Calhoun County, AL – The Oversight Committee for the McClellan Development Authority Board (MDA) convened on Tuesday, January 23rd, at 5:00 pm for an organizational meeting, marking a significant step in supervising and monitoring the affairs and operations of the MDA. Chaired by Senator Keith Kelley after an unanimous vote, the committee discussed key resolutions and set the stage for its future role in ensuring transparency and accountability.
The committee, composed of esteemed members including Rep Mark Gidley, Rep Barbara Boyd, Rep Steve Hurst (absent), Rep Randy Wood, Rep Chard Robertson, Commissioners Fred Wilson, Danny Shears, Carolyn Henderson, Terry Howell, and Lee Patterson, Anniston Mayor Jack Draper, Anniston City Council members Jay Jenkins, D.D. Roberts, Ciara Smith, and Millie Harris, gathered to address crucial matters related to the MDA. Also present were Calhoun County Attorney Gloria Floyd and Anniston Attorney Bruce Downey.
While the meeting primarily focused on organizational aspects, two significant resolutions were passed during the session. These resolutions aimed at calling the meeting and requesting vital information from the MDA Board. Senator Kelley, appointed as Chairman, emphasized the responsibilities and scope of the Oversight Committee, underlining its duty to supervise and monitor the MDA’s operations as outlined in the Code of Alabama. The Oversight Committee’s role, as outlined by Senator Kelley during the meeting, involves meeting not less than semiannually and operating in accordance with the Code of Alabama. The committee will play a crucial role in reviewing information and records reflecting the affairs and operations of the MDA.
Per Resolution No. 23-R-66 the requested information was as follows:
The members of the Council for the City of Anniston and the members of the Calhoun County Commission, as a majority of the membership of the MDA’s oversight committee, request that the MDA, through its Director, the Chairman of its Board of Directors, or such other persons designated by the Board of Directors, present to the oversight committee during the meeting called herein the information and records reflecting the affairs and operations of the MDA since the last meeting of the oversight committee so as to apprise the committee of (a) the real and personal property held, improved, installed, constructed, owned, leased, developed, sold, or otherwise disposed of by the MDA, (b) the MDA’s performance of environmental restoration and remediation, (c) the MDA’s plans, proposals, strategies and objectives for the development and reuse of Fort McClellan and the promotion of industry, trade, and economic development within the MDA’s operational area; (d) the contracts, agreements, leases, bonds, loans, debts, pledges, orders, mortgages, deeds, and other legal arrangements made, entered into, and executed by the MDA to take actions in furtherance of its powers and purposes, (e) the MDA’s budget, financial accounts, investments, revenues, earnings, liabilities, and expenditures, (f) the examination of the MDA’s books and records by an independent certified public accounting firm and the written audit report rendered annually, (g) the MDA’s plans, proposals, strategies, and objectives to achieve all of the purposes for which it was formed, and (h) the MDA’s plans, proposals, strategies, and objectives for full payment or extinguishment of all debts and obligations of the authority, the making of adequate provision for its successor to accept or assume all remaining debts and obligations of the authority, and the orderly transfer of the assets, affairs, and operations of the MDA upon its dissolution.
Senator Kelley underscored the importance of adhering to the Code of Alabama in governing their operations, stating, “Everything that we do will be governed by that.”
The Oversight Committee has set a recommended six-week timeframe for requesting information, doubled from the minimum requirement of three weeks, to avoid placing undue hardship on the MDA Board. Once the requested information is provided or not provided, the Oversight Committee plans to reconvene to determine the next steps.
Senator Kelley, addressing the Calhoun Journal, expressed satisfaction with the meeting’s proceedings, stating, “The meeting went well. It was an organization meeting and we are acting on the resolutions from the Calhoun County Commission and Anniston City Council to get that information and then review it at the next meeting and ask for any other clarification or information as needed.”
Link to Original Original Article on Oversight Committee Formation
