Jeffco Commission Goes Behind Closed Doors Over Stimulus Money
By Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
The Jefferson County Commission followed a 45-minute meeting with an hour-long executive session today as commissioners received guidance on their use of federal stimulus money because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In calling for an executive session, County Attorney Theo Lawson cited the state statute regarding pending litigation and matters likely to be litigated in court.
“There are already three entities that are already set up by the President to do audits and investigations on the manner in which these moneys are to be spent,” Lawson told BirminghamWatch. “That could include lawsuits to bring back and recoup those moneys in the event something happens.
“Those are matters that could potentially be litigated by the DOJ (Department of Justice),” the county attorney said. “They can be involved with the Office of the Inspector General, and other entities that may/could bring actions, depending on the actions we take with regard to these funds.”
Jefferson County received $115 million, its share of the $2 trillion stimulus bill, the CARES Act. That money was given to blunt the impact of an economic downturn set in motion by the global coronavirus pandemic.
Solomon Crenshaw Jr., BirminghamWatch
Jefferson County Attorney Theo Lawson.
County Manager Tony Petelos has said that money can’t supplement losses in budgets or revenues.
During the meeting, commissioners heard a report from Carletta Singleton, partnership coordinator of the Census Bureau of Alabama. Singleton spoke via Commissioner Sheila Tyson’s cellphone, which Tyson held to a microphone.
“Currently the state of Alabama leads the Atlanta Region in 2020 Census response rate,” Singleton said. “Persons participating in this census is at about 55 percent. We are behind the national average but we are leading the region of seven states across the Southeast.”
Jefferson County is in the top 30 counties, she said, with a 57 percent response rate, which helps to buoy the state rate.
“That’s good news in terms of trending where we need to be,” the census official said. “The governor’s goal is 80 percent for the entire state. In, 2010, Jefferson County’s response rate was in the 60 percentile. We at least want to get beyond or above that 60 percentile range in terms of response rate.”
In another matter, Tyson announced a Mother’s Day Food Distribution at Birmingham Urban League, 1229 Third Avenue North in Birmingham. The event, set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, honors mothers of newborns and toddlers.
Postal traffic to US drops more than 80% after trade exemption rule ends, UN agency says
The de minimis rule that allowed small packages worth less than $800 to be exempt from tariffs ended on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025.
Colombia’s lone Amazon port faces drying river and rising tensions with Peru
Colombia's only Amazon port town could soon be cut off from the river that keeps it alive. As drought and a shifting river spark a tense border dispute with Peru, locals are scrambling to adapt—and politicians are raising flags, literally.
Sunday Puzzle: Common denominator
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe plays the puzzle with Weekend Edition puzzlemaster Will Shortz along with listener Cynthia Rose of Littleton, Colorado.
South Korea says it has reached a deal with the US for the release of workers in a Georgia plant
More than 300 South Korean workers were detained in an immigration raid on Thursday. Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said South Korea plans to send a charter plane to bring the workers home.
Hitch a ride to the moon in a rusty old car and ‘The Couch in the Yard’
As the sun sets in a small town, a family loads up their rusty old car with the spare couch in their yard. When it breaks down in the mountains, what else is there to do but fly it to the moon?
The silent killer increases your risk of stroke and dementia. Here’s how to control it
New recommendations for early treatment for hypertension to prevent strokes, heart attacks and dementia come as an experimental medication is shown to lower blood pressure in hard to treat patients.
