A dusting of snow on Dec. 16 moved the quorum court meeting to the following evening. Justices of the Peace approved the budget for the coming year.
JP Jack Deaton had distributed copies of the proposed budget at the November meeting, and the ordinance passed without comment.
In a separate ordinance, JPs approved a raise for county elected officials. JP Chuck Olson, who worked with the budget committee, said, “We came to the conclusion we have a lot of good elected officials, and we’d like to keep them.” Olson explained that the budget committee looked first “to pay for things,” and still found room in the budget for the raises. The raises will also help keep the county’s pay rates competitive with other similar counties.
The raises amount to three percent. The circuit clerk, county clerk, treasurer, assessor, and collector will make just over $50,000 in the coming year. The county judge will make $56,700, and the sheriff will receive $55,300.
The quorum court also added a truck driver in the Road Department, a deputy in the Sheriff’s Office, and an orders clerk in the prosecuting attorney’s office.
The county has several contracts with apparent conflicts of interest, and a new ordinance will clarify those arrangements. The ordinance explains that “certain circumstances exist where the county has long-time employees that also had entered into contracts with the county for services outside of the employees’ normal work responsibilities.” State law allows such contracts but requires explicit acknowledgement by the quorum court.
In response to a question, County Clerk Connie Doss said the county has long operated without such an ordinance, and she had discovered the discrepancy before state auditors also found it. JP Harrie Farrow questioned the emergency provision of the ordinance, and Doss said the contractors could not continue receiving payment without it. The ordinance listed seven positions.
An ordinance will establish rules for situations in which the sheriff “may need to authorize emergency furloughs for inmates with a serious illness, death of a member of the inmate’s family, or other proper emergency.” Chief Deputy Jerry Williams said the ordinance would allow the Detention Center to release an inmate in very poor health to the hospital without a deputy having to remain there. In response to questions, Williams explained that this ordinance would only affect a prisoner who doctors say cannot receive adequate care in jail, and it would only affect low-risk inmates.
In other business:
- Nancy Wood was reappointed to a second five-year term on the Carroll County Library Board of Trustees. The new term began January 1.
- In what Olson described as “a routine appointment of commissioners,” the quorum court approved three members of the Inspiration Point Rural Fire Protection District. Joe Foust and Carla Short will each serve another three-year term, and David Jones will replace Art Klass.
- Amy Leivan was approved for a three-year term on the Eastern Carroll County Ambulance District Commission.
- The JPs approved payment for some vacation time for a county employee in the circuit clerk’s office.
Meetings in 2020 will remain on the third Monday of the month at 5 p.m. The first two meetings of the year will move to the fourth Monday because of holidays.