Jefferson County commissioners on Thursday approved spending $67,700 for Rock Solid, a program designed to make it easier for residents to report county repair needs such as potholes and drainage issues. Read more.
“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” — Al Pacino from The Godfather Part 3 Tony Petelos could have recited Pacino’s famous line except the retiring county manager knew he wasn’t out. At least not yet. Cal Markert, the deputy county manager who was recently hired to be county manager, was called on to present the report of the county manager during Tuesday’s committee meeting of the Jefferson County Commission. Markert mentioned that Petelos was in his office, taking in the meeting via livestream. Hearing that, commissioners asked Petelos to join them for his final committee meeting. “I've said once and I've said it again and again and again,” Petelos said. “We have good staff in place. I feel confident about the staff in the county. You commissioners work well together. You don't agree on everything but you do work well together.” Read more.
Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight displayed a more relaxed countenance Thursday when it became clear the 2022 Jefferson County budget would be balanced and approved. “Since about the middle of July, it's been one thing after another,” said Knight, who chairs the commission’s finance and budget committees. “The best part of my year is going to be Monday when me and my wife take off for a week.” The $882,750,611 budget, passed unanimously by the commission, includes a 3% across-the-board raise for county employees. That accounted for an additional $3.3 million to the payroll. “Then you add $1.7 million of merit raises in that next year,” Knight said. “That moves that starting point up $5 million." Read more.
Commissioner Lashunda Scales renewed her campaign for diversity and inclusion as the Jefferson County Commission discussed who will perform auditing duties for the county. Read more.
Cal Markert chuckled a little when he said his first name was Cal. That’s not quite accurate, as he was born Ralph Calloway Markert. “My mother's dad was Ralph,” he explained. “But I go by Cal.” Already, some have begun calling him by his new title — county manager. The Jefferson County Commission recently selected the deputy county manager to succeed retiring Tony Petelos in that role. Markert, 49, officially becomes the county’s second manager on Oct. 1. His tenure with the county goes back to his 2005 hiring to lead the county’s Roads and Transportation Department. County Commission President Jimmie Stephens often referred to Markert as “Can-Do Cal” because he tended to accomplish the missions assigned to him. “He was very, very receptive to what the needs of the people were,” Stephens said. “That's unusual in today's environment. The world is filled with bureaucracy right now and people that work through the system and with the system. “Cal has been unique in that he has worked around the system to make sure that our infrastructure and our citizens are well-served,” he said. “That didn't go unnoticed, nor unappreciated.” Read more.
Joe Knight was bearing gifts when he arrived at Tuesday’s meeting of the Jefferson County Commission. The District 4 commissioner brought awards from the Association of County Commissions of Alabama. But beyond the awards – which included administrator of the year for retiring County Manager Tony Petelos – Knight had a prize he received, having been elected vice president of the state body of county commissions. “We haven't had anybody from Jefferson County in over 20 years who has been involved as an officer of that organization,” Knight said. “I, along with some encouragement from some people, decided to put my name in the hat, was nominated and then was elected last Thursday.” Read more.
What looked to be a $500,000 cleaning bill for a month raised the eyebrows of Jefferson County Commissioners during their committee meeting Monday morning. The sheriff’s office had asked for more money during the final weeks of the 2020 fiscal year. The apparent reason was a hefty cleaning bill at the two county jails. But commissioners learned that increased expenses for feeding prisoners brought on by pandemic protocols contributed to the large request. Read more.
The Jefferson County Commission on Friday named Cal Markert as the new county manager, effective Oct. 1, 2021. Markert has been deputy county manager while the commission looked for a replacement for its first county manager, Tony Petelos, who retired in June. Read more.
Jefferson County Commissioner Steve Ammons urged county employees and department heads Tuesday to be careful of excessive spending when traveling on behalf of the county. “I was just making sure that employees understand that we're still keeping an eye on travel,” Ammons said following the commission's committee meeting. “It's not a vacation.” Ammons’ eye was drawn to a trip someone from the county compliance office will take Sept. 18-22 to the Compliance & Ethics Institute Conference in Las Vegas. That trip will cost $3,354.55. He said some trips are to places that are expensive, but supervisors should be keeping an eye on expenses. Read more.
Jefferson County commissioners in their meeting Thursday said illegal dumping has gotten worse throughout the majority of unincorporated Jefferson County and something needs to be done. “We’ve been continuously having a really big problem of illegal dumping and it has gotten out of control,” Commissioner Lashunda Scales said. “Even though we clean it, we seem to have to go back often to rectify it.” Read more.
