BY HANNAH LESTER
HLESTER@
OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
LEE COUNTY —
Last week, the Lee County Commission held its first meeting with two new commissioners.
Tony Langley will fill the District 4 seat formerly held by Robert Ham, while John Andrew Harris will serve District 5, formerly held by Richard LaGrand Sr.
ADECA GRANT:
The commission approved a resolution last Wednesday to allocate funds from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs money the county received.
Lee County was awarded $500,000 and originally decided to split this amount between mortgage/rental assistance and food distribution.
Now, the county has decided, however, to also allocate funds toward equipment “to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19,” according to county documents.
Therefore, $285,000 will be allocated toward equipment, which will be given to the volunteer fire departments, and $75,000 toward food distribution.
“We did $75,000 for food distribution to the [Food Bank of East Alabama], all of which has been expended,” said Wendy Swann, governmental relations coordinator. “We allocated $50,000 for grand administration, all of which has been expended. We allocated $180,000 for utility assistance, of which only $1,748.87 has been expended. We also allocated $195,000 for rental and mortgage assistance of which $7,669.51 has been expended.”
OTHER BUSINESS:
– The commission approved that the meetings will continue to be held on the first and third Wednesdays.
– The commission amended the rules of procedure to allow commissioners to participate in county meetings electronically.
– The commission voted to approve moving the Marvin portable voting classroom to a permanent location half a mile up Alabama State Route 51.
– The commission voted to approve the allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds of over $98,000 for lighting in the parking lot areas of Beauregard and Beulah parks.
– The commission approved the FY 2023 Holiday Schedule.
The next county commission meeting will be Monday, Nov. 28 at 5 p.m. Meetinsgs are held in the commission chamber in the
Courthouse Annex.