[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6161019,"mediaKeyId","5445503-3b5bfc9164ac40e3ce5d33385f7f62a1","parentId",5445503,"title","Probate judge urges pay increases as county launches pay-and-classification study","audioSeconds",335,"startMs",826000,"endMs",1161000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5445503-3b5bfc9164ac40e3ce5d33385f7f62a1&start=826&end=1161","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5445503-3b5bfc9164ac40e3ce5d33385f7f62a1/thumbnail_826000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6161019/Montgomery-County/Alabama/Probate-judge-urges-pay-increases-as-county-launches-pay-and-classification-study","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6161019-1dc1002301f4dd5aeb8360faa63385bd/orig.mp4?Expires=1775187638&Signature=hILYSXwzEY-I7t1BY3S~QVJc-0gug6h65V1mW3-77gaMZqqq14SzA73Vo9dA07KE8xDKtuHL8aqcjhvbelr1kazYlbG2bpQMavYxDlpmuCixXfYd-8M0kBoZbdCHjX7XGje24oG45zBXtTsV6lf5RK1v8T86uBFJRIAyXs8g7OhdpOvomjdMXVR~k5nFPY9anuSJkCBFVw4LLO8Ykq-xEnjjMKAngIYEWQUuAJbBxrtZQtWn4f6mzWT49nbCteHqqXn3rEoI7YpwSK5u4Q48I0c~~Ct5-Ol1688ibmzK1j9RkZfCMorillnqJhDCz-8khh55RO2UcfY-zV~Rnhe67Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Montgomery County Alabama","date","2025-07-23T03:02:38Z","article","Probate Judge J.C. Love told the Montgomery County Commission that recent staff departures have hampered his office and urged commissioners to consider pay adjustments during the county's budget process.

Love said the probate court recently lost seven employees over two weeks and that of his office's roughly 65 positions, 34 earn less than $40,000 a year. \"It was difficult for us to be able to attract quality employees and to be able to retain the employees that we've had,\" Love said, urging a more substantial compensation response than incremental adjustments.

County officials told Love they are already conducting a pay-and-classification study. County staff said an HR consultant has been engaged and that results should be available in mid-August or by Labor Day; commissioners said the findings will inform possible mid-year adjustments or proposals in the next budget cycle.

Allison Holland, chief clerk for revenue, asked that bilingual pay for Spanish-speaking employees be considered as part of the study and future compensation decisions. Sheriff Derek Cunningham and other county leaders voiced agreement on the importance of compensation and retention.

No immediate pay increases were approved at the meeting; commissioners said they would review the study results and address pay issues during the upcoming budget hearings.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Montgomery County Commission Formal Meeting 7-22-25","oneSentenceSummary","Probate Judge J.C. Love told commissioners recent staff losses are undermining operations and urged action to retain employees; county officials said an HR pay-and-classification study is underway and will inform budget decisions.","taxTitle","Montgomery County, Alabama","taxId",2535,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6161024,"Sogo (formerly Whitfield Foods) seeks county approval for brownfield tax abatement tied to $13 million site cleanup",229,598000,827000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5445503-3b5bfc9164ac40e3ce5d33385f7f62a1&start=598&end=827","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5445503-3b5bfc9164ac40e3ce5d33385f7f62a1/thumbnail_598000.jpg","/articles/6161024/Montgomery-County/Alabama/Sogo-formerly-Whitfield-Foods-seeks-county-approval-for-brownfield-tax-abatement-tied-to-13-million-site-cleanup","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6161024-809a30affcb7532a6fcde0b5341ad5ba/orig.mp4?Expires=1775187638&Signature=KIEW0mKldtl-HWbxUXzmm5M7f89R5kNtz6fWQBpkvzBMQX2L8n9aQzK49Q8kyunjU~3N0PCD-e8HLLWrCWxYTsaQ4zK2mMRB8d3KSeIeSUWryJcqJQ62zLV9t70sUpuy5JEWpQPTgLi~u~DCp1rShIMNe6Wpp6uTVsQ40Fv0WADKKJMPb4PWDAEdpfAthKGZtP2MROI~LUJ93DrlgKHn97be07asBJbUz9HKpm8OTreThuAUlYHS-VsGAMx7VVozDWy-~PkA-dM3Xq4w9bfE18N4ga6YPtUzpCBpCOpf-3r6UG7gnvbhZo4YGm3qCGxiPDUHKLX6HcWiGDjWLhqG~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representatives of Sogo Properties, the company that acquired Whitfield Foods' Montgomery facility, asked Montgomery County commissioners to consider a local property-tax abatement for voluntary brownfield cleanup work at their North Court Street site.

Shelby Stringfield of the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce introduced Joe Friday of Sogo and explained the company has entered into a concurrence agreement with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management for voluntary cleanup. Stringfield cited \"chapter 9C of [the Department of Revenue] Code\" as the statutory basis that allows a property abatement for eligible cleanup investment.

Stringfield said total project costs are about $13 million but that only $6.1 million of that investment is eligible for the abatement. She told the commission the county's portion of the tax savings over 10 years would be approximately $92,059, or roughly $9,000 per year.

