Beth Smith, of Ashville, attended the meeting and work session — moved from its regular Thursday slot to Tuesday morning — and requested the commission hold its meetings at times more convenient for residents.
“I’d like to see you start having more night meetings,” she said. “I’d like to be able to attend on a regular basis.”
Smith said she plans to attend more during the summer, but cannot do so during the school year. She said she believes residents could take a more active role if the meetings were held at more convenient times for them.
“You are spending my tax dollars,” she said. “If I want to come and watch, I should be able to.”
Commission Chairman Stan Batemon acknowledged that transparency was an issue during the recent Republican primary.
“All our work sessions and meetings are open to the public,” he said. “None of them are secret. The press has to be invited by law. We’ve stayed there until 9 p.m. before.”
Batemon also said that meetings and work sessions are intended to do the business of the county, not as a spectacle for the public.
“People come to the meetings because they have issues for us to attend to,” he said. “The meetings are to do business, not just for people to come watch.”
Smith suggested the commission consider putting its meetings and work sessions online for public viewing, as well.
“It’s public,” she said. “Let’s make it as transparent as we can.”
In its regular meeting, the Commission:
• Conducted a public hearing regarding the water project on Baker Mountain road in Odenville. The commission is paying 10 percent of the cost of the project, which is valued at just over $400,000 total.
• Approved waiver of the stipulation requiring applicants to the county’s vacant Part Time Road Worker I positions to have commercial driver’s licenses. The commission also hired four applicants for the positions: Joshua Burtram, Edward Cole, Shane Thomas and Mark Lambert.
• Approved a budget amendment to pay for postage of letters to residents whose houses are in the floodplain, as identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
• Approved acceptance of a petition from residents requesting help on Cove Acres Road into the record. The commission also approved a letter from the county attorneys specifying that the road is not a county-maintained road and, thus, is not the county’s responsibility.
• Approved a general fund budget amendment of $950 for training of poll workers.
• Approved a $500 request to the St. Clair County High School boosters and St. Clair County Board of Education.
• Approved an amendment to the job descriptions for Public Transit Bus Drivers 1 and 2, which requires CPR certification.
• Approved the request of the St. Clair County BOE for abatement of a $60 mapping fee.
• Approved appropriating $1,000 to the St. Clair County BOE for the 2010 Special Olympics in September at the Moody Miracle League Field.
• Approved an amendment to the contract with PC Dispatch, to correct a typo from “State of Florida” to “State of Alabama.”
• Approved a motion to move the Springville polling place back to the Springville Armory.
• Approved the bid for the new GIS Server to Premise Inc., in the amount of $12,246.99.
• Approved the list of insolvents, errors and litigations.
• Approved the minutes of the May 25 commission meeting.
• Approved payment of monthly bills in the amount of $260,316.
