Clinton County Fiscal Court has set in place its county employees, including elected county officials, but not without some controversy in the manner involving the mannter in which the slate of employees were presented, then approved.

At a special call meeting Monday morning, January 3, the court–on a split vote–approved a slate of county employees, mostly rehires, with all employees’ salaries remaining unchanged from the past year.

Judge/Executive Lyle Huff read a complete list of employees to be hired. Magistrate Mickey Riddle then made a motion to approve the list as a whole, as presented.

When the motion came to a vote, a roll call had to be held, as not all magistrates were in agreement on how the process was handled, and apparently there was some opposition to at least one individual employee listed.

The roll call vote showed that the motion to approve the list passed by a 3-2-1 vote, with Magistrates Riddle, Phillip Parrigin and Ricky Craig voting yes, Magistrates Charlotte Bernard and new incoming Magistrate Patty Guinn voting nay.

Magistrate Willard Johnson abstained in the vote.

Judge Huff gave Magistrate Bernard a chance to state her reason for voting no, and she replied she was voting yes for everyone with the exception of (County Treasurer) Dallas Sidwell.

Magistrate Bernard later stated to the Clinton County News that she was opposed on how the process in voting to the employees was conducted, stating she felt each employee should have been voted on individually.

Bernard added that by having to vote no on the entire list because she opposed the hiring of one individual, she was basically “voting no for myself.”

The County Treasurer’s position runs on a fiscal year calender (July 1 through June 30) and is voted on by fiscal court. The current contract for the position doesn’t expire until June 30 of this year.

The action Monday resulted in the hiring or re-hiring of the following employees, along with pay scales being set for listed county office holders who are elected to official positions.

Tyler Abner; Amy Albertson; James R. Albertson; Kevin H. Alexander; Clifton Ball; Tonya Ball; David Beasley; Cynthia Brannam; Jason P. Brown; Ricky V. Brown; Earl H. Claborn; Martha R. Clark; Ronnie Coffey; Teresa Coffey; James D. Craig; Gilbert L. Daniel; Albert K. Davis; Andy Ned Davis; Todd Davis; Tuesday Davis; Travis W. Denney; Steve Dicken; Tyler C. Dicken; William Duncan; Jo Ann Felkins; Jerry Ferrell; Gary Ferrill; Gregory Ferrill; Janet Ferrill; Leta A. Flowers; Richard Fuquay; Janna R. Griffis; Sherry Guffey; Jerry Harrison; David H. Honeycutt; Chad Horner; Dustin S. Jones; Larry Jones; Timothy Koger; Micheal Lair; Monte L. Lovelace; Lyle K. Huff; Dennis McWhorter; Jackie Melton; Misty Melton; April Miller; Kenny R. Neal; Buddy Owens; Janice F. Parrigin; Brooke Parrish; James H. Pennycuff; Oma M. Piercey; Jimmy M. Polston; Melissa Richardt; Ricky Riddle; Lonnie Scott; Mark Shelton; Terry G. Starns; Candice L. Staton; Bruce Stearns; Clyde Stearns; Charles Stockton; James Stonecipher; Seth R. Stonecipher; Meshelle Teal; Bobby K. Thrasher; Johnny Thrasher; Mark Thrasher; Cheryl Tuggle; Britany Upchurch; David Williams; Michael A. Wilson; Charlotte Bernard; Ronnie Coffey; Ricky Craig; Shelby Ferrill; Willard S. Johnson; Lyle Norris; Phillip Parrigin; Mickey Riddle; Dallas Sidwell; James Staton; Steve Talbott; Michael Rains; Patty Guinn.

Two individuals had announced their retirements earlier, including David Honeycutt and Murl Gibson.

The first regular meeting of Clinton County Fiscal Court for this year is scheduled for Thursday, January 20 at 5 p.m. at the judge/executive’s conference room and is open to the general public.