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Lee County commission adopts flood ordinance updates, approves road vacation and sets solid-waste hearing
Summary
At its Jan. 13 meeting, the Lee County Commission adopted revisions to the flood damage prevention ordinance required by the National Flood Insurance Program, voted to vacate 1,274 feet of Lee Road 9, approved a subdivision final plat, reduced the speed limit on Lee Road 690 and set a public hearing on the county solid waste management plan.
The Lee County Commission on Jan. 13 unanimously approved an amended flood damage prevention ordinance to meet requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program and state reviewers, and carried out a series of routine land- and traffic-related decisions, including vacating the end of Lee Road 9 and setting a public hearing for an updated solid waste management plan.
The commission adopted the flood ordinance update after county staff said the revisions incorporate changes requested by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). County staff presented the amendments and said ADECA’s December 12 review supplied the final list of required changes. "This should be the final update for this flood damage prevention ordinance," county staff said during the meeting before the motion to approve as amended passed unanimously.
Why it matters: adopting the amendments keeps Lee County eligible for the National Flood Insurance Program and aligns local rules with state review, which affects property owners in mapped floodplains and the county’s ability to participate in federal flood insurance and mitigation programs.
Other formal actions and planning items at the meeting included:
- Road vacation: The commission voted to vacate the last 1,274 feet of Lee Road 9 (Jones Plant Farm Road), a dead-end segment where the abutting owner holds property on both sides. Staff said notices were provided in accordance with Alabama Code Section 23-4-20 and a quitclaim deed will be prepared to release the county’s interest. The motion passed unanimously.
- Subdivision final plat: The commission approved the final plat for the R.D. Newman subdivision on Lee Road 76, creating three lots that will use existing road frontage on a gravel roadway. Adjacent property owners had been notified; one resident, Bill Lacey, spoke about drainage, road wear and safety near his driveway. "I don't want the road paved," Lacey said, while asking the county to address drainage so runoff does not worsen conditions on his property.
- Speed limit change: The commission approved reducing the posted speed limit to 15 mph on Lee Road 690, a short, narrow dead-end dirt road in Commission District 2, citing roadway width and curvature.
- Solid waste management plan: Staff asked the commission to open a public comment period and set a public hearing for Feb. 24 on an updated 10-year Lee County solid waste management plan prepared with consultant CDG and reviewed by ADEM. The commission set the hearing date and directed staff to advertise the comment period and hearing.
- Disposal/“amnesty” days: Environmental Services staff reported results from a Jan. 4 free-disposal day run at five sites. "We had 29 employees work that... In total, we collected 80.35 tons of waste brought to the sites. We also took in 16.8 tons of recycling," Environmental Services staff said. The commission set a follow-up disposal day for Feb. 8 after staff sought dates; commissioners voted to approve that date unanimously.
Brief items and reports: County staff reported receipt of a $15,000 grant from Norfolk Southern to purchase a utility vehicle for public-safety use; staff said the county has the check and will solicit quotes and report back when the purchase is executed. A county engineer’s report on Rebuild Alabama and federal funds listed projects and said the county used $2,650,000 in program funds in the previous fiscal year, including a $250,000 re-balance grant toward completion of a bridge on Lee Road 245.
Meeting context: Most votes were routine and unanimous. Public comment on the Newman subdivision focused on drainage, traffic and potential future subdivision of adjacent acreage; the county said construction and sediment controls would be required when building begins. Staff described alternatives for future disposal-day sites if school facilities used now are unavailable. No contested or split votes were recorded at this meeting.
The commission approved the consent agenda, including first readings of several board appointments, and carried several items (for example, a request regarding a building demolition and a coroner item) forward to a future meeting. The meeting adjourned after those items.
