By Sherri Blevins
On Tuesday, October 09, 2018 the DeKalb County Commission met. At the meeting, Representative Nathaniel Ledbetter was presented with an award by the commission on behalf of the Alabama County Commissioner’s Association. The award stated, “In grateful appreciation to the Honorable Nathaniel Ledbetter for dedication and service to county government in Alabama through House sponsorship and passage of Act 2018-94 allowing counties to more promptly and efficiently respond to emergency situations by authorizing the county commission chairperson to declare the existence of an emergency situation in the county.
Rep. Ledbetter thanked the commission for their friendship and the working relationship the commission has developed that has allowed them to accomplish many important goals for the county.
Next, Road Department Superintendent, Tom Broyles, updated the council on the progress of his department. He said both the regular paving projects and the CDPG Grant Project had been completed. The department has also begun the road reclamation process on County Road 712 southeast of Ider.
Chief Jail Administrator, Jonathan Langley, then updated the commission on negotiations between the sheriff’s department and the U.S. Marshals (Tennessee area) concerning the prospect of housing approximately twenty additional federal and immigration inmates at the county jail. This agreement would bring additional revenue of $340,000.00 to the county with a start up cost of approximately $120,000.00 for the purchase of a more secure transport van and two additional transportation employees. He assured the commission the jail was equipped to house the additional prisoners because it has a capacity of 328 inmates and normally only 225-250 inmates already occupy the jail.
The commission then approved the following items:
• Hired Brandon Young as a temporary road department employee to replace Eddie Freeman
• Authorized the purchase of a new transport vehicle and two employees for the sheriff’s department subject to finalizing of negotiations with the U.S. Marshals to house additional Federal inmates
• Approved the Longevity Bonus CRS Resolution for an additional three years
The next meeting will be held October 23,2018.
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