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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

The status, condition and future plans of stray animals in Chilton County was the main talking point for the Chilton County Commission at its regularly scheduled meeting on Jan. 14. The current commission continued on the ground set by the prior commission of the county taking over operations at the Humane Society of Chilton County building. The county has owned the building the humane society has been for decades, and after taking over operations, has since established an animal control department that will handle all animal care. The next steps for the Humane Society of Chilton County will be made in the coming days.

The Chilton County Animal Control Department was set up to solely comply with state laws. Alabama Code Section 3-7A-7 states that each county in the state shall provide a suitable county pound, or shelter, and impounding officer for stray dogs, cats and ferrets. In recent times, the Humane Society was unable to take in animals at the shelter due to overcrowding, which violates the state code.

Over the last year, the county has been tasked with establishing an animal control department to meet those state mandates and bring the shelter back into code. Chilton County Commission Chairman Allen Williams made it clear that he was not faulting anyone directly for the decline at the humane society building. He warned of the transitional period the shelter will undergo over the next few weeks, but hopes to have the support of the community during it.

“There are going to be growing pains in anything you do, and this is going to be a positive for the county,” Williams said during the meeting. “The humane society’s mission is their own — a nonprofit, on their own bylaws and their own rules. They control themselves. I am looking forward to doing what we can to take care of these stray animals.”

The county hired Christina Bollack as the new director of the Chilton County Animal Shelter, the new name of the building at 139 Shade Tree Drive, Clanton. Bollack is a county employee and not an employee of the humane society. The department is also in the process of hiring full-time technicians through the animal control department and will eventually hire an assistant director to help work alongside Bollack. Some volunteers, former humane society employees and volunteers not prior affiliated with the shelter all have come by to help with tasks.

Co-liaison for the animal shelter Commissioner Alan Childress, alongside Commissioner Sheila Hall, spoke during the meeting and afterwards about the conditions he has seen at the shelter since taking office in November. He has spent numerous days at the shelter helping out since taking the position at the end of last year, and he described the difference Bollack has made at the shelter in just over a week as stark.

Money was set aside in the last budget for building refurbishments at the animal shelter, and Childress is currently working through bids for the projects. He said there is a good amount of money this year for the refurbishing of the building, but it is a one-time thing, so they will need to make the most of it. Once he gathers all of the bids for the refurbishments, he will present them to the commission.

Childress commended the volunteers that have come in and helped with feeding animals, cleaning cages and more. Those are volunteers that are formerly of the Humane Society of Chilton County, but also new volunteers willing to lend a hand. He also acknowledged Jimmie Hardee for his role with the humane society and helping it continue to roll through the difficult times it has fallen on. Childress said Hardee has done everything he has asked of him since last November. This includes providing employees with pay to work at the shelter until a director was put in place instead of volunteers, coordinated with the CCSO to bring inmates to the shelter to help with cleaning and more. The commission encouraged people to visit the shelter and meet Bollack to see how things are going, and maybe volunteer some of their own time to the animals.

“Please go visit the shelter and see what is going on,” Childress said. “We are eight days into this. In eight months, it will be very different. I guarantee you, and it will be a lot different than the last eight years.”

Commissioner Roger Perkins proposed a resolution to schedule a public forum meeting in regards to proposed amendments to the subdivision regulations. No date has been set, but the resolution was passed unanimously for Perkins to schedule a date and time for the public hearing where all commissioners could attend. The date for the public hearing will be posted at least seven days prior to the hearing for the public’s knowledge.

Perkins also took the time during his commissioner report to read a resolution he put together that expresses the opposition of the Chilton County Commission to restrictions placed on fishing tournaments on the Coosa River and affirming the commitment to improving local fisheries.

Perkins is an avid fisherman and owns his own fishing company Crusher Lures in Clanton. Recently, The Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division announced a proposed rule that would limit the size of fish caught during tournaments that can be taken to live weigh-ins following a tournament. If the rule is approved, anglers could still catch and release fish in the 14 to 20-inch range, but could not keep them to be weighed. Perkins spoke about the enormous tourist and financial benefits that fishing tournaments on the Coosa River have on the local economy in Chilton County, and how these proposed rules would hurt that influx. Perkins read the entire resolution during the meeting, and assured all of the commissioners would sign it and it would get to the proper agencies for record. The resolution was passed with Commissioner Joe Headley abstaining.

“The Chilton County Commission expresses its strong opposition in the imposition of restrictions on fishing tournaments on the Coosa River, as such restrictions would have an adverse effect on local tourism, the economy and the quality of life of the citizens,” Perkins’ resolution said. “The Chilton County Commission affirms its support for efforts aimed at enhancing the existing fisheries on the Coosa River, recognizing the potential for improvement to achieve world class fisheries.”

Nominations were opened for the vacancy on the Chilton-Clanton Library Board at the meeting. Paula Mitchell, the library’s recommendation for the position, was nominated. No other names were nominated, and nominations will remain open for two more meetings with voting occurring during the second meeting.

Also during the meeting, the commission:

• The Chilton County Sheriff’s Office reclassified Lonnie Evan Melton to full-time supervisor and Trey Maywell to full-time deputy sheriff, and hired Scott Starnes as a full-time deputy sheriff.
• Earmarked Cekra funds for parks improvement and equipment, and approved a resolution for a dump trailer for the parks in the amount of $15,000 paid out of the Cekra funds.
• Approved a resolution for job descriptions for — Chilton County Parks and Recreation Director, Chilton County Parks and Recreation Park Manager, Chilton County Parks and Recreation Assistant Park Manager and Chilton County Parks and Recreation Park Caretakers/CSR.
• Approved the ground maintenance bid to Lake Lawn Landscape.