The Shady Grove Fire Department will benefit from a “fire sale” transaction between the state of Alabama and Jefferson County. During their committee meeting today, commissioners moved a resolution to the agenda of Thursday’s commission meeting to buy property from the state that is adjacent to the fire department and plan to offer $100. Read more.
The Jefferson County Commission Thursday sent an additional $1.4 million to the sheriff’s department to replace aging vehicles. Read more.
Tony Petelos, the only county manager Jefferson County has had, told county commissioners at their committee meeting today that he will soon retire. “After 34 years of public service in many different jobs throughout the years and 10 years here at the county, I'm going to announce my retirement this year,” he said from his seat at the end of the board table. “I don't have a date set, but I just want to give you a heads up that I do plan to retire this year. I've got a couple of projects I'm still working on and I want to get those done, but it's been a pleasure and an honor to work with you.” Read more.
Jimmie Stephens ended Thursday’s meeting of the Jefferson County Commission by saying that the county had received a clean bill of health from the Alabama Examiners of Public Accounts. “They come in and check our books, our records, to make sure that everything is done in accordance with state law,” the commission president said. “No news is good news, and this is a no-news report that we have.” Had there been significant findings, Stephens said, the commission would have been duty bound to report that also. The report assessed the current commission and the one immediately before it. Each included Stephens and Commissioner Joe Knight. Read more.
Joe Knight didn’t want Fultondale tornado victims to miss out on help from whomever that aid might come. The District 4 Jefferson County Commissioner suggested that a resolution on today’s commission agenda be tweaked to broaden the scope of entities that could come to the north Jefferson County city to assist in cleanup. Read more.
Jefferson County commissioners Tuesday put in motion the hiring of temporary workers to address road cleanup. During their committee meeting, Commission President Jimmie Stephens offered a proposal to hire 12 laborers to pick up trash along county roads. That dozen will also aid, as needed, in clean up from the tornado that recently struck Fultondale and Center Point. The proposal, which will be on the agenda of Thursday’s commission meeting, will cover the remainder of the fiscal year. Read more.
Today, Jefferson County picked up where the federal government left off, covering the cost of employees taking off because they’ve been exposed to or contracted the novel coronavirus. Following its committee meeting today, commissioners reconvened their Jan. 7 commission meeting to retroactively extend what had been provided under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Read more.
Jefferson County commissioners conducted their regular committee meeting Tuesday in the new normal way, returning to a virtual platform. With hospitalizations climbing to unprecedented levels, county leaders invoked Section 3 of the emergency declaration they enacted March 16 to permit virtual meetings. Read more.
After 45 years of scrutiny, five years in receivership and two years in monitorship, Jefferson County has been released from its consent decree governing hiring and employment practices. Senior U.S. District Judge Lynwood Smith signed the order that brought the decree to an end. “It is a validation of what we have done since we've arrived here in Jefferson County,” Commission President Jimmie Stephens said at a hastily called press conference Monday afternoon. “It validates the actions that we have shown you and shown the citizens of Jefferson County, that our hiring practices are progressive, they are color blind, they are gender blind and they represent the population of Jefferson County, whom we serve.” Read more.
Lashunda Scales removed Mission Alabama from the entities getting Cares Act funds on Thursday during in the final meeting of the Jefferson County Commission for 2020. All of the federal money allotted to help entities deal with the challenges of the novel coronavirus pandemic were to have been allotted prior to Dec. 30. The commission is not scheduled to have another meeting before then. During their committee meeting on Tuesday, commissioners talked about the primary contractors –- Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity (JCCEO) and Birmingham Urban League –- involved in assisting residents with utility bills and mortgages. Mission Alabama was also included on today’s meeting agenda to be in line for funds. Read more.
