible for her mother.


    On Thursday, September 30, 2021, Arnelia “Shay” Johnson was sworn-in as Revenue Commissioner for Greene County, a position over the appraisal, assessment and collection of ad valorem property taxes for the county.

    Johnson was elected to the position in the November 2020 General Election but her four-year term does not begin until October 1, 2021, to coincide with the fiscal/tax year. She succeeds Barbara McShan, who held the position for the past six years.

    Johnson worked in the appraisal and assessment part of the office for many years, so she is knowledgeable and familiar with the role she will play as Revenue Commissioner, heading the office which brings in a substantial part of the tax revenues coming to Greene County.

    At the inauguration ceremony, Marilyn Sanford was the Mistress of Order, Roshonda Summerville, Chair of the Greene County Commission offered a welcome and Rev. Kevin L. Cockrell gave an invocation. Rev. John Kennard, a former Greene County Tax Assessor, before the positions of Assessor and Collector, were merged into one position as Revenue Commissioner, introduced the new Revenue Commissioner.

    Circuit Clerk, Veronica Morton Jones, administered the oath of office to Arnelia “Shay” Johnson. Ariyanna Johnson, the new Commissioner’s 15 year- old daughter held the Bible, which was used to swear in her mother.

    After the oath, Johnson thanked her family and friends for their support, including John Cockrell, her campaign manager, who passed away since the election. “I am here to give service to the people of Greene County. I will have an open-door policy, if you need to see me to ask a question or voice a concern, I will be available to assist you,” said Johnson.

    At the conclusion of his introductory remarks, Rev. John Kennard said, “She will have to be tough, to fight for what is right; she will have to be tender, to love; she will be human and make mistakes; she will have the humility to admit her mistakes; and she will need resilience, to keep moving forward.”

     

  • Greene County Commission holds regular meeting; votes to require Sheriff Benison to meet financial commitments to retain staff

    The Greene County Commission held its regular monthly meeting on May 11, 2020, at 3:00 PM in the Greene County courtroom. The Commissioners and audience maintained six feet social distancing requirements and most wore masks. Four commissioners: Allen Turner, Chairperson, Lester Brown, Roshonda Summerville, and Corey Cockrell, were present, with Tennyson Smith absent.
    Most of the meeting, including a lengthy closed Executive Session, was devoted to the issue of getting Greene County Sheriff, Joe Benison, to meet his financial commitment to the county budget, to pay additional staff above the basic staff included in the budget for deputies, jailers and other staff.
    The Sheriff and the County Commission negotiated an agreement at the beginning of the year, for the Sheriff to reimburse the County for additional staffing above the basic staff included in the regular budget. The Sheriff agreed to pay these additional staff, who are on the County payroll, out of funding he receives monthly in fees from electronic bingo operators.
    For the past two months since the beginning of March, the electronic bingo establishments in Greene County have been closed due to the coronavirus and no bingo machine fees have been paid by bingo operators to governmental, educational, healthcare and other charitable recipients, including the Sheriff’s Department, which oversees bingo under local Constitutional Amendment 743.
    After the Commission’s Executive Session, the members voted to contact Sheriff Benison to require payment of the funds due under the budgetary agreement or terminate the additional staff, who are listed in an attachment to the agreement.
    The Commission further agreed that the Sheriff could substitute and amend the list of names of staff to be reduced, but not the number, based on current conditions.
    Another topic discussed at the meeting was to consider a 4 mil increase in property taxes that could be approved locally without the action of the Legislature. This discussion arose because the prior proposed 5 mil increase in property taxes, which included 3 mils for the hospital and 2 mils for the County and other agencies, was not submitted by the Legislative delegation for approval.
    State representatives A. J. McCampbell and Ralph Howard, as well as State Senator Bobby Singleton, said that since only three of Greene County’s five commissioners signed the 5 mil request, they would not submit the proposal to the Legislature’s local legislation committee. They say their policy is to only move forward with local legislation that is unanimously supported by all County Commissioners. Commissioners Tennyson Smith and Lester Brown did not sign the petition for the 5 mil increase.
    If the 5 mil proposal had passed the Legislature it was still subject to a referendum by all voters in Greene County, probably at the November General Election.
    Commission Chair Allen Turner said he learned that the County Commission may be able to support up to a four mil increase in property taxes, under special circumstances, without Legislative approval. The County Commission tabled this item, to seek more information to determine if this is a feasible route to generate more revenues and support for the hospital and other county agencies.
    In other actions, the County Commission approved a financial report, payment of current bills and claims and a travel request for the Assistant Engineer to attend a June 10-11 training in Prattville, Alabama