TALLADEGA, Ala. – The Talladega County Commission approved a Resolution to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the untimely deaths of Officers Allen Lee Harmon and Otis Lee Robison. The Commission proclaimed a day of remembrance and reflection, honoring the lives and legacies of the two Lincoln Police Officers killed in the line of duty in 1974.
Commissioners took care of a pair of technical agreements during their Oct. 28 meeting. They approved a three-year agreement with ESRI for geographic information system (GIS) software. Approval was also granted to a yearly agreement with G-Squared for Professional Mapping Services.
After the County and the City of Lincoln successfully reached an agreement, the Commission made it official as they approved a Resolution transferring maintenance of Claude Ln. in District 2 to the City of Lincoln.
The Commission approved a request from the Sheriff’s Department to surplus and donate unused vehicles.
Approval was given to a Proclamation of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month throughout Talladega County.
During a work session prior to the regular meeting, the Commission heard from a trio of citizens.
Carolyn Durham, Executive Director of Palmer Place told Commissioners that her organization is losing 40 percent of its federal funding in 2025, and all federal funding in 2026.
Palmer Place represents child victims of abuse and neglect, as well as those children who witness violent crimes, and Durham reminded Commissioners of this, stating, “We serve the children of Talladega County and have since 2002. We have never come to you for support until now, as our pending situation is becoming dire. We are working diligently to find other funding to replace what we are losing. This is one of those stops.”
Commission Chairman Kelvin Cunningham responded, saying, “This is important. It is a shame that any kids must go through these situations. You are a valuable resource for those children. We just completed our budget, so this is a tough time to ask, but this is important. I am working on an idea.”
Marlene Craft, representing The Churches of Talladega, presented Commissioners with a packet of information on their mission of creating widows ministries.
“I wanted you to be aware of our mission, as well as a special event coming up Saturday, Nov. 9 at 12:00 noon at The Word Center Ministries Church on Hwy 77,” said Craft. “We are honoring the widows of our community with a lunch, gifts, and a time of connection.”
Following the banquet, Craft will present a lesson in starting a widows ministry.
Emily Young, representing several neighbors on Colvin Rd. close to the Honda Plant near Lincoln, spoke third and said, “We are dealing with a lot of speedy drivers on a very narrow road. The issue we face with law enforcement from either the City of Lincoln or the Talladega County Sheriff’s Department is that there is no posted speed limit.”
District 1 Commissioner Darrell Ingram said that he had held a large number of conversations about the situation.
“I even talked with supervisors at Honda about asking their workers who travel the road to slow down until our Road Department can determine what the speed limit should be and get signs posted,” Ingram noted.
Shane McComb of the Road Department confirmed that they are working on the issue.
The next Commission meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 6:00 p.m., with a work session beginning at 5:00 p.m.
Commission Chair Kelvin Cunningham also reminded everyone that election day is Tuesday, Nov. 5, and that all county offices will be closed on Monday, Nov. 11, in observance of Veterans Day.
