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By JOYANNA LOVE | Managing Editor  

Chilton County Industrial Development Authority acting chairman Matthew Mims announced the resignation of member Jason Calhoun at its June 14 meeting.  

Calhoun had been a Chilton County Commission appointee to the IDA board to fill a recent vacancy.  

In his resignation letter, Calhoun states, “My overall knowledge and understanding of industrial and economic development has increased significantly during my brief tenure. However, I feel it best for the County Commission to appoint someone who possesses a much larger foundation and one who has experience to navigate the challenges this board currently faces.”  

Mims also presented the resignation of former chairman Allen Caton.  

Caton’s resignation moved Mims from vice chairman to acting chairman. He was officially made chairman during the meeting. Shannon Welch was approved as vice chairman, and Christine Brown was approved as secretary.  

The board also officially terminated its contract with consultant Jim Byard.  

With the loss of the Farm Center project, the IDA board approved transferring the wetland credits secured for the property from the IDA to the city of Clanton and the Chilton County Commission.  

The board will also approach its funding sources to temporarily stop making contributions, since there is $651,000 in the IDA account, and there is not a project requiring this amount of funding at this time.  

This was discussed by the IDA executive committee and at the last work session of the Chilton County Commission.  

Brown said in the future, it would be good for the full board to receive an email or some kind of notification before something like this is taken to a Commission work session. 

Items to be voted on by the Commission have to be discussed in a work session prior to the vote.  

Mims said a request to restart the funding could be made when needed.  

On the project near Exit 200, Mims said a path needs to be made to the creek for the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to complete what it needs to.