St. Clair County Commission previews agenda: engineer updates, staffing proposals and phone‑system plan discussed at June 4 work session

The St. Clair County Commission held a June 4 work session to set the agenda for the next commission meeting and review multiple infrastructure, staffing and procurement items.

Clay Phillips, the county engineer, told commissioners paving crews have moved from the Camp Winnetowska area to Show Creek and will soon work in the Old Coast City/Watzville area. He said crews have been building an access pass for a Wool Creek debris‑removal contractor and that a planned safety widening on Kettle Creek Road — including 2‑foot paved shoulders and rolling strips — remains in design with a projected in‑service target near Sept. 30.

Phillips also presented three project items for follow‑up: a $20,000 Terracon proposal to core and test sections of Veterans Parkway to diagnose rutting and persistent wetness of the new pavement; planning and environmental work needed to advance a Riverside bridge replacement; and a multi‑county VIP bridge construction application coordinated by Lauderdale County. Commissioners were told St. Clair County’s share of planning services to Lauderdale County is $3,354, an item staff will put on the Tuesday agenda for approval.

The commission discussed two personnel changes proposed by the road department. Phillips outlined a new road‑department safety coordinator position (pay grade 20) that staff estimate would require a 2024 budget amendment and roughly $26,000 in prorated pay for the remainder of the year. He also proposed reclassifying the office manager to an office administrator (pay grade 20) effective Oct. 1, 2026, tied to greater use of the county’s information management system.

Roddy Wolf, property manager, reported facilities and maintenance changes, including an interdepartment transfer to fill a maintenance role and plans to replace an electrical meter box at the old sign shop on June 12 (work will require about eight hours and will temporarily affect fuel pumps). Wolf said contractor drawings for relocating meters and a generator at the Charles Foreman Building should be available in three to four weeks with two pricing options (county crews repair vs. contractor repair).

Ashley Hay, asset manager for the county arena and event center, said a pickleball camp was full with a waitlist and previewed a slate of summer events; she also noted a $2,500 grant to fund veteran informational displays. Hay recommended the county consider taking mowing in‑house or rebidding the current contractor with site‑specific language to better match event schedules; commissioners asked staff to evaluate costs and the contract renewal options that expire for rebid in 2027.

Staff presented a hosted phone‑system proposal intended to consolidate the county’s telephony under a single vendor and improve support, including integration with dispatch. The quoted materials in the meeting transcript included a one‑time implementation/setup cost of $31,007.85 and a proposal subtotal listed as $8,133.75 (monthly subtotal) while staff contrasted that to current aggregated spending of about $9,654.84 per month. Commissioners directed staff to place a simple authorization motion on the Tuesday agenda to allow implementation to proceed pending final paperwork and legal review.

Jail and corrections staff briefed the commission on monitoring technology used at booking and in medical observation. The county already uses fixed monitors; staff proposed adding wearable monitors and a five‑year service plan quoted at $18,050 plus modest electrical/data work (staff estimated up to about $1,000) to equip identified dorms and improve clinical monitoring and data collection.

On capital projects, staff recommended entering a contract with CMH Architects to produce drawings and budgets for a planned jail addition. Commissioners discussed available bond proceeds (staff cited approximately $2.9 million currently set aside) and early order‑of‑magnitude figures for the addition; staff emphasized the value of getting detailed architect estimates before budgeting construction.

Other items discussed and slated for the regular meeting packet included: review of the mowing contract and possible site removal or rebid; asset‑inventory threshold changes (moving the inventory lower bound above $250 to reduce administrative overhead while retaining controls for sensitive devices); Coosa Valley water and EPA community‑project funding coordination; and National Utilities audit findings for wireless accounts, which staff said could yield negotiated Verizon credits of about $5,376 while cautioning the county retain Verizon service for priority access for first responders.

The commission scheduled budget work‑sessions and follow‑ups (work session June 18 and a budget review after the June 23 meeting in Pell City) and instructed staff to prepare agenda items and supporting packets. The work session concluded with staff and commissioners agreeing to place the noted action items on the upcoming meeting agenda.

Next steps: several items (the $3,354 reimbursement to Lauderdale County, the road safety coordinator posting and budget amendment, the hosted phone‑system authorization, and contract/architect approvals) are to appear on the commission’s Tuesday agenda for formal action or further direction.