New Fees Will Generate Funds For SO, Poll Workers Get Raise

Courtsey of WRBE, "Your Hometown Radio"
With the recent rain and thunder storms moving through the area, the George County Board of Supervisors voted to lift the county-wide burn ban at their first-of-the-month meeting on Monday.
The meeting began with the approval of the consent agenda items and permission was granted to Sheriff Garry Welford and Justice Court Clerk Shawn Strahan to move forward with a new program to generate funds for future purchases.
An additional $10 fee will be added to tickets written by the sheriff's deputies and sent to an account in the county's name and handled by the Department of Public Safety. The funds generated can be used for future electronic and technology purchases for the George County Sheriff's Department The only cost for the service is a 1% fee charged by the Department of Public Safety to maintain the account.
The supervisors approved two new employees for the George County Regional Jail and also granted Strahan permission to change part-time employee Cindy Busby to full-time status for Justice Court.
The Supervisors voted to repair the courthouse downstairs elevator at an estimated cost of $4,780.; two bids were accepted for the expansion of Shipman Volunteer Fire Department, pending District One Supervisor Lit Eubanks review of the specifications. The project will include a slab and mental building at an estimated cost of $71,970 with the electrical work to be decided at a later date.
The Supervisors signed an “agreement of services” contract with United Heart, which is an non-profit, certified emergency response agency, for services they may can provide to the county at no cost to the county and they chose to accept a Prescription drug card program for county employees at no cost to the county, but will allow a 30% to 50% savings on prescription purchases.
The supervisors heard several road and subdivision updates from County Engineer Bob Diamond and voted to move forward with pre-approved Pat Harrison Bridge Projects. Diamond reported that he had secured some salvage bridge materials from Jackson County and Pat Harrison would pay $25,000 for each of the $80,000 plus projects.
The supervisors voted to grant a $30 per day pay increase to poll workers, bringing their pay form $70 to $100 per day. At a previous board meeting Election Commissioner Connie Landcaster made the request, stating that poll workers were harder to find with the new technology She said many of the older citizens were willing to volunteer but they could not lift the heavy voting machines and most did not understand the new technology and paper work well enough to be considered. The state recently passed a pay increase for the poll workers, which could have been as much as $50 extra.
Before adjourning, the supervisors scheduled to meet at 8 a.m. this morning (Tuesday) to look at all the voting precients and make decisions on what needs to be done to get them ready for election day. At a previous meeting the supervisors stated that anyone handicap or elderly which can not get inside their assigned precient to vote, may contact their supervisor or the Circuit Clerk's officer prior to election day to make arrangements to vote.