Calhoun County Commission Chairman Lea Fite looked to his left, then to his right, and asked if his fellow commissioners had anything to add before they voted on accepting the money.
With his hand balled in a fist that propped against his forehead, Commissioner Eli Henderson leaned forward and peered down at the next order of business: something about an aftercare program grant for kids.
He let out a yawn, but didn't say a word about the vote on the table.
Not a peep was heard from commissioners James "Pappy" Dunn, Robert Downing or Randy Wood. They casually surveyed the audience gathered at Thursday's county commission meeting in a business-as-usual way.
The commissioners' silence on the issue of additional funding for the Chemical Weapons Emergency Preparedness Program might best be summed by Henderson's reelection slogan: "Nub said."
Plenty of barbs on the subject have been passed between the commissioners and the federal government. But the feud, on that subject at least, appears over.
The promised money was a vote and signature away.
"Sign the document," Mike Brunei, director of the county's Emergency Management Agency, urged commissioners. "Then we will move forward."
With those words and little fanfare, the commission made room in the CSEPP budget for a hard-fought infusion of $7 million in federal funds.
Local officials and those at the Federal Emergency Management Agency have grappled over the money since the undersecretary of defense promised it last November. FEMA had been delaying the arrival.
The money, which arrived Thursday, will purchase protective hoods for residents living near the stockpile. It also will buy top-of-the-line protective suits for fire fighters, who would respond in the unlikely event of a chemical accident, and pay for a public education campaign that will spell out the need of preparedness for a community that lives in the shadow of aging chemical weapons of mass destruction.
Gov. Don Siegelman watched over the proceedings, smiling contently in a photograph that hangs on a wall in the commission's chambers. The governor recently dropped a lawsuit against the federal government in exchange for FEMA releasing the much-anticipated funds.
Political clout in Montgomery and Washington went a long way in helping the county secure the money. Siegelman and U.S. Rep. Bob Riley, R-Ashland, both of whom are running for Governor, flexed their political muscle for the federal dollars. Senators Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, and Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, threw their weight behind the county as well.
"Now we can begin to educate the public on the additional items that are coming," said Brian Lazenby, county EMA spokesman. "Once Jacksonville State University completes the bid proposals, we can get those to the vendors and begin working towards getting (the safety items) in the people's hands to help protect them."
After the commission meeting, county officials met with state EMA officials and Siegelman representatives. Outstanding issues involving toxicity data, collective protection and early warning for areas closest to the stockpile were discussed, as was emergency planning for businesses near the stockpile.
Additionally, there was talk of buying out some residents who live nearest the Anniston Army Depot, where the weapons are stockpiled.
