At a public hearing followed by the regular meeting of the Greene County Commission, a number of building improvements, road work, resurfacing and other improvements were considered.

The public hearing was to discuss the submission of an application for Community Development Block Grant Funds primarily to benefit low and moderate income persons in Greene County.

Sentell Engineering was present to suggest to the commission a 600 square foot classroom to be added to the Eutaw Activity Center to be used for after school and summer activities for youth

Chairman Nick Underwood asked Marilyn Armstead with Sentell just what their proposal entailed.

The total money needed amounted to $250,000, most of which would be provided by a CDBG grant.

Armstead said they were running a youth center in Sumter County which served over 400 youth this summer

Underwood protested that it seemed that everything always went to Eutaw and not the other parts of the county and was told by Armstead that this was a Greene County project, not just for Eutaw.

No decision was reached following last night’s hearing.

The regular meeting began with discussions on the financial status of the county.

Underwood said, “We are going to overspend. This might be cause for serious action. He asked CFO Paula Byrd to check into the detailed results of the most recent financial statement.

The next item of business concerned the mandatory garbage pick-up fee and the Ralph/Foster Water Authority. The commission wanted to tie in with the Water Authority to collect the mandatory garbage fee. They had asked the Authority’s attorney to provide them with the names and addresses of their customers and were told that due to the privacy issue, this could not be done. County Attorney Hank Sanders said that the county could not legally force people on water systems not owned by the county to pay for the garbage pickup. “Most people are looking at agreements with water systems,” he said.

The commission also discussed removing debris left by the recent tornadoes on county roads. The first move to remove debris has been done by the Highway Department, with the Corps of Engineers finishing some of the cleaning work and FEMA some of it.

Commissioner Tennyson Smith brought up the problem of independent contractors hauling debris to the Montgomery Recreation Center losing some of the trash on the roads.

County Engineer Arzo Abrams said that he did advise the haulers that debris was falling off and cautioned them to remove it from the road and to the Center.

Other road projects included resurfacing County Roads 60, 131 and 20 as well as bridge projects on 120 and 66.

Another problem discussed was how to force large trucks to pay for damage done to county roads. Sanders told the commissioners that they had to be able to prove what trucks were on what roads and a time frame. He suggested a permit system containing a bond which would provide the information needed on when and where as well as giving the county somewhere to go to collect for damages.

Sanders also discussed the ongoing problem of who assumed responsibility for road repair following an annexation. He said that after 1995, the upkeep of any county road going through an area annexed by a city would be the responsibility of the city. However, if the annexation was prior to 1995, the road still belongs to the county.

Still another concern has to do with the Industrial Development Authority wishing to combine with the county in applying for ADECA grants. The county can apply for certain grants for which the IDA is not eligible.

The final problem the county had for their attorney was what to do about indigent health care. Up until recently, Bryant Whitfield Hospital in Demopolis has been handling  health care for many of Greene County’s indigent citizens. However, they have informed the county that they can no longer afford this practice, but has not provide a list of  indigent citizens served, Underwood asked Sanders to look into this for the county.

In other business, the county:

*Approved paying claims of $327,46935.

*Approved an alcoholic beverage license for Jasper Lee Morrow dba Morrow’s Lounge.

*Added CFO Paula Byrd as a signatory on county checks at local banks and removed the name of Mattie Atkins.

*Tabled a request from the Children’s Policy Council to pay for Internet and Telephone service at their youth center.

Commissioners Smith and Elzora Fluker were in favor of providing the funding. However before making a decision,  Underwood wanted to know just how much it would cost the county.

*Approved spending $600 from the Nutrition/Senior Citizens Account for transportation of senior citizens to an Appreciation Program at the University of Alabama.

*Approved bidding on repairing guard rails damaged in the recent tornadoes.

*Approved a three year renewal of a contract with Xerox Corporation for the Department of Public Works and Commission Office at a reduced fee.

*Approved a travel request for Human Resource Manager Brenda Burke to attend a CGEI Course June 22-23 in Prattville.

*Approved asking for storm money coming from the state to be used for a siren FM alert and/or storm shelters.

Following a lengthy executive session, the commission approved termination of two employees. Names cannot be released until the employees are notified.

During the public comment section of the meeting, E-911 Director Iris Sermon reminded everyone that the deadline for anyone needing help from FEMA was June 27.  Four people will be eligible to get a FEMA trailer for a period of up to 18 months.