Lee Co. Revenue collections up compared to last year

Lee County Revenue Commissioner Oline Price told county commissioners at their meeting Monday night that the county’s revenue collections are up compared to the previous year.

The total of $94 million in revenue collections is about 10 percent above last year, Price said.

“The $94 million is what we collected including real and personal property, motor vehicles and manufactured homes,” Price said. “It is up about $8 or $9 million from last year.”

But she said not to expect tax revenues to increase in the near future.

“The values have not changed appreciably,” Price said. “And, you have to remember taxes are based on value.”

Price wasn’t at the meeting to discuss revenue collection. She asked for and the commissioners approved her statement of “Insolvencies, Errors and Taxes in Litigation for 2008 and Uncollected Insolvencies and Taxes in Litigation for Previous Year(s)” so she can go to Montgomery and settle with the state.

In other business

Commissioners approved a bid from Integrated Tech. Systems for $4,025/per unit for 10 or more patrol vehicle digital video cameras for Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones. Bids ranged from $3,505 to $4,345 per unit.

Jones said the company didn’t have the lowest bid, the lowest bidder didn’t meet at least two of the specifications required in the camera bid.

Lee County Government Relations Coordinator Wendy Swann asked everyone to attend one of the upcoming two-hour Town Hall meetings set for 6 p.m. CDT on Monday, June 15, at Beauregard High School and Loachapoka High School; Tuesday, June 16, at Beulah High School and the Lee County Courthouse Annex/Opelika (old Johnson Gallery building) and Thursday, June 18, at Smiths Station High School.

The meetings will discuss previous input on the Lee County Master Plan, draft goals for the future and conceptual development map. Swann can be reached at (334) 737-3674 or .

“We have been trying and trying to get the citizens of this county involved in their government, and we have not had much luck,” said chairman Bill English.

In the pre-meeting, members discussed Lee County Commissioner John Andrew Harris’ contract proposal with Comprehensive Development Strategies to provide grant writing services related to the section 533 Housing Preservation Grant program offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The contract, as presented by Harris, stated that the county was to pay $5,000 when the grant application was submitted and, if the county was awarded the grant, an additional $5,000.

Members questioned if the county had ever done any housing rehabilitation as well as who would administer the grant proposal.

Because the county hasn’t considered doing housing rehabilitation in the past and has no policies, procedures or administrative staff in place, members voted to ask the Lee-Russell Council of Governments to research what it will take for the county to get into housing rehabilitation.

“Lee-Russell Council of Governments is ready to do whatever you want us to do,” said Lisa Sandt with LRCOG during the discussion.

No action was taken on Harris’ contract proposal.

In another matter related to housing, Michelle Pugh with the Alabama Council on Human Relations asked for and received a letter of support from commission members for their efforts in bringing the weatherization program back to Lee County from Montgomery.

Pugh asked everyone to attend a public hearing being held by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs at 1 p.m. Friday, June 19, at Opelika City Hall to consider bringing the program to Lee County so local applicants will not have to drive to Montgomery to apply and qualify for weatherization assistance.

At the request of Lee County Engineer Neal Hall, commissioners accepted Lee Road 2126 in the Amberbrook Subdivision off of Lee Road 241 for permanent maintenance by the Lee County Highway Department.