Derek Scott, president of the Chilton County Historical Society, asked the commission to create a Chilton County Cemetery Rehabilitation Authority, saying the draft follows state law for such entities and is modeled on other county authorities.
Scott said the authority would help identify and list county cemeteries with the Alabama Historical Commission and would focus on county cemeteries not within city limits. Under the draft, the authority would have five board members appointed by the commission; Scott said he already had five or six volunteers who had agreed to serve.
Scott emphasized that the authority would operate with volunteers and donations and said “there’s no money involved. It’s free. They’re volunteers,” and that the enabling language allows the authority to accept donations and handle funds but does not require county funds.
Commissioners discussed whether to appoint the five suggested members at the next meeting or to leave the item open so others could nominate volunteers; some commissioners preferred leaving nominations open to ensure community participation. One commissioner suggested raising the proposed board size to seven if needed.
Why it matters: The authority would provide an institutional mechanism to inventory, maintain and seek funding for older cemeteries, many of which are not actively maintained and may contain unmarked graves.
What will happen next: Scott said he could provide names for five volunteers and that, if the commission agreed, he would like appointments considered promptly; commissioners asked for time to accept nominations and discuss at a subsequent meeting. No formal vote to create the authority was recorded during the work session.
Ending: Commissioners invited additional nominations and asked Scott to provide volunteer names for formal consideration at a future meeting.