The Crenshaw County Commission approved a resolution to participate in the Alabama County TIGER Grant Program, which is part of the discretionary grant funds awarded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for capital investments in surface transportation infrastructure. The county has 10 bridges which meet the eligibility criteria for the grant program, something that is being applied for by several other county commissions.

At its Aug. 24 meeting, the Commission also agreed to allow the Elmore County Commission to submit an application for the TIGER Grant on behalf of all of the participating counties. Repair costs for the ten bridges submitted by Crenshaw County are $6,074,679.34.

In other business, the Commission approved a motion to enter into a contract with Lewis & Associates for the new Honoraville Senior Center project; to renew a 2010 contract with South Central Alabama Development Commission, which gives $20,617 to the county for senior nutritional support services; approved a dirt pit contract renewal from ALDOT at .65 cents per cubic yard; to move line items in the appraisal budget; and to approve a resolution recognizing the important role that RC&D plays in rural and urban development.

The first budget hearing for the Crenshaw County Commission will be held on Monday, Sept. 14, beginning at 9 a.m. The meeting is open to the public.

In other business, the Commission unanimously rejected a proposal by county engineer Benjie Sanders concerning new job descriptions and a three percent pay scale raise for the members of the county¹s highway department.

County Administrator David Smyth said that in 2007, all county employees were asked to write down their job duties; these were then sent to Auburn

University in order to have the job descriptions updated and put into “today’s terminology.” However, the county has not received completed recommendations from Auburn concerning this matter.

Sanders presented the Commission with new job descriptions within the county’s highway department, which included the three percent pay scale raise; five employees would move up in pay grades, and three employees would move up outside of the three percent pay scale raise.

But Administrator Smyth said that he wasn’t sure ethically that it could be done without doing it “across the board” for all county employees.

Sanders said that this would be an equitable and fair way to do promotions within his department.

“I’m not sure we can do this without doing it across the board, especially by Oct. 1,” Commissioner Ronnie Blackmon said.

“Have the other departments worked as hard as I have to do this?” Sanders asked.

“I wouldn’t give anybody in the highway department a raise without giving a clerk in the courthouse a raise, too,” Commissioner Ed Beasley said.

The Commission unanimously rejected Sanders’ proposal.