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With proper and required notice having been provided to the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office along with posting on the website of the Alabama Secretary of State, the first meeting of the Alabama Professional Bail Bonding Board was held on November 19, 2019, in Room 746 of the Folsom Administrative Building, 64 North Union Street, Montgomery, AL. The meeting was called to order at 2:01 p.m. by Neva Conway, Board Attorney, Alabama Attorney General’s Office.
A quorum having been established, the following Board members were present:
District I: Chris McNeil
District II: Gustavius Maxie
District III: Jimmy Henderson
District IV: Alesia Kyser
District V: Victor Howard
District VI: Jimmie Lay
District VII: Edward Giles
Circuit Clerk: The Honorable Carla Woodall
The following Board members were not present:
Judge: The Honorable Spiro Cheriogotis
Also in attendance was Brenda Holden and Claire Austin.
Each Board member in attendance gave a brief introduction of what area they represented along with their experiences and work history.
This being the first meeting of the Board, there were no previous minutes to review.
Neva Conway, Board Attorney, opened the floor for nominations for Chairman. Jimmie Lay nominated Chris McNeil, which was seconded by Edward Giles. There being no further nominations, Chris McNeil accepted the nomination as Chairman. A vote was called and unanimously passed.
Nominations for Vice-Chairman was opened. Chairman Chris McNeil nominated Jimmie Lay, which was seconded by Gustavius Maxie. There being no other nominations, Jimmie Lay accepted the nomination for Vice-Chairman. A vote was called and unanimously passed.
Nominations for Secretary was opened. Chairman Chris McNeil nominated Carla Woodall, which was seconded by Victor Howard. There being no further nominations, a vote was called and unanimously passed. Carla Woodall accepted the position as Board Secretary.
Chairman Chris McNeil discussed the Board’s duty to adopt Rules and Regulations along with composition of licensing exam, which will be place on the agenda for next Board meeting, and that the Alabama statute was modeled after the State of Arkansas and suggested to review Arkansas’ exam. A brief review of a first draft of the licensing application was done, but discussions were tabled to the next meeting. Chairman McNeil also informed Board that the National Association for Bail Bondsmen does not have individual state guidelines and that other states had expressed interest in Alabama.
Neva Conway, Board Attorney, advised Board on procedures for administrative personnel, state bid law, and acquiring office space; and that the Board is a Consumer Protection Agency and establishes Regulations in line the statute.
Chairman Chris McNeil called a recess at 2:20 p.m.
At 2:30 p.m. Chairman Chris McNeil called the meeting back to order wherein all previously-present Board members were in attendance in addition to The Honorable Spiro Cheriogotis.
Cynthia Rawlston, General Counsel, State of Alabama Ethics Commission, was called upon and provided ethics training for Board members in accordance with 36-25-1 through 36-25-30, Code of Alabama, 1975.
Neva Conway, Board attorney, advised aspects of Open Meetings Law in regards to setting of meetings, publication, and private discussions in addition to elements of obtaining an emergency contract for seed money authorized by the Governor’s Office classified as a loan.
Chairman Chris McNeil asked Neva Conway to attend the Alabama Bail Bond Association meeting on December 6th in Montgomery, Alabama on behalf of the Board to present the regulatory authority of the Board.
A motion was made by Chairman Chris McNeil to hire Brenda Holden as administrative support to the Board at her rate of pay in accordance with the State Personnel Salary Schedule. Judge Spiro Cheriogotis seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
A motion was made by Chairman Chris McNeil to hire Claire Austin as Acting Executive Director to the Board at a rate of $100/hour with a max of 30 hours/month for one year. Jimmie Lay seconded. Motion passed unanimously with Judge Spiro Cheriogotis abstaining.
A brief discussion was held regarding continuing education, costs, statutory requirements of licensing, and implementation. Further discussion was tabled until next meeting.
Having been previously tabled, review of the first draft of the licensing application was opened back up. Discussions and corrections were suggested regarding the forms, payment methods, and layout. A request to add additional information was discussed and approved unanimously by the Board. A draft application will be reviewed again at the next meeting.
The date for the next meeting was set for Tuesday, December 10, 2019, at 2:30pm. Location was requested for the same room of the Folsom Administrative Building, which Brenda Holden will make the request to State Personnel.
A discussion was held for an informal opinion to be submitted by Chairman Chris McNeil to the Alabama State Ethics Commission regarding referral or finder’s fees received in the normal course of conducting business by Board members with bonding companies throughout the state.
There being no further business, motion to adjourn was made by Jimmie Lay. Seconded by Edward Giles. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 4:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted:
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Carla Woodall
Secretary
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Chris McNeil
Chairman