Commissioners Will Revamp Charter
Although they took no official action in their “extended work session” Saturday, the Jasper County Commissioners agreed on numerous items that may result in a completely revamped county charter which would be passed through the state legislature.
Included in that would be references to the salary and expenses for county commissioners, but those amounts would not be included in the legislation as they are now. For example, in 1986 legislation was passed allowing Jasper County Commissioners to collect 10 cents per mile for travel outside of Jasper County on official business. Therefore, legally that is all they can collect now, and obviously does not cover their expenses.
Another example is the charter calls for a County Clerk. Under new legislation, someone such as the county manager would have “attesting power,” but there would not necessarily be a clerk.
All five commissioners, Chairman Jack Bernard, Vice-Chairman Bob Yarbrough, Charles Hill, Greg Johnson and Carl Pennamon, were at Saturday’s session, along with County Manager Greg Williams, Attorney John Nix, and facilitator Scot Wrighton from the Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
Mr. Nix advised the group that to adopt a new county charter would take care of much “housekeeping.”
“It is confusing, he said. You may want to throw everything away and replace it.”
He explained the quagmire one faces now when trying to research county policies and procedures. By doing one piece of legislation it would clean that up, he said.
Mr. Wrighton and Mr. Williams agreed they would get with the state legislative council to begin work on the new document.
Much of Saturday’s session, held at the Georgia Wildlife Federation in Newton County, concerned the roles and responsibilities of the manager and the commissioners. While discussing the role of the chair, Mr. Bernard said that they are currently wasting hours and hours doing staff’s jobs.
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For example, the check signing policy passed by this board in January says the chair and vice-chair will sign the checks. If one of them is not available, then another commissioner fills in. If neither is available then two other commissioners can do it. Mr. Bernard described himself as a “volunteer that’s been elected.”
Commissioners agreed to change the policy whereby the commissioners would approve the transfer check that is used to pay the bills, but staff could sign the checks. When the check is presented to the commissioners for approval, a list of bills it is paying would be attached so that commissioners would still have knowledge of where the county’s money is going. Mr. Williams said the manager is responsible for the financial integrity of the county. They agreed the fund transfer would be signed by three commmissioners.
The new policy will not take effect, however, until the commission formally votes on it. The concept of the work session presumes that no action will be taken.
The commissioners discussed the current meeting schedule and agreed it needed to change. The commissioners plan to continue meeting twice monthly, but one will be a work session for gathering information, discussing options, and hearing from the public, and the “regular” meeting would be the meeting where action would be taken.
The agenda for the regular meeting would be set at the work session. That way, items that only one commissioner wants on the agenda can be discussed there to determine if it should be on the regular meeting agenda for action. Likewise, items the county needs to act on, but may need more information for, would not be put on the agenda for a vote until such time as the information is gathered and the commissioners are ready to vote.
The decision on the two meetings and the setting of the agenda came after much discussion by the commissioners on the way it is currently handled.
Commissioner Pennamon said the manager should contact each commissioner and set the agenda. He said that it is the manager’s job to get the information on agenda items, therefore he must know what’s on the agenda and the status. Mr. Bernard said there currently is a process to set the agenda, with the attorney, manager and chairman conferring, and the chairman has the final say. Mr. Pennamon said it should be the consensus of the board.
Finally, they agreed on the work session before the regular meeting and that seemed to satisfy all. No official action was taken.
The commissioners discussed the county’s purchasing policy, and Mr. Bernard said “sealed bids is the worst way to go about purchasing…in industry that’s not the way it’s done.” They discussed raising the spending limit for the county manager. After much discussion, Mr. Williams said that he is comfortable with the $5,000 ceiling, and under the current purchasing policy that’s all that is allowed.
In response to suggestions of raising the ceiling, Mr. Williams said he appreciates the board’s comments, but they are talking about fairly radical change, and questioned what the public’s view would be. He indicated the commissioners might want to look at changing the purchasing policy, but not at Saturday’s retreat.
Mr. Bernard said that the fewer things that come to the county commission that are mundane the more productive the county commission will be.
The commissioners discussed hiring and firing powers in an attempt to determine the role of the county manager.
At the end of the meeting, Mr. Wrighton had each commissioner write a “headline” of what they would like to see as the news five years down the road. They had begun the meeting with each commissioner stating a goal he had for the day’s session. Mr. Wrighton said that by reducing to writing the goals and responsibilities of the county commission, the commission will better be able to move forward.
“Many local governments are making decisions deciding to turn right or left not knowing where they’re going,” said Mr. Wrighton.
The session in Newton County began at 9 a.m. Saturday and at 2:30 p.m., the commissioners took official action and voted to go into closed session to discuss personnel.
