County Commission

The Fayette County Commission voted to seek bids for the County Road 53 repaving project this month during its regularly scheduled meeting held on June 10. All commissioners were present for the meeting, with Commission Chairman Mike Freeman absent due to attending a probate judges’ conference. Vice-Chairman Joe Acker presided over the meeting during Freeman’s absence.

Barry Corkren, Fayette County Commissioner for District Three and a sergeant with the Fayette County Sheriff Department, was arrested on Monday, May 20 and charged with driving under the influence (DUI). The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency reported that troopers responded to a one-vehicle accident occurring at the intersection of Highway 102 and County Road 142 in Fayette County.

The Fayette County Commission hired a new maintenance supervisor during a special called meeting on May 16. At the regular meeting, held on May 13, County Commission Chairman Mike Freeman appointed a committee consisting of Commissioner Barry Corkren, Commissioner Shane Hughes and Commissioner James Knight to review the applications for the maintenance position and make a recommendation. At the May 16 meeting, the committee said that following interviews, they were recommending James Vaughn of Boley for the position.

The Fayette County Commission voted to hire a part-time aging director during its March 25 meeting. All commissioners were present for the meeting. The commissioners approved a motion to enter an executive session at the beginning of the meeting to discuss personnel issues at the request of Commission Chairman Mike Freeman.
Following the executive session, Freeman announced that the county road supervisor, Tim Whitson, had resigned from his position effective immediately.

The Fayette County Commission held a brief regular meeting on Monday, March 11. All commissioners were present for the meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, only one item of business was on the agenda. The item of business was discussion about the aging program director and at the beginning of the meeting, the commissioners agreed to remove that item of business from the agenda.

The Fayette County Commission held a special called meeting at 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 7 to consider adopting a resolution in support of the “Rebuild Alabama Act” that is being considered by state legislators. All commissioners were present with the exception of Commissioner Barry Corkren and Commissioner John Underwood.

The Fayette County Commission toured the new jail facility that is under construction prior to its Feb. 25 meeting. All commissioners were present for the tour and the subsequent meeting.
Work on the site preparation for the new jail began on April 2, 2018 and has proceeded at a fairly rapid pace despite a lot of rainy weather. The new jail is scheduled to be completed by mid-August.

The Fayette County Commission made additional board appointments during its Feb. 11 meeting. All commissioners were present for the meeting. Commission Chairman Mike Freeman opened the meeting with a moment of silence in memory of Edwin “Punk” Turner, who died on Feb. 10. Fayette County EMA Director Russ Taylor told the commissioners that FEMA has given its final approval for the Fayette County storm shelters, and has also closed the grant application for the shelters. Paperwork concerning the shelters has to be kept on file for an additional three years.

The Fayette County Commission voted on Jan. 28 to “move forward” with plans to hire a part-time aging director for Fayette County. Commissioner Joe Acker, Commissioner Billy Rodgers and Commissioner Barry Corkren had been on a committee to explore options concerning the direction that the aging program needs to take following the retirement of former director Faye Meharg in Oct. 2018.

The Fayette County Commission continued its discussion concerning the aging program at its Dec. 10 meeting. Commission Chairman Joe Acker said that there appeared to be a general consensus after the commission’s last meeting to discontinue the Medicaid Waiver program that the aging program has been particpating in. He said that Pam McDaniel of the regional aging program stated that the county is already in violation of the guidelines because follow-up inspections were not being completed.