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Locals · Accountability

Watchdog: open issues

Matters of public money and public trust that are still unresolved. Each entry sticks to what the record shows, names who is responsible, and says when the public next gets a say. Allegations are labeled as allegations.

Information as of Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, 10:30 p.m. CT.

Vote pendingGulf Shores

Gulf Shores 2026 street resurfacing: up to $1.58 million

What the record shows
  • Public Works asked the council to award the 2026 street resurfacing bid to McElhenny Construction with a not-to-exceed amount of $1,580,484.50, according to the agenda item summary for the Oct. 5 work session.
  • The base bid was $1,125,338.15; bid alternates are priced separately (agenda item summary).
  • The summary lists the meeting cycle as the Oct. 5 work session and the Oct. 12 regular council meeting.
Who's responsible
Gulf Shores City Council; Public Works
What's been done
Discussed at the Oct. 5 work session; no vote is taken at work sessions.
Open questions
  • Which streets are on the list, and which alternates will the city fund?
  • Will the storm push the vote or change the street list?
Next date
Mon, Oct 12, 2026: Regular council meeting, 4 p.m. CT (per the posted schedule; the storm may change it)

Source: gulfshoresal.gov + 1 more

Vote pendingGulf Shores

Gulf Shores beach parking: hurricane sticker stops working as a parking pass Jan. 1

What the record shows
  • An earlier ordinance amendment removed the hurricane sticker as a beach parking pass effective Jan. 1, 2027, and set up a way for residents and property owners to register vehicles as "exempt" from paying for beach parking (police agenda item summary, Oct. 5).
  • Police recommended a three-year contract with Park Loyalty for $102,600 over three years for parking enforcement, ticket collection and exempt-plate registration. The summary says there are additional fees based on the number of parking tickets issued.
  • The council approved the updated resident beach parking ordinance on Sept. 28 (city news release).
Who's responsible
Gulf Shores City Council; Police Chief Dan Netemeyer
What's been done
Contract discussed at the Oct. 5 work session.
Open questions
  • When does online exempt-plate registration open?
  • What will the per-ticket collection fees total?
Next date
Mon, Oct 12, 2026: Regular council meeting, 4 p.m. CT (per the posted schedule)

Source: gulfshoresal.gov + 1 more

Vote pendingGulf Shores

Gulf Shores proposes new assistant administrator and analyst positions

What the record shows
  • The Oct. 5 work session agenda included creating an Assistant Administrator for Operations, adding a second Senior Management Analyst, and a recruiting proposal from SGR.
  • The agenda item summary estimates 2026 costs of $28,500 for recruitment and $25,000 for personnel, and ongoing costs of $310,000.
Who's responsible
Gulf Shores City Council; City Administrator Jon Walker
What's been done
Discussed at the Oct. 5 work session.
Open questions
  • Does the ongoing $310,000 cover both positions with benefits?
Next date
Mon, Oct 12, 2026: Next regular council meeting, 4 p.m. CT (per the posted schedule)

Source: gulfshoresal.gov

OpenGulf Shores

Gulf Shores: Highway 180/Canal Road reroute survey

What the record shows
  • The city asked the council to accept a Sawgrass Consulting proposal, not to exceed $39,500, for a boundary survey and subdivision plat for right-of-way tied to the Canal Road/State Highway 180 reroute (Oct. 5 agenda item summary).
  • The summary cites Resolution 7158, approved July 13, 2026, and 30.19 acres from Gulf State Park.
Who's responsible
Gulf Shores City Council; Assistant City Administrator Lee W. Jones
What's been done
Discussed at the Oct. 5 work session.
Open questions
  • What is the timeline and total cost of the reroute itself?
Next date
Mon, Oct 12, 2026: Next regular council meeting, 4 p.m. CT (per the posted schedule)

Source: gulfshoresal.gov

Vote pendingGulf Shores

Gulf Shores: more than one home business per residence?

