Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect Cullman Regional is a not-for-profit hospital.

Cullman County has committed a sizable slice of more than $600,000 in funds from the state’s portion of a recent national opioid lawsuit settlement to the Good Samaritan Health Clinic, the area’s only no-cost provider for basic indigent-care medical services.

At its regular meeting this week, the Cullman County Commission amended its fiscal year 2024 budget to incorporate a one-time contribution of $250,000 to the clinic, matching an additional $250,000 contribution that the City of Cullman — which is receiving a separate local share from the settlement — also has pledged to the nonprofit.

County leaders recently received a firsthand tour of the Good Samaritan clinic, which operates out of the lower-floor offices of the former Cullman Hospital building on Arnold Street. Commission chairman Jeff Clemons said the experience opened his eyes to the vital service that the clinic provides for the county’s uninsured residents, even as it helps to curb the frequency of emergency room visits from uninsured patients in need of basic care — a phenomenon that, without a local alternative like Good Samaritan — could strain the finances of Cullman Regional, the area’s not-for-profit hospital.

“I really didn’t know much about the Good Samaritan Clinic, but after going through there, meeting with its leadership, and seeing the good things that they do, it really gave us all kind of a new appreciation,” said Clemons. “There’re a lot of people in our area [for whom] the clinic … is the only medical help they receive. They’re really doing a great service for this community, and we’re happy to be able to help support the clinic.”

In other business at its regular meeting, the commission:

• Approved the county’s application for a Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant to help fund the proposed construction of a splash pad attraction at Smith lake Park.
• Approved the county’s application for an Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) grant to help fund the proposed purchase of evidence handling equipment and software at the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office.
• Authorized Clemons to sign the north Alabama highway safety grant for the 2024 fiscal year, which is intended to reimburse the county for overtime compensation for sheriff’s deputies on patrol.
• Authorized Clemons and county administrator John Bullard to sign the North Alabama Regional Council of Governments (NARCOG) Title I Aging contract for the 2024 fiscal year, as well as the federally-required HIPAA Business Associate Agreement for third parties that handle protected health-related information.
• Authorized Clemons to sign the Alabama Department of Youth Services Grant Agreement for the 2024 fiscal year with the commission serving as the fiscal agent for Jackson County, in the amount of $74,612.
• Authorized Clemons to sign the Alabama Department of Youth Services Grant Agreement for the 2024 fiscal year with the commission serving as the fiscal agent for Blount County, in the amount of $79,680.
• Authorized Clemons to sign the Federal Transit Administration’s annual 5311 Supplemental Agreement No. 1 between the Cullman Area Rural Transpor
• tation System (CARTS) and the Alabama Department of Transportation. Section 5311 funds help sustain local operations for public transportation in designated rural areas. The commission also authorized Clemons to sign the American Rescue Plan Act’s furlough certification for CARTS personnel.
• Approved the county’s annual subscription for mapping software at a cost of $55,000, to be paid out of the Reappraisal budget of the Revenue Office.
• Approved a quote from Tennessee-based Summertown Metals in the amount of $60,653.42 for the erection of a storage building for the county water department.
• Approved a quote from Alabama-based Deep South Construction in the amount of $29,868 for stabilizing the back entrance to the water & Emergency Management Agency building along Beech Avenue.
• Approved associate commissioner Garry Marchman’s nomination of Jill Meggs to the Library Board for a term set to end on Sept. 30 of 2027. During the public comments portion of the meeting, resident Lance Conn opposed Meggs’ appointment, citing a potential conflict of interest, and requested that the commission consider appointing Susan Hauk to the same board position.
• Approved the surplus of a 2018 Chevrolet Tahoe from the Sheriff’s Office for online auction via GovDeals.
• Approved a preliminary plat proposal for the re-subdivision of Lots 3,4, and 5 of Duck Creek Estates, a minor subdivision located on County Road 1669 and at the corner of County Road 1668 (Commission District 3).
• Approved a preliminary plat proposal for Phase 4 of the Smith Lake RV Resort, a major private subdivision containing 58 lots located of County Road 202 (Commission District 4).
• Approved a preliminary plat proposal for the re-subdivision of Lot 1of the Magic Farms Subdivision, a minor subdivision loc
• ated on County Road 1539 and County Road 1319 (Commission District 1).
• Approved the changing of the name of the Hamby Subdivision, located located on County Road 599, to the Jacob’s Well Subdivision. The plat for the subdivision originally was approved in May of this year and has not been changed except for the development’s name.
• Set the speed limit along a portion of County Road 645 at 25 mph.
• Set the speed limit along a portion of County Road 388 to 30 mph.
• Recognized Angie Carter for winning the Ms. Senior Cullman County pageant, as well as for representing the area as the first alternate fot the Ms. Senior Alabama pageant.
• Proclaimed the month of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Cullman County.
• Proclaimed the month of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Cullman County.
• Approved the dates and times for commission meetings for the 2024 calendar year.
• Approved the minutes of the commission’s Sept. 19 regular meeting.
• The next regular commission meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 14 in the commission meeting room of the Cullman County Courthouse. A public 4:30 p.m. work session will precede the meeting at the same location.