Joe Friday, who said Sogo currently employs about 112 people at the Montgomery facility, spoke about the company's local investment and the importance of recovering cleanup costs in order to reinvest in operations and jobs.

Stringfield said the Industrial Development Board has already approved the request and asked the commission to schedule the matter for formal consideration at the next meeting. No vote was taken at this session.

Commissioners said the item would appear on the next meeting agenda for formal hearing and possible action.","Sogo Properties (formerly Whitfield Foods) asked the Montgomery County Commission to consider a local abatement under an ADEM brownfield cleanup concurrence for about $6.1 million of eligible investment; county action will be on a future agenda.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6161029,"Montgomery County officials hear plea to boost funding, restore ambulance service for volunteer fire departments",976,1310000,2286000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5445503-3b5bfc9164ac40e3ce5d33385f7f62a1&start=1310&end=2286","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5445503-3b5bfc9164ac40e3ce5d33385f7f62a1/thumbnail_1310000.jpg","/articles/6161029/Montgomery-County/Alabama/Montgomery-County-officials-hear-plea-to-boost-funding-restore-ambulance-service-for-volunteer-fire-departments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6161029-1751b8701068498752a99312fda88e86/orig.mp4?Expires=1775187638&Signature=I5AltVukrKnpX4cx-sd6qLmY9jY3VKLsSYXdTrRohSWQszf9xXIpCGwz0VXN2S2gN2oO3NqEdSfnDPN1pUHlGUGLHZM2yDmrKrE06PHm1F7cuTzwnZGIsCrPlbTSXLCQAk12a3Xwf43NhlNbXKgXSyqSCJ5qXIEuO5Yq8mVjOJ72~cT1t4sqGlx59ZN6xAb8QlfyItoNj8LM8inbaxMgDLz5JPdw8~3dlxKwEAh9niYkLFoFPMHpd~dw6SssLoRnxcmrfzIuIVZTFgFBIK~2fx9Zk4nRAt4dsc~B8HPAYcO8LJfOcyYK5LZp5VnWGXMHk~8EnOGMdxvz2Qe5VBKsLA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Montgomery County commissioners heard an extended briefing from the Montgomery County Association of Volunteer Fire Departments on the status of the county's volunteer emergency-response system and requests for increased funding and equipment support.

The association's president, Tim Bowden, told the commission the county now has five class-4 departments and three class-5 departments after a recent Insurance Services Office evaluation and called that \"an improvement.\" He said the departments answered 3,221 calls in 2024, of which 543 were fire calls and 2,678 were medical or EMS calls.

The distinction matters for grading: \"Our ISO grading is only done on the fire calls. They do not grade on medical or EMS runs,\" Bowden said. He and other volunteers warned that the departments have lost personnel since the pandemic and that equipment and construction costs have risen sharply; Bowden gave an example that a truck ordered two years ago cost about $375,000 but would cost about $489,000 now.

Bowden asked the commission to increase annual support above the current level, which association members said has been $190,000 per year since 2009. The volunteer board packet included a proposal for a $600,000 increase; Bowden and other speakers said even a smaller increase would be helpful.

Commissioners acknowledged the request and the operational constraints facing volunteers. Chairman Doug Singleton said the commission would look for ways to help, noting budget hearings scheduled for the coming days. Sheriff Derek Cunningham said, \"We're gonna address it during the budget hearings,\" and expressed support for the volunteer departments.

Speakers and volunteers also flagged that county volunteer departments do not currently provide patient transport and that ambulance response times to remote parts of the county can be long. Bowden and commissioners said the county has set aside American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money to restore county ambulance service. A county official told the commission a bid for ambulance service was expected to be released by the end of the month.

County officials and volunteers also discussed training and staffing: Bowden said volunteer firefighters complete hundreds of hours of training on their own time, and that the county's volunteer ranks have declined from about 220 pre-2019 to about 194 professionally trained responders.

Commissioners and staff discussed grant-seeking and other options. Commissioner remarks said county grant staff could assist departments in applying for grants and that USDA funding has been used in some cases to build facilities. No formal funding decision was made; commissioners said the matter would be considered during budget hearings and that staff would continue grant outreach and bid work on ambulance services.

The presentation closed with commissioners and county staff committing to review the volunteer request during the county's budget process and to pursue grant opportunities and procurement for ambulance service.

For now, volunteers left the meeting with a pledge from commissioners to consider higher funding levels and to help pursue grants and procurements that could address equipment, station and ambulance-service gaps.","Leaders of Montgomery County's eight volunteer fire departments told commissioners their units have improved fire ratings but face rising costs, fewer volunteers and gaps in ambulance transport; commissioners said they will consider additional support during upcoming budget hearings.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Probate judge urges pay increases as county launches pay-and-classification study

Sogo (formerly Whitfield Foods) seeks county approval for brownfield tax abatement tied to $13 million site cleanup

Montgomery County officials hear plea to boost funding, restore ambulance service for volunteer fire departments