Madison County commissioners officially gave new county chairman Anthony Dove personnel powers Monday that they had stripped from former chairman Wesley Nash.
The board also voted to designate two positions — the county clerk and deputy clerk posts — as “at will” jobs under the authority of the chairman, meaning that Dove can hire and fire those employees as he pleases. Those positions no longer carry the due process appeal rights of other posts in the county government.
Earlier this month, commissioner Stanley Thomas proposed both changes. He said the county had no other choice than taking personnel powers from Nash, because the former chairman had not followed through on his personnel responsibilities. But Thomas said that Dove has shown that he will handle his personnel duties with care. Likewise, Thomas proposed that Dove have “at will” power over the clerk and deputy clerk positions, since those two posts represent the chairman in his absence.
MEETING DAYS MAY BE CHANGED
In a separate matter Monday, the board heard from Dove, who proposed that the BOC change its meeting schedule. The board currently meets on second and fourth Mondays of the month. Dove proposes that the board hold an agenda-setting meeting on the final Monday of the month and follow that with a business meeting on the first Monday of the next month. He noted that agenda-setting meetings are commonplace in surrounding counties and that such meetings would give the BOC the opportunity to learn more about matters before having to take a vote on them. Board members took no official action Monday, agreeing to have county attorney Mike Pruett draft potential changes for consideration at their Feb. 9 meeting. If the changes are adopted during that meeting, they could take effect with an agenda setting meeting on Feb. 23, followed by a business meeting March 2.
OCCUPATION TAX DISCUSSED
In another matter Monday, the board talked about the county’s occupation tax. Commissioners have noted that a number of Madison County contractors who do work out of the county must seek a business license in each county they work in, because they don’t have one from their home county. Therefore, getting a business license (occupation tax) can prove cost effective for some contractors who would prefer to get one license in Madison County, rather than multiple licenses elsewhere. County commissioners have also said that an occupation tax helps the government keep up with what businesses are in the county. But commissioners have also expressed some dissatisfaction with the tax. For instance, commissioner Thomas said Monday that he feels the board should consider a flat rate on the tax, rather than charging per employee. He noted that under the current system, some companies facing potential layoffs might be forced to fork out money for employees they won’t even have later in the year. He said the county should look for a more business-friendly method of handling licensing. The group took no action Monday, but agreed to consider the matter at a future meeting.
SPLOST COLLECTIONS DOWN
In other business, chairman Dove reported that Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) and Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) funds were down 23 percent last month.
The board heard from property owner Wendell Williams, who said his taxes went up 68 percent this year and that he failed to receive notification of a hearing on his tax appeal. The BOC agreed to investigate the matter. Board of assessor chairman David Ragland responded to Williams’ complaint, saying that the assessor board will “go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure Mr. Williams was and is treated fairly.”
