"This has been a great journey"

Christy Bailey, The News Courier, Athens, Ala.
·4 min read

Nov. 7—After eight years serving District 3 on the Limestone County Commission, Jason Black said goodbye at his final meeting Monday morning. He became emotional as he addressed the commission.

"A little over 50 years, my dad was hired as the Civil Defense Director, and for the past 50 years, I have been a county employee. Every where he went, I went. The last eight years have been awesome. I don't regret anything that we did. I hated to see the population increase. I hated to see Limestone County change from the rural area that we were in, but I knew that if we didn't grow, we would die on the vine," Black said.

He praised the employees in District 3 and throughout the county, the Limestone County Sheriff's Department, and the county's Engineering Department.

He said, "We have done so many things in eight years. We were outsourcing every bit of hauling, every bit of paving, every bit of reclaiming — all that stuff. Now, we have a department that I would put up against Rogers Group or any other company in our area. I am proud of that."

He continued, "There will be new ideas, and the new people will need to come up with the new ideas. Y'all just keep doing what you do. This is what daddy told me years ago, 'If I ever became a commissioner, the most important thing I would remember is where I was from. I'd remember the employees and remember that the richest man is no more important that the poorest man. If you got a problem, you go to the source and you handle it.' I may have handled some things wrong, but I always believe in going to the source. I always believed in speaking my mind, and I always believed in studying enough to know what was right and what was wrong."

"This has been a great journey. County government has always been good to my family, and I am going to miss it," Black said in conclusion.

All of the commissioners spoke to Black and thanked him for his service to Limestone County. Chairman Collin Daly said of Black, "He has led the charge on a lot of things. He is always the first guy to jump out and be a part of good things. I want to thank him for his service."

The commission approved the following agenda items.

Contracts and agreements

—An agreement with North Central Highway Safety Office for overtime traffic safety enforcement beginning Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023.

—An agreement with Katye Hanson for the position of Service Coordinator with the Juvenile Probation Office Diversion program beginning Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023. Funding is paid through the Alabama Department of Youth Services grant.

—A lease agreement with the Lioce Group for services at the Limestone County EMA for a period of 12 months.

Personnel, policy, and staffing actions

—Hire Joan Brunson and Phyllis Craft as Council on Aging part-time van drivers, pending drug screens.

—Hire Carmen Ebbert as Revenue Clerk effective Nov. 7, 2022.

—Transfer Allyson Smith from Revenue Clerk to Appraisal Clerk effective Nov. 7, 2022.

—Staffing plan under "School Resource Officers" to reflect nine full-time School Resource Officers and eight part-time School Resource Officers.

Engineer's reports

—Preliminary and final approval for Upper Elkton Road Subdivision, a minor subdivision, creating 2 lots in District 1 north of Sandlin Road and on the west side of Upper Elkton Road.

—Preliminary and final approval for Hampton Hills Subdivision, a minor subdivision, consolidating tracts 40-45 and part of tracts 38, 39, and 46 into 2 lots in District 4 on Hampton Cove Way approximately 1/4 mile north of Hwy 72.

—Preliminary approval for Briley Cove, a major subdivision, creating 10 lots in District 3 on the north side of Malone Road about 1300' west of the intersection with Carter Road.

—Preliminary approval for Town Mill Phase 2, a major subdivision, creating 77 lots in District 2 on the east side of Mooresville Road approximately 1/2 mile north of Huntsville Brownsferry Road.

The next Limestone County Commission meeting will be held Nov. 16, 2022, at 10 a.m. for an organizational meeting which is required according to Section 11-3-1(e) of the Code of Alabama.