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Election changes considered; credit card fee waiver continues

Jan McDonald , , , , ,

Much of the Marengo County Commission meeting Tuesday focused on the issues surrounding the run-off election scheduled for July 14.

Probate Judge Laurie Hall said many Alabama counties are having trouble finding poll workers who are willing to risk contracting COVID-19. Voting venues also are opting out because of the virus.

While no action has been taken by the state, Hall said Gov. Kay Ivey may allow single voting places in counties where finding workers and venues is difficult.

Hall said an option for Marengo County would be to have one polling place in each of the five districts. If the governor okays the change, she must give the counties time to prepare, and the Commission would need to approve any changes.

Hall also took time in the meeting to bring commissioners up to date on the temporary practice of waiving credit card fees to pay for licenses and other fees in the Probate Office. When the pandemic hit in March, the county waived the 2.5 percent fee until June 1. The Commission agreed to extend the fee waiver until further notice.

Hall told commissioners of the trouble her office faces collecting on bad checks. Many probate offices have gone to cash or credit card to avoid the problem. Hall is reluctant to require credit card payments and a 2.5 percent fee for processing on top of the cost.

Probate office employee Shinetta Dunning stands behind the newly installed safety shield as she helps a customer.

She thanked the commissioners for the support they have given to the county offices and for keeping people safe. She especially thanked them for installing the protective glass panels in the Probate Office.

The Commission took the following action:

Corrections officer Richard Evans, left, is congratulated by Marengo County Commission chairman Freddie Armstead on completion of his training.
  • Approved a bid of $10,500 from Demopolis Delivery to distribute the meals for the Summer Feeding Program to 17 sites in the county.
  • Recognized corrections officers Richard Evans and Dimitri Harris for completion of their training.
  • Passed a resolution honoring Leo Sewell on his retirement after 28 years with the county’s road department.
  • Approved a letter for West Alabama Public Transportation supporting its grant application.
  • Approved hiring Emily Tyler to prepare the financial statements for the county.
  • Tabled the appointment of a Department of Human Resources board member from District 5.
  • Promoted county engineer employee Tremaine Holloway to full time status.
  • Approved the donation of sick leave hours to a road employee not on FMLA leave.