On December 17, the Shelby County Commission hosted the Delegation for their annual meeting. We heard from the commissioners and county administrators about issues facing Shelby County, as well as talked about some of the legislation we expect to see during the general session, in February. This meeting was held earlier than usual to avoid conflicting with a possible special session, and was held at the Pelham Civic Complex, to ensure we had the adequate amount of space to meet safely, in person.
The commission’s top priority was the overcrowding of county jails. Following Governor Ivey’s State of Emergency proclamation in March, to slow the spread of Covid-19 amongst inmates, the state stopped accepting their state inmates, who are currently waiting in county jails. This has caused the jails to be crowded beyond their designed capacity and has placed extra burdens on the sheriffs and county officials.
The commission also brought up continued issues with water system management in North Shelby, as well as, gaps in CARES Act funding for emergency services, like volunteer fire districts. The County Engineer spoke to several road and bridge projects in the county, including the construction of the traffic circle by the Shelby County Airport. As in years past, the county is still interested in the state moving forward with widening I-65 from Alabaster to Calera, in an effort to alleviate congestion on the interstate for both local citizens and those traveling through Shelby county.
The legislators and county leaders also spent time talking about mental health cases that Shelby County Probate Judge is handling. The county has found ways to address the lack of hospital beds for those in mental health crisis, and discussed how the pandemic has changed the process even more. The meeting ended with discussion about the recent elections, and some of the needs for the county to make elections more efficient in the future.