What the record shows
  • Zoning text amendment ZTA26-02 would allow more than one home-occupation business license per residence and remove sign-content language (agenda item summary).
  • The Planning Commission held a public hearing on Sept. 22.
Who's responsible
Gulf Shores City Council; Planning Director J. Scott Stephens
What's been done
Discussed at the Oct. 5 work session.
Open questions
  • What limits stay in place for traffic and parking in residential areas?
Next date
Mon, Nov 9, 2026: Regular council meeting, 4 p.m. CT (meeting cycle in the agenda summary)

Source: gulfshoresal.gov + 1 more

Under reviewOrange Beach

Orange Beach: council members' ethics complaint against the mayor

What the record shows
  • Council members Ginger Harrelson, Robert Stuart and Jeff Silvers filed a complaint with the Alabama Ethics Commission alleging Mayor Tony Kennon threatened them over the possible release of police body-camera footage from a September 2024 call to the city's Coastal Resources Building (Alabama Political Reporter; South Alabama News).
  • Kennon has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. He has declined to discuss the complaint, noting that Ethics Commission matters stay confidential until an investigation produces enough evidence for a hearing (South Alabama News).
  • The commission's executive director said Kennon was not on the Oct. 7 agenda. South Alabama News reported the matter appears headed for the commission's Dec. 2 meeting; the commission has not confirmed that.
  • Records show the city paid a former state investigator $5,875 for 23.75 hours on an internal review of the police response; the city attorney said the investigation is privileged (South Alabama News).
Who's responsible
Alabama Ethics Commission; Orange Beach Mayor and City Council
What's been done
Complaint filed in May 2026. A related federal public-records lawsuit over the footage is pending (South Alabama News).
Open questions
  • Will the commission confirm a hearing date?
  • Will the council vote on releasing the footage?
Next date
Wed, Dec 2, 2026: Alabama Ethics Commission meeting (reported, not confirmed by the commission)

Source: alreporter.com + 2 more

WatchingGulf Shores & Orange Beach

License-plate cameras: Gulf Shores and Orange Beach keep 30 days of reads

What the record shows
  • Gulf Shores has 87 Flock cameras: 71 license-plate readers, 12 pan-tilt-zoom cameras and 4 live fixed cameras, Chief Dan Netemeyer told Gulf Coast Media. They logged 51,375,457 reads from February to early September; 5,877 were queried.
  • Gulf Shores and Orange Beach will keep reads for 30 days, rather than Flock's new seven-day recommendation. Both said they will launch a public transparency portal; neither uses facial recognition, the departments said.
  • Orange Beach has 16 Flock license-plate cameras, Chief Trent Johnson said. Gulf Shores' council will vote on renewing the Flock contract later this year (Gulf Coast Media).
Who's responsible
Gulf Shores and Orange Beach police departments and city councils
What's been done
Gulf Shores completed department-wide Flock training; residents have spoken against the cameras at council meetings since July (Gulf Coast Media).
Open questions
  • When will the transparency portals go live?
  • When is the Gulf Shores renewal vote, and at what price?
Next date
None set yet.

Source: gulfcoastmedia.com

Sources

  1. City of Gulf Shores: Council Work Session agenda, Oct. 5, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · gulfshoresal.gov
  2. City of Gulf Shores: Agenda Center (agendas and minutes) (opens in a new tab) · gulfshoresal.gov
  3. City of Gulf Shores: Council approves updated resident beach parking ordinance, Sept. 28 (opens in a new tab) · gulfshoresal.gov
  4. Gulf Coast Media: Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Foley respond to Flock's new accountability rules (Sept. 8) (opens in a new tab) · gulfcoastmedia.com
  5. Alabama Political Reporter: Orange Beach council members allege mayor threatened them over body cam footage (June 19) (opens in a new tab) · alreporter.com
  6. South Alabama News: Kennon ethics complaint hearing pulled from Oct. 7 agenda, likely moved to December (Oct. 7) (opens in a new tab) · southalnews.com
  7. South Alabama News: Orange Beach paid a former state investigator $5,875 for a four-day probe (Sept. 22) (opens in a new tab) · southalnews.com
  8. City of Gulf Shores: Planning Commission agenda, Sept. 22, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · gulfshoresal.gov
  9. City of Orange Beach: Agenda Center (agendas and minutes) (opens in a new tab) · orangebeachal.gov

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