Marla Jones, Managing Editor
DEKALB COUNTY, Ala.-- The DeKalb County Commission held their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, November 9th.
The DeKalb County Commission approved redistricting according to the 2020 Census. The population count for each district will be as follows:
- District 1- 17,170
- District 2- 17,764
- District 3- 18,620
- District 4- 18,054
The minimum in each district according to the census report is 17,006 and the maximum is 18,797.
“This redistricting will affect very few people. It will affect some but not a drastic change,” stated DeKalb County President Ricky Harcrow.
The Commission was pleased to announce the distribution of ARPA Premium Pay to DeKalb County employees that worked through the COVID pandemic. Employees will receive an additional supplement to their paycheck.
Tom Broyles, Road Superintendent, updated the Commission regarding progress on CR 853 (Old Highway 35). Broyles stated that over 600 loads of material had recently been moved from the site. This is new dirt that has slid off the mountain since work has begun on the project.
Floods during the spring of last year caused caving in the road. The road has been shut down to traffic since Easter of 2020. Excess rain has made it extremely difficult to work on the project.
“We will be working when the weather allows. This is one of the hardest things we have undertaken,” stated Broyles.
Broyles also requested permission from the Commission to purchase needed equipment for the Road Department. A fourth patch unit in the amount of $114,549.84 through Sourcewell needs to be purchased, to enable all districts to have a unit. A 4,000-gallon water tank will need to be put out for bids. The estimated price is $30 to $40,000. A new double drum compactor in the amount of $78,555, a Generator and transfer switch, and a liquid asphalt truck are needed. The Commission approved all requests for the Road Department, in order to keep DeKalb County roads in the best shape possible.
DeKalb County Engineer, Ben Luther, reported the bid amounts requested for two different jobs in the County. Commissioner, Lester Black, requested a bid for CRF treatment on Church Street in Fyffe. The amount for this treatment is $12,272.90. Ozark Stripping submitted a bid in the amount of $8,060 for stripping on County Road 732 and CR 788. These bids were approved by the Commission.
Luther requested that two damage claims be submitted to the County’s insurance carrier. The first damage was damage to a car, that occurred from material that fell from a County dump truck. The second damage claim was a busted wheel on County Road 89 north of Mentone.
Luther requested permission from the Commission to begin the process of a proposed road vacation in Hammondville. A road vacation needs to be issued to clear up potential title issues. The request was granted by the Commission.
DeKalb County Chief Deputy, Brad Gregg, requested the following transfers and promotions within the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office:
- Transfer of Darren Davis from part-time to full-time in Dispatch
- Promote Zach Bell to Corrections Sargent
Michael Posey, of the DeKalb County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), informed the Commission that a $500,000 grant had been secured through Covid funding to place a structure in Cartersville and Kilpatrick areas. This structure will serve as a COVID distribution center, a storm shelter, and a voting precinct for the communities. Additional structures may be obtained for Dogtown and Grove Oak.
County Administrator, Matt Sharp, presented the High Falls Grant Resolution that will award the County a $100,000 grant for High Falls.
“This will be great access for our park. I appreciate Mayor Ables’s work on this,” stated DeKalb County President, Ricky Harcrow. “This has been over two years in the making."
The Commission approved the Resolution for Engineering to Ladd Engineering and accepted the grant for $80,000 with a $20,000 match by the County.
The next meeting of the DeKalb County Commission will be held on Tuesday, December 14th.
