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Commissioner Bradford urges caution in new county spending Clarke County Commissioner Paul Bradford expressed concern Tuesday over spending for the next few years. "We are going to have to be extremely careful how we spend money and what we look at over the next 18 months to two years," he said. His comments came at the end of the regular meeting of the commission. The county will need to put money into the Road and Bridge Department, he said. "(County Engineer Sam Noble) has got a plan to get his department where it needs to be…paying off some of this equipment (an example being motor graders). "…I would ask you to be thinking and watch what we're doing." (Noble said after the meeting that the costs of general maintenance to county roads will continue to escalate, particularly gas prices.) The commission approved Tuesday an $81,556 lease purchase agreement for a Global Software record and jail management system for the Sheriff's Department. The new software will network with the new E-911 system, said Maurice Dyess, a sergeant with the Sheriff's Department. "There's a lot of things we've got to have, like this computer system at the Sheriff's Department," Bradford said. 'We've got to have stuff like that. But, if there is anything, no matter how nice it would be, there's some things we are going to have to put to the side for a year or so." In addition, the tax case with Boise Cascade is a concern, Bradford said. Boise continues to contest the tax assessment of portions of the mill. "Boise has every right to do what they're doing," he said. "…They're not doing anything wrong, but because of the judicial system, we are kind of in a crunch with the money." (Bradford is an employee of Boise Cascade.) County Attorney Bruce Wilson did not know when the Boise case would come to trial. Budget hearings for the county commission will begin in the coming weeks. In other action from Tuesday's meeting, Emergency Management Director Roy Waite reported that state Homeland Security appropriations are drying up for the county. Waite had recently attended a meeting with Jim Walker, the director of the state Department of Homeland Security. He learned individual counties would not receive any grant money for the balance of the 2007 year. "That's all gone to the regional concept as did the law enforcement grant money two years ago," Waite said. "Our experience with that has not been favorable for our county." Waite said he was very blunt with state officials. The nine counties in southwest Alabama are part of a region where Mobile County is the headquarters. Clarke County officials had to fight to keep representation on the "stakeholders" committee. Waite and Commissioner Rhondel Rhone represent the county on that committee. Clarke County received $60,000 in homeland security money in 2006, $75,000 in 2005, and $100,000 in 2004, Waite said. However, a new task force designated by Gov. Bob Riley has approved a more regional concept. Commissioner Elma Averett said the county needs to fight this with the help of its state representatives. • Waite also reported that the following county students have been selected to attend the "Be Ready Camp," Sept. 11-15 at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville: Shannon Merida (Wilson Hall Middle School); Will Neugent (Jackson Intermediate School); Luke Horton and Katie Skipper (Clarke Preparatory School); Shamonica Kidd (Coffeeville Elementary School); Tobias Campbell (Solid Rock Christian School); and Malcolm Moore and Colby Myers (Thomasville Middle School).
The camp is sponsored by Gov. Bob Riley's Office of Faith Based Community Initiative.
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