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Roads: county to pay ALDOT SWA invoices; commissioners discuss tar-and-gravel treatment and billing residents for willful damage
Summary
The county's road department requested approval to pay ALDOT invoices from the county's SWA account and replenish the account to a $2,000 minimum; the road superintendent explained the 'G treatment' (tar-and-gravel) on County Road 49 and commissioners discussed a proposed resolution to invoice individuals who willfully damage dirt roads.
Chilton County’s road superintendent described two routine maintenance matters and a proposed enforcement step for intentional damage to county roads.
Heath Sexton, representing the road department, asked the commission to approve payment of an invoice tied to the county’s SWA account with ALDOT. The SWA account is used by ALDOT for site inspections and occasional maintenance charges; staff said the March invoice was roughly $800 and that the county needs to replenish the account to a $2,000 minimum, per state practice, by approving an additional payment of a little over $1,000.
Sexton also described the work on County Road 49: crews widened the road, placed temporary stripe, and applied a “G treatment” (described in the meeting as a tar-and-gravel seal) to seal cracks in the asphalt. He explained that the treatment helps prevent cracks from reflecting through a new wearing surface by keeping water out of the base material. The treatment leaves loose rock, requires sweeping of loose material, and typically needs to cure to the engineer’s satisfaction (often two to three days, depending on temperature) before final surfacing and thermoplastic striping (which road staff indicated usually waits about two weeks for curing; striping contractors have been slower in recent years).
Commissioners also discussed reports of residents deliberately altering dirt roads—building berms or digging ditches to slow traffic. One commissioner said the county attorney advised that the county could bill a responsible party for repairs if they willfully damage county roads and that the sheriff could charge the individual with damaging public property. The commission chair said he would prepare a resolution for a future meeting to clarify invoicing and enforcement steps, and staff discussed possible civil-collection routes (circuit court) if the county pursues reimbursement for repairs. No enforcement action or billing was authorized in the recorded discussion; speakers said a proposed resolution would be drafted and presented for a formal vote.
