Russell County fiscal court approves second readings to close three short roads

At a meeting of the Russell County Fiscal Court, magistrates approved second readings and formal actions to close three short county roads: W E Thomas Road (0.21 mile), Keys Drive (0.11 mile) and to discontinue county maintenance on Paul King Road (0.026 mile).

The votes concluded second readings that the court held after a first reading on Feb. 10. The judge opened the agenda item and magistrates moved to close each road; the actions were approved by voice vote with those present saying “aye.”

Why it matters: road closures and discontinuances change which entity is responsible for maintenance and can affect access and future use. The court treated the actions as the second and final readings required by local procedure, moving the roads off the county-maintained list.

The court record shows the second-reading motions were introduced in sequence: the W E Thomas Road closure was presented as 0.21 miles in length; Keys Drive was presented as 0.11 mile; and Paul King Road was identified as a discontinuance of county maintenance at 0.026 miles. The judge and magistrates handled each as a routine agenda item and each motion passed on a voice vote.

The court did not record individual roll-call tallies in the transcript; the minutes show approval by voice each time the court was asked to signify. No written objections or petitions against the closures were recorded in the meeting transcript.

The closures complete the second-reading requirement noted earlier in February and remove the listed segments from the county’s maintenance responsibilities unless future action reverses the decisions.