Franklin County Commission accepts bid for four road resurfacing/restriping projects

Four road improvement projects funded with gasoline tax proceeds from the Rebuild Alabama Act will soon move forward after the Franklin County Commission approved a $916,068 bid from Rogers Group.

The commission accepted the bid at its April 20th regular meeting.

Work to be performed includes resurfacing and restriping of portions of Highway 177, Bates Landing Road, Whitten Road and Prichard Road.

The Alabama Legislature passed the controversial Rebuild Alabama Act in 2019. The act increased Alabama’s tax on gasoline by 10 cents per gallon, with proceeds earmarked for road and bridge improvements.

In other agenda items at its April 20th meeting, the commission:

—declared two Massey Ferguson brush cutters owned by the Franklin County Highway Department as surplus property and authorized the sale thereof. 

The commission approved the purchase of a used brush cutter and a herbicide truck from the Alabama Department of Transportation.

—approved a $60,000 settlement to be paid by Classic Country Land for violations of county subdivision rules related to the proposed Lightning Ridge subdivision near Alabama 247.

County Attorney Evan Hargett negotiated the settlement after the company sold multiple lots before receiving approval of plans for the subdivision, a violation that could have led to more than $151,000 in fines.

Hargett recommended the settlement to commissioners based on the cost savings of not having to litigate the issue in court.

—approved a new Document Request Policy for the Franklin County Commission for requests made pursuant to the Alabama Open Records Act.

The new policy allows for a copying/processing fee of $1 per page, minimum, plus $3 per request, along with a ‘research fee,’ set at the hourly rate of the employee who prepares the documents pursuant to an Open Records Act request.

—approved the resignation of Cory Jones as Corrections Officer/Dispatcher in the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, hiring Hunter Butler as a temporary Corrections Officer/Dispatcher, hiring Abbey Poore as a permanent office clerk in the Sheriff’s Office and the termination of Hunter Butler from his Corrections Officer/Dispatcher position.

Commissioners also approved advertising for a job vacancy of Corrections Officer/Dispatcher.

—approved a contract with RCN/First Net to take over the telephone land lines in the Franklin County Courthouse, including the elevator phone, the dedicated 911 line. The action was necessitated due to AT&T’s plans to discontinue servicing copper land lines by 2029.