BAY MINETTE — A public hearing regarding the city of Bay Minette's proposed land-use ordinance will be held tonight during the Bay Minette City Council's regular meeting at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers.

An informational meeting was held Jan. 27 by the Bay Minette Planning Commission, during which Tom Mitchell, owner of TEMCO Inc. commercial builders, and Sonny Dobbins, owner of Dobbins Builders, raised some questions.

The questions focused on the ordinance's sections on landscaping and parking. Chastity Piper with the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission, who helped draft the document, agreed to review the information and present it at a called planning commission meeting, set for Tuesday, Feb. 1. However, that meeting was canceled due to inclement weather.

Tonight’s public hearing is open to any resident who has a question or concern about the ordinance. The hearing will be followed by a vote of the council on the ordinance, which passed a first reading.

Also on the agenda at tonight’s meeting is the question of whether to renew a contract with CrowderGulf Disaster Recovery and Debris Management for debris removal or to accept bids for a new contract.

According to an e-mail from City Attorney Scotty Lewis to Mayor Jamie Tillery, because the contract is for "solid waste disposal," it does not have to be bid out.

"There is an exemption in the bid law at 41-16-51(10) which exempts the following, 'existing contracts up for renewal for sanitation or solid waste collection, recycling and disposal between municipalities or counties, or both, and those providing the service,'" the e-mail states.

However, he stated, the current contract calls for a public bid.

"Based on the face of the contract it seems that when the contract was drafted, the city's intent was to require competitive bidding," Lewis stated in the e-mail.

Lewis added that the council is not bound by that clause, and can elect either option and still be within the law.

Additional items on tonight’s agenda include proclamations honoring the Baldwin County High School Tigerettes and Flag Corps, recognizing February as Alabama Career and Technical Education Month and the role the North Baldwin Center for Technology plays in that education, a presentation by Bay Minette Fire Chief Phil Bryars and finance officer Joe Landenwhich on technology for the city government.