Clinton County Fiscal Court dealt with general items of business at its short 20 minute regular monthly meeting last Thursday, August 20.

All members were present for the session which was held in the downstairs district courtroom of the courthouse.

After receiving the treasurer’s report, the court voted to approve the monthly report, voted to pay claims and bills, and on separate motions approved three fund transfers, as follows (all from the Occupational Tax Fund): $18,000 to the ambulance checking account; $27,000 to the jail checking account; $55,000 to the general fund.

The court also resolved and passed new resolutions, one pertaining to the bank which named magistrate Mickey Riddle as one of the co-signers of checks. That motion passed on a 4-1 vote, with magistrates Ray Marcum, Jerry Lowhorn, Gary Ