The committee includes Caton, Chilton County EMA director Bill Collum and Davis.

Collum told commissioners during the May 13 commission meeting the Department of Homeland Security found 10 measures that could make the courthouse more secure and it was up to commissioners to decide how much money they wanted to spend to secure the courthouse.

Commissioners voted to commit up to $10,000 from the Capital Improvement Fund toward addressing security issues at the courthouse. Commissioners Tim Mims and Headley voted against the motion.

Mims said on Monday the reason he voted against the motion was largely due to not knowing how much the total cost of the projects would be.

Caton said the committee wanted to meet with all of the department heads and judges and get ideas on ways to make the courthouse more secure.

“We are doing this for everyone in the courthouse,” Caton said. “We aren’t doing this for us. We are one of the few courthouses in the state that is not really protected and we want to work on that and do everything the right way.”

Caton said he thought the biggest expense of the project would be locating people to man the scanning machine in the courthouse.

Several of the commissioners mentioned they thought the county had previously authorized the sheriff’s department to employ additional employees to man the scanning machine.

County administrator Connie Powell presented Caton with the minutes from March 11, 2002, when the commission voted to employ three additional employees for the sheriff’s department at deputy rates.

Caton said the committee had their “work cut out for them” and he would contact Collum this week.

In other news, the commission:

• Made a motion to place a “Shop Local” banner at the courthouse to support the Shop Local campaign sponsored by the Chilton Chamber of Commerce. Chilton County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mike Robertson asked commissioners to consider placing a 2-by-6 banner with the “Shop Local” logo at an appropriate place in the courthouse. Commissioners unanimously voted to allow the sign to be placed at the courthouse as the campaign gears up for the kickoff event on July 9 at 11 a.m.

• Made a motion to advertise for a public hearing regarding closing a portion of County Road 334. Allen Bearden requested the public hearing and Mims made a motion to give Bearden permission to advertise for a public hearing to close a portion of County Road 334.

• Asked Laura Liveoak to come back to the June 24 commission meeting after Liveoak requested the commission help support the students at LeCroy Career Technical Center to compete at the national level in Orlando, Fla. The students will represent the state and country in the competition but need help raising the $5,836 needed to go.

Caton said he was unsure if the commission could legally provide a donation for the students and would check with county attorney John Hollis Jackson who was absent from the meeting on Monday. Caton told Liveoak to return to the June 24 meeting and the commission would know more.

• Heard from Powell who told commissioners Humane Society Director Scott Missildine resigned. Powell said Missildine’s resignation came after he announced he would be reporting for active duty in August. Commission Chairman Allen Caton said Missildine had always been a professional in coming before the commission. Caton said Missildine wrote a letter to commissioners explaining his resignation.