County Discusses Personnel

The majority of the Jasper County Commission regular meeting Monday was spent in closed session—first to discuss pending litigation with the county’s “personnel” attorney, then to discuss personnel.

The meeting began, as has become common, with a debate over the agenda. Commissioner Mary Patrick had asked to have the item, “Information to the Board of commissioners” placed on the agenda. It was on the agenda printed in last week’s newspaper and on the printed agenda commissioners received Monday. Commissioner Jack Bernard made the motion to approve the agenda without that item.

During discussion, Commissioner Patrick expressed her concerns that the county manager sends memos to selective commissioners. She said they had agreed and the county attorney agreed the charter allows that any commissioner can put items on the agenda. However, she said, she has repeatedly asked to have items placed on the agenda, and they don’t show up.

She said she thinks she should be updated regularly—that all commissioners should be. She mentioned that she has asked repeatedly for information from the Four-County Development Authority, and not gotten it. She said she feels like she is the only one being left out.

Commissioner Alan Cox agreed that anyone should be able to put items on the agenda.

After the discussion, most of which was Commissioner Patrick stating her case, the motion passed to approve the agenda without that item.
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The commissioners had a public hearing scheduled on an amendment to the Occupational License ordinance. In an effort to collect more taxes, commissioners had discussed that persons should have all their county taxes current The way the amendment read the property owner’s taxes as well as the applicant for the occupational license taxes would have to be current on all tracts owned.

After much discussion, it was changed to the person requiring the occupational license taxes would have to be current. Commissioners felt like a business could be renting a location and could be forced to go out of business if the property owner was behind on his taxes. The ordinance was amended.

Commissioners discussed the status of the landfill. County Manager Greg Wood advised them that the consent order under which the landfill is operating expired at the end of 2008. Commissioner Jack Bernard became indignant and asked if the landfill operator had been disciplined. “If he does not have a plan for the landfill…he needs to take supervisory responsibility.”

Commissioner Carl Pennamon said that the county needs to go back and do real research on the methane wells. He said the county gets different engineers who tell us different stories. He said the methane problem was dealt with eight years ago.

Commissioner Cox said we’re in it and we have no choice, referring to the landfill and the required monitoring. He said that as for the pond, the geological engineer was going to try to put off the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) as long as possible. He said that they were hoping to wait through summer while some of the pond evaporated, then action would be required.

Commissioner Patrick then said it is easy to blame everybody [when talking about landfill issues]. She reminded commissioners that Commissioner Cox and former Commissioner Ronnie Payne met with EPD at length to discover how to solve the issues at the landfill. She said there’s enough blame to go around. She reiterated that the county should verify how much we are charging a ton and how much neighboring counties charge.

During that discussion, the personnel attorney arrived, so the commissioners went into closed session. They were behind closed doors for an hour and 20 minutes.

Upon returning to regular session they approved renewing the cleaning contract for Wildfire Janitorial Service. The vote was 3-2, with Commissioners Cox and Bernard dissenting. They wanted the service put out to bid.

The commissioners also voted 3-2 to appoint the county manager to be county clerk henceforth, whoever the county manager is so that they don’t repeatedly have this issue. Commission Chairman Charles Hill and Commissioner Pennamon were the dissenters on that motion.
The county manager informed the commission that his six month probation period is up, and that he would like a contract. he said he would stick with what he agreed to originally, although there are some changes he would prefer. Commissioners agreed to discuss it in closed session after handling the rest of the business, and put it on the next agenda to approve his contract.

The commissioners discussed the schedule for the May meetings. Three of the commissioners are attending ACCG training and will be out of town on May 2, the date for the regular May meeting. After much discussion, commissioners agreed to have just one meeting in May and it be on May 16.