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The Marengo County Commission approved three county employees to work half a day every Friday to pick up trash on the sides of the roads.

Solid Waste Manager John Bell asked the commission for some part-time help in picking up trash along the streets. Commissioner Calvin Martin suggested three individuals who already worked for the county and would be paid overtime for the extra work.

“I know we can trust them, and we’ll work with them,” he said.

Commissioner Jason Windham suggested rotating the districts for clean-up  each Friday.

Other items discussed by the commission include:

• Aubrey Patterson returned to the commission to express a need for his road to be improved. Commission Chairman Michael Thompson said he and County Engineer Ken Atkins would meet with Patterson and work on a solution. Patterson came before the commission for the same reason during the September 2018 and February 2019 meetings.

• approving a tax abatement for WestRock Mill Company for construction projects.

• adopting a resolution honoring David Foxhall who retired in February after 32 years with the county’s road department.

• approving the job description for an Administrative Assistant in the Commission Office provided that local government administration experience be removed as a requirement. The commission also discussed bringing in a hiring panel from Livingston to select a few possible candidates with County Administrator Meredith Hammond before bringing them to the commission for discussion. Thompson said he would reach out to the University of West Alabama President Ken Tucker for suggestions.

• sponsoring the Summer Feeding Program.

• approving a floodlight at the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 28 and CR 19 for $18 a month through Black Warrior Electric.

• County Engineer Ken Atkins said he will contact the contractor for a road resurfacing project to see when work will begin after Martin asked what the status was of the project.

The Marengo County Commission meets the second Tuesday of every month at 9 a.m. in the Marengo County Courthouse.

(This article originally appeared in the Wednesday, March 27 issue of the Demopolis Times.)