The Newton County Board of Supervisors met on Tuesday, Dec. 13, where they were informed that rebate money distributions to the 10 county fire departments were being held up due to lack of paperwork from two departments.
Newton County Fire Coordinator Brian Taylor informed the Board that the prior year’s run numbers are required from each fire department in the county in order distribute insurance rebate money to all ten departments. Taylor said that they are lacking the run numbers from the volunteer fire departments in Hickory and Conehatta. “We’ve had the money on hand for quite a few months now,” Taylor said. “It’s a state law that we do not distribute the money to fire departments until they turn in their run numbers from the prior year.”
Asked if Taylor had addressed the problem with the chiefs from Hickory and Conehatta, Taylor said that both said they had been busy and were trying to work on it. Taylor felt it wasn’t fair to continue holding the money from those that were up to date with their numbers. “I propose that we cut the checks for the fire departments that turned in their information and hold the checks for the two that have not done so,” said Taylor.
Board President Joe Alexander said that at the next chiefs meeting, they need to start holding each other accountable for their respected department. They need to understand that they can’t drag around on these things. “We’re all I this thing together. If any of you drag, you’re costing the others money. We’ll do everything we can to help, but they’ve got to help themselves,” Alexander said.
Alexander added the board appreciates the work Taylor is doing in trying to keep all the information straight.
Other business from the December 13 meeting:
After a discussion of the poor conditions that three of the five garbage trucks that the county has on hand, Approved purchasing a chassis garbage truck for $121,438 from Burroughs Companies, and having a box put on it after its arrival. If they order truck by January, it should arrive in either July or August. A decision was also made to have repairs made on one of the trucks they have on hand and sell the other two that are too costly to repair.
Approved hiring Wyatt Pickering to help the county with three Pat Harrison projects to be submitted as for grants to help with county roads and bridges. PIckering was contacted by former county Engineer, Duane Stanford, to help with the Pat Harrison projects for the county before he passed away in November. Pickering will be working on submitting projects for Riser Creek Road, Airport Road and Will Brown Road, at $1,250 per project.
Approved paying to have the trucks fixed: $2,500-2,800 to fix the transmission on a pumper truck used by the Gibbstown-Lawrence Volunteer Fire Department and a few hundred dollars to fix a packing seal on the truck used by Beulah Hubbard Volunteer Fire Department.
