The Cullman area will soon be home to another agricultural business, one whose identity is being kept under wraps as local leaders work with the company to finalize the terms of tax breaks and other startup accommodations.

At its January Tuesday, Jan. 23 meeting, the Cullman County Commission approved a $172,024 non-educational tax abatement for the new investment, which for now is operating under the working name of “Project Row.” Cullman Economic Development project manager Stanley Kennedy said the industry marks an expected $3.24 million in new capital investment and will be located in the Dodge City area, creating a minimum of 30 new jobs at an average rate of pay of $20 per hour.

In a separate measure, the commission also awarded a $2,367 non-educational tax abatement for a smaller new local project; one that Kennedy said represents a niche but well-compensated sector within the burgeoning field of medical research and development.

“It’s kind of an interesting deal — it’s only a $50,000 project, but this is a medical R&D company that has ties to the defense industry,” said Kennedy, noting that the project will “involve biological R&D [of the] non-environmentally threatening” kind. The project, he added, should create 10 new jobs initially, though he noted that each is expected to offer “six-digit salary” compensation.

In other business at its Jan. 23 meeting, the commission:

• Accepted from the county engineer an annual report on 2023 county expenditures for road projects funded through the Rebuild Alabama act, with the commission reporting the local use of $3,486,601.58 in Rebuild Alabama funds for the year. The report is a required accountability measure required of all state municipalities that receive road funding through the program.
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• proved the purchase of two Heil Liberty 22-yard automated side loaders, at a cost of $305,965.37 each, to be used by the sanitation department on its automated pickup routes. The commission intends to surplus the two automated-pickup garbage trucks that the news ones will replace.
• Approved a purchase allowance for county facilities and equipment that complies with recent changes in the Alabama state bid law, raising the threshold for the purchase of budgeted items without requiring a commission vote from $20,000 per purchase to $30,000.
• Approved an agreement with Ingenuity Software authorizing a previously-budgeted implementation fee of $50,000 for a software upgrade within the Probate Office.
• Approved a $20,763 payment to Amber’s Video and Audio for the installation of a video matrix system at the offices of the Cullman County Emergency Management Agency.
• Approved the release of funds provided through the American Rescue Plan Act, in an amount not to exceed $101,588, to engineering firm Goodwyn Mills Cawood, clearing the company to begin bidding services for the installation of a new pump station that will serve residents on the county’s west side.
• Approved a $48,409.11 quote from Birmingham-based contractor LED Solutions to replace lighting assemblies used by the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office.
• Corrected an amount recorded in typographical error from the commission’s Dec. 12 regular meeting, at which the commission approved renewal for property, automobile, and equipment coverage through Byars Wright Insurance. The correction reflects the accurate figure of $554,312, rather than the erroneously recorded figure of $545,312.
• Ratified a $15,753 proposal for concrete work at the county’s Pandemic Response Center.
• Awarded a new rolling bid for concrete pipe materials to be used by the road department to the Vinemont-based Shaddix Company, Inc.
• Approved a plat proposal for Crossroads Estates, a minor subdivision containing 14 lots located near the intersection of County Road 222 and County Road 847. Associate commissioner Freeman noted that the commission may need to add signage and other safety features along CR 222 to accommodate a potential increase in residential turnout traffic along the busy road, once the subdivision has been constructed.
• Approved a plat proposal for West View Acres, a minor subdivision containing four lots located near the intersection of Alabama Highway 157 and Cou
• nty Road 1242.
• Approved a re-subdivision measure for Kingfisher Subdivision Phase 1B at Berlin, reflecting the removal of a single lot from the previously-recorded plat in order to accommodate the extension of a county-maintained access road to be used for residential traffic.
• Approved the re-subdivision of Kingfisher Subdivision Phase C1 at Berlin, to reflect the removal of two lots and the addition of another, to accommodate pending inspection of a fish, game, and wildlife habitat area at the site.
• Tabled, until the next regular commission meeting, consideration of an amendment to an existing resolution to reflect updates in the Cullman County local flood plain development ordinance in order to match updated standards required by the State of Alabama.
• Authorized chairman Clemons to sign a contract with Loomis Bros. Circus to perform at the Agricultural Center for a three-day event Feb. 2 through Feb. 4.
• Approved Clemons’ nomination of associate commissioner Kerry Watson to serve as vice chair of the Cullman County Commission.
• Approved the appointment of Rachel Dawsey as a member representing agritourism on the Tourism Bureau.
• Changed the speed limit along a portion of County Road 370 from 45 to 20 miles per hour.
• Approved the minutes of the commission’s Dec. 12 regular meeting.
• The next regular commission meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22, in the commission meeting room at the Cullman County Courthouse. A public 4:30 p.m. work session will precede the meeting at the same location.