Highway Department

Departmental History

The Montgomery County Highway Department is responsible for constructing, maintaining, and repairing all 750+ miles of the county’s road system. The goal of the Highway Department is to provide the public with a safe and efficient transportation system. Funding for the Highway Department comes from four main sources: Montgomery County taxes, state gas taxes, state rural road funds, and federal aid secondary funds. The Highway Supervisor position was created in 1921 after a resolution was adopted by the county court in effort to relieve Judge John T. Cunningham of some of his duties. At this time, R.D. Fort was given complete oversight of all road work in the county. The role remained an appointed position, nominated by the County Judge and approved by the Quarterly Court until August 1962, when an amendment to Chapter 399 of the Private Acts of 1955 was proposed. Voters approved the amendment, which changed the Highway Supervisor to an elected position with a four-year term. The amendment was met with resistance by some, because it permitted anyone who is over 21 years old and a resident of Montgomery County to be elected Highway Supervisor. It also removed the qualifications regarding the candidate’s prior experience, while the previous law required at least five years of supervisory experience in a related field. The amendment was approved in 1962, but it was not until September 1, 1964 that the first election for Highway Supervisor was held and G.G. McClure was elected.

A list of past highway supervisors is as follows:

R.D. Fort – appointed January 4, 1921 by Judge John T. Cunningham and resigned in early 1923

W.A. McFall – appointed March 1, 1923 by Judge John T. Cunningham for a one-year term

Jack Selsemeyer – appointed April 1, 1924 by Judge John T. Cunningham and resigned December 1, 1928

G.G. McClure – appointed January 1, 1929 by Judge John T. Cunningham; reappointed in 1930, 1933, 1936, 1939, 1942, 1945, 1948, 1951, 1952, 1956, and 1960. McClure was then elected Highway Supervisor for one additional term when he won the first election in 1964.

Gus Norfleet – elected in 1968 and held the office until 1988

Doug Black – elected in 1988 and held the office until his passing in 2005

Mike Frost – chosen by the County Commission to fill the vacancy until the 2006 election; he was reelected and continued to hold the office until his passing in June 2020; Monty Fleet became the interim supervisor for the remainder of the term.

Jeff Bryant Jr. – elected in August and sworn into office on September 1, 2020

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records: