Choctaw County approves ALDOT-linked guardrail project, hires heavy-equipment operator and discusses vegetation, equipment purchases

Choctaw County commissioners at a June meeting voted to adopt a resolution authorizing guardrail improvements under the Alabama Department of Transportation’s Local Road Safety Initiative and approved hiring a heavy equipment operator, the county engineer said.

The resolution, which the county engineer described as an ALDOT-required step to secure funding for safety work at specified sites, was approved on a motion by Commissioner Jackson and seconded by Commissioner Dahlgren. “Basically, from what I understand, this is an agreement that’s required by ALDOT,” the County Engineer said. “If we either pass a resolution to do it and get the money, or not pass a resolution not to do it, [we] don’t get any money.” The commission voted aye; the motion carried.

The decision matters because the resolution formally references an executed agreement and initiates work at the listed sites, the engineer said. Commissioners were told paving work on another county project is nearing completion; the engineer said crews expect to finish paving by Thursday or Friday of the same week.

The commission also approved hiring William “Billy” Walker, a Choctaw County resident with pipeline and construction experience, as a heavy equipment operator at $20 per hour. The County Engineer recommended the hire and said Walker has Class A CDL credentials and prior inspection experience in concrete and asphalt. Commissioner Dahlgren moved to hire Walker; Commissioner Mosley seconded, and the motion carried. The engineer said Walker could begin later in the month.

Commissioners raised a separate personnel concern about a previously promoted employee who commissioners said had not received an agreed pay adjustment; the engineer said staff would review minutes and return the issue to a future meeting. That discussion was recorded as debate and direction to check the payroll record, not a formal pay decision.

On vegetation management, the county engineer proposed a targeted, in‑house program to spot‑spray Johnson grass using a herbicide he named and a surfactant for better uptake. He told the commission a case of the chemical costs about $4,000–$5,000 and should cover the county for a full season; he said crews would shut off equipment near creeks and use a non‑drift approach for spot applications. The engineer said funding would come from surplus in department accounts tied to revenue from initiatives such as a scrap‑tire program and asked commissioners for authorization to proceed within budget; no formal vote was recorded.

The engineer briefed commissioners on proposed demonstrations and equipment purchases. A vendor offered to demo a newer side‑cutter (identified in the meeting as an Aspen Entergreen model or similar) and to provide an operator; the engineer said the machines commonly cost more than $200,000 and that several counties now include them on bid lists. Commissioners asked staff to confirm whether the machine appears on the Association of County Commissions of Alabama (ACCA) bid list or the state bid list and to report back. The engineer also discussed a potential mini excavator purchase for landfill use (he estimated about $20,000) and said the landfill’s Solid Waste Authority likely could fund that purchase. Those were discussion items and did not result in binding procurement decisions at the meeting.

Commissioners also discussed equipment‑sharing challenges after renting an excavator and noted that heavy tools often must remain with the department that needs them most. The engineer said staff would continue to evaluate warranties, attachments and pricing and would return with specifics.

The county attorney and the judge were mentioned as having been consulted about the ALDOT resolution; the engineer said he provided two copies for signatures. No litigation or legal constraints were raised that would prevent moving forward with the LSRI work, the engineer said.

The commission’s next steps, as stated in the meeting, are to sign the ALDOT‑linked resolution, proceed with the Walker hire, confirm procurement/bid statuses for the side‑cutter, and allow staff to begin targeted Johnson grass spraying within available funds.