Clinton County Fiscal Court held a special call meeting Monday morning with all magistrates present and dealt with four items of business, voting on three issues and tabling another until its regular meeting later this month.

The court was first presented a copy of the Clinton County Jail’s policies and procedures manual for approval by Jailer Johnny Thrasher. Magistrates noted this is the first time they had ever been presented the documents for court approval.

Magistrate Ricky Craig suggested tabling the matter until the court’s regular meeting, allowing for time for magistrates to look over the lengthy policy and procedures manual before officially taking action. He eventually made the motion to table the issue, which passed by unanimous vote.

Clinton County Judge/Executive Richard Armstrong then presented the court with a proposal to purchase three items of road department equipment from the road fund. He said he had found a Freightliner truck for $15,000, including the snow plow, a 2003 John Deer tractor at $6,500 and a paddle machine used when ditching.

The total cost of all three items was $26,500. Armstrong also noted the county could sell some older equipment via the internet to help offset the cost.

The court voted unanimously, on a motion by magistrate Johnny Russell, to purchase the road department equipment.

During the equipment purchase discussion, Magistrate Ricky Craig suggested that since the road department had an excess in funding, that each magistrate should receive a like amount to use for whatever necessary projects they may have in their own respective districts. “I think some funds should, maybe around $30,000 each, should be spread around for each district,” said Craig.

Judge Armsrong noted that each magistrate had earlier received a $25,000 allotment, but it was noted that came from discretionary road aid money, not from the county’s own road fund, which they said still had in excess of $700,000.

“This money,” for each magisterial district, “would come from the county road fund,” Craig said.

Armstrong reminded court members that the county earlier had submitted a list of 13 total roads that needed to be repaired when they applied for state funding, but only two roads were approved from that funding source.

Magistrates, all who were in agreement with Craig’s suggestion, said county road funds allotted equally could be used in each district for areas with specific needs, such as patching potholes, installing guardrails and other projects.

“We don’t have to have state approval for how money is used from the county road fund,” Craig said.

Judge Armstrong suggested that magistrates list specific uses for funds in each district, with magistrates noting the money would be used on roads with the most need.

Since the item, although tied to the road department equipment purchase, was not a specific item of business, county attorney Michael Rains advised the court they could not take official action on Craig’s suggestion at this time, but judge Armstrong agreed to put the recommendation on the court’s next regular meeting agenda.

The court then heard from Director of Emergency Management Lonnie Scott about the purchase of a new tornado siren for the county.

Judge Armstrong recommended buying a new siren for the county, noting the need for additional outdoor warning devices for some areas of the county, specifically the Huntersville area, where the new siren will apparently be installed, and north of Albany on Hwy. 90 near the former industrial park. He noted the area at Huntersville has no current sirens at all.

Last year, a regional grant application was filed with Homeland Security seeking a dozen sirens for the region but only one was funded and fortunately it came to Clinton County. He added that the county now has an application for three additional outdoor sirens, but official word would not be known until this fall.

During the most recent testing of outdoor sirens last week, all but one worked, that being in the Irwin community, where it has to be manually activated most of the time for the signal to activate. However, some sirens have been moved to different locations and worked extremely well with further output.

Scott said older sirens were not scrapped, but rather put on different poles and located in other areas of the county. He also recommended to the court they consider purchasing one new additional siren a year to keep the county more protected.

Judge Armstrong noted the cost of a siren would be around $20,000 and Magistrate Craig made the motion to purchase the siren, which passed by unanimous vote.

The court also voted unanimously to allow judge Armstrong to sign three documents pertaining to the buy-out of Wayne County’s partnership in the Tri-County Animal Shelter.

The ongoing issue began last year when Clinton Fiscal Court decided to end its partnership with Wayne County due to the excessive amount of strays brought to the shelter from that county.

During the time, the local shelter was in somewhat of a tumultuous situation with outside allegations of mismanagement at the shelter and animals dying there.

Since that time, the shelter has vastly improved.

After discussions between all three judges from Clinton, Wayne and Cumberland counties, it was eventually decided Wayne County would continue to house animals at the shelter until the contract between the counties expires in mid-May, but Clinton County did offer to buy out Wayne County’s share.

The shelter was eventually appraised for some $91,734 and Clinton County offered Wayne $30,578 as its third share. Earlier last month, after receiving a donated building from Cobb-Ventress to use for itsown shelter, the Wayne County Fiscal Court voted to accept Clinton County’s buyout proposal.

At Monday’s meeting, County Attorney Michael Rains presented the documents to the court, including a quick claim deed, with the court, also on a motion by Craig, voting unanimously to allow judge Armstrong to sign the documents, thus basically ending the partnership with Wayne County in the shelter–with Clinton County owning two-thirds of the building and Cumberland County the other third.

Wayne County will continue to bring animals to the local shelter until the contract expires on May 15.

The next regular meeting of Clinton Fiscal Court is scheduled for Thursday, May 16 at 5 p.m. in the upstairs courtroom of the courthouse and is open to the general public.