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Residents urge county to fund civics program and study noise ordinance
Summary
At the Limestone County Commission work session, Tricia Bobo of Liberty Learning Foundation requested $3,200 to sustain a civics character program for local second- and fifth-graders; resident James Harding asked the commission to study adopting a county noise ordinance after prospective buyers were reportedly deterred by claims there is none.
Tricia Bobo, representing Liberty Learning Foundation, told the Limestone County Commission on Feb. 2 that her nonprofit runs a 12-week civics, character and career-development program in about 54 Alabama counties and serves roughly 50,000 students statewide. "We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization... Here, we are teaching the second graders and the fifth graders," she said, adding the local program currently serves 250 second- and fifth-grade students in Elkmont and 75 second-graders in Tanner.
Bobo said the program needs funding to continue and cited a current deficit of "$3,200." "I would like to ask for donation of any level, but if you could support that, that would fully fund us this year," she said, and left contact information for commissioners and staff.
Later in the public-comment period, James Harding, a retired builder-developer and Limestone County resident, described conversations with outside realtors who told prospective buyers "there's no noise ordinance" in Limestone, which he said hurt sales. "We're not willing to spend $700,000 for 4 houses... it's not even civilized," Harding said, quoting a prospective buyer's comment about the county. He asked the commission "if we could look into that and see what it would take to get a noise ordinance."
Why it matters: Bobo's request seeks small, targeted funding to sustain a school-based civics program that county students attend; Harding's comment raises questions about whether perceptions of county law and quality-of-life rules are affecting property transactions in Limestone.
What commissioners said or did: The chair thanked both speakers and closed public comment, telling citizens they may submit comments by email for the record. No formal action or vote on either the donation request or an ordinance study occurred during the session.
Next steps: Bobo's request and Harding's suggestion were recorded in the minutes; commissioners did not schedule formal votes or staff directions on either item during the Feb. 2 work session.
