Houston County approves $333,000 loan application to fund sewer engineering for 231 South distribution park

The Houston County Commission voted to apply for a $333,000 revolving loan from Wiregrass Electric at 1% interest for 10 years to cover engineering costs for a sewer‑line expansion along U.S. 231 South to the county’s proposed distribution park.

"The options were we could pay it out of pocket or we could borrow $333,000 at 1% for 10 years," Chairman Brandon Shoop said, describing the approved resolution. Shoop framed the decision as addressing a "chicken and egg" problem: the county needs sewer capacity to attract industry but will not build larger treatment facilities until demand is shown. He said the plan is to pump sewer flows to the City of Dothan’s treatment plant to avoid future capacity shortfalls.

The loan is intended to finance engineering work to extend sewer service to the distribution park corridor on U.S. 231 South. Shoop told commissioners the county examined options that ranged from building a larger treatment plant to relying on intergovernmental treatment; he said pumping to Dothan’s plant would "really solve the issue" of long‑term capacity.

Commissioners approved the motion by voice vote with no recorded opposition. The application directs staff to pursue the Wiregrass Electric revolving loan; the action itself does not commit the county to later borrowing for construction, which would require separate approvals.

What’s next: staff will proceed with the loan application and engineering planning. If construction proceeds in future budget cycles, commissioners said they will return for additional approvals.