From Tribune Staff Reports
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ala. — The Jefferson County Commission on Thursday approved 61 resolutions during its Nov. 20 meeting, including community grants benefiting Trussville, Leeds and Irondale, along with millions in annual school allocations.
Following the meeting, commissioners distributed portions of the county’s $18 million annual school funding, awarded based on student population in each district. Among the allocations, Trussville City Schools received $911,408.44, Leeds City Schools received $370,372.38, and Tarrant City Schools — which also serves portions of northeast Jefferson County, including communities near Irondale — received $246,190.42.
The Commission also approved funding for storm shelters and senior centers across the county. Leeds Senior Center will receive $20,000 as part of this allocation. Senior centers in Hopewell, St. John Dolomite and Spring Gardens were also awarded $20,000 each. Four storm shelters — Pleasant Grove, Brighton, Mulga and Graysville — received $11,000 apiece. Commissioners additionally approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Jefferson County Economic and Industrial Development Authority to provide design services for the new JeffMet North Industrial Park.
Commissioners approved numerous community grants across the county. Among them were $25,000 to Community Kitchens of Birmingham for the Mobile Connections Food Insecurity Program, $10,000 to the Docena Civic League for facility updates and $5,000 to the City of Fairfield for community center furniture. Additional District 1 approvals included several paving and infrastructure-related agreements for county park improvements.
Other grants included $25,000 to Nurturing Golden Hearts for food distribution and $20,000 to the Consumer Financial Education Foundation of America for a countywide financial literacy program. No community grants were approved for District 3. Several eastern Jefferson County communities were included in other allocations, including $2,500 to Tarrant City Schools for Parent University programming, $1,500 to the City of Leeds for programs and activities at the Leeds Senior Center, and $1,500 to the City of Irondale for programming at the Irondale Senior Center. Grants of $1,500 were also awarded to senior centers in Fultondale and Clay. Commissioners also approved a $45,000 grant to the City of Mountain Brook for a technical rescue response truck for the fire department.
