At its regular Monday meeting, the Butler County Commission approved the request from Probate Judge Steve Norman to purchase 22 new voting machines when they become available off of the bid list from Houston County.

The new voting equipment, which will be supplied by Election Systems Software, will allow people with special needs and disabilities to vote without any outside assistance.

With a Feb. 1 deadline, Norman said that the purchase order must be placed by that time in order to receive a reimbursement from state and/or federal funds. Delivery of the new voting equipment would then be in May of 2006. This will put the county in compliance with the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

The commission also approved Norman's request to create a separate account for returned check fees. This separate account, containing $1,000, will be used to cover the costs of recovering returned checks.

The commission approved the minutes of the Nov. 14 meeting and approved payment of the county's bills.

Butler County engineer Dennis McCall asked the commission for approval to enter into contract with the Alabama Department of Transportation to widen and resurface County Road 25, from County Road 28 to Highway 10, a length of 7.892 miles. The estimated cost of construction will be based on the availability of federal aid funds from 2004, 2005, and 2006. The commission approved the project.

McCall also asked the commission for its approval to award a contract bid to Wiregrass Construction Company, Inc., out of Ariton, Ala., with $194,010 being paid by Butler County for its participation in a 7.9-mile project. The commission approved.

The county will receive $45,678 in reimbursed federal emergency relief funds from debris removal on various county-maintained federal aid highways as a result of Hurricane Dennis.

McCall also reported to the commission that an emergency bridge rehabilitation project would begin at Piney Woods Creek, which is a tributary of Pigeon Creek, on County Road 62.

The commission approved a project to begin widening and resurfacing on county roads 54 and 46 from Highway 10 West to Forest Home, a distance of approximately 8.9 miles.

McCall reported that the parking lot project at R.L. Austin Elementary School would be completed later this week. The Butler County Board of Education has supplied the materials for the project.

The commission approved a 2006 striping project, which will cover 54.8 miles throughout the county. McCall said that current costs for striping are approximately $850 per mile, with the total cost for this striping project being within the vicinity of $48,000. The county roads that will be included in the striping project are 54, 8, 23, 32, 79, 49, 61, 75, 27, 15, 42 and 71.

The commission also approved 5 percent salary increases for McCall as well as John Mark Davis, assistant county engineer. McCall's new contract with the county will be a four-year contract.