Clinton Fiscal Court, in two separate meetings, set the county tax rate and accepted two other taxing district rates over a period of five days. The meeting included the regular monthly meeting Thursday, August 18 and a special call meeting on Monday morning of this week, August 22.

All magistrates were present for the regular meeting Thursday while four of six members attended the call meeting Monday, with magistrates Mickey Riddle and Ricky Craig being absent.

The court on Monday voted 4-0 to keep the county tax rates unchanged from the current year, at 6.5 cents per $100 assessed value on property and 7.8 on personal tax. The motion to keep the rates the same was made by magistrate Terry Buster.

The previous meeting last Thursday saw the court accept the library rate presented by librarian Gayla Duvall. The library rates for 2016 will be 4.0 cents per $100 assessed value on real property and 5.31 on personal property.

Duvall also gave the annual library report at the meeting, noting things were going well at the library with additional programs and higher attendance this year than in any past year, with a lot of activities and events catered toward children.

The court also accepted the County Extension district rates as follows: real property, 6.915; personal property, 11.2341; motor vehicle, 2.0 cents per $100 assessed value.

The court also dealt with other items of business at its regular meeting, other than the animal shelter discussion, which can be found in a separate article this week.

While paying claims and bills, magistrate Terry Buster made a motion to pay, with the exception of a Uncle Charlie’s food bill to the jail, with Buster saying the county should purchase food from local vendors if possible.

On Monday, however, after some research on the matter, County Attorney Michael Rains advised the court that since the food had already been provided by the company for the month of July and had already been consumed, the county should pay that particular bill, or possibly face a small claims suit. It was noted the county would have the option to cease purchasing food from out-of-town vendors in the future.

Magistrate Hershell Key made the motion to pay the Uncle Charlie’s most recent bill since the food provided had already been consumed. The motion passed unanimously.

Judge/executtive Richard Armstrong and jailer Johnny Thrasher also noted that the bill contained no purchases of tenderloin, which some may have thought was part of the food items charged.

Buster followed up and made a motion that the county do local comparison shopping to get prices from local groceries and purchase food for the jail locally if possible. That motion also passed by unanimous vote.

Also during last week’s session, still on the issue of claims and bills, magistrate Ricky Craig once again questioned the county paying for inmates’ lunches while they are working to clean up roadways under the litter abatement program. He made a motion not to pay that particular bill, with magistrates Guinn and Riddle also voting yes.

Solid waste coordinator Rick Stearns again said the county, by using the inmates under the litter abatement grant program, was saving the county over $6,000 monthly, but magistrate Craig requested that some proof of that be made. Stearns countered it was saving enough to justify supplying the inmates’ lunch.

When the issue was voted on, magistrates Johnny Russell, Buster and Key voted no on Craig’s motion not to pay, with judge Armstrong also voting no to break the tie, meaning the bill will be paid.

The issue as to whether or not to pay the food bill for the inmates has been an ongoing split vote for the past few months.

The court, last week, also approved the treasurer’s reports and fund transfers.

The next regular meeting of Clinton Fiscal Court is scheduled for Thursday, September 15 at 5 p.m. in the upstairs courtroom of the courthouse and is open to the public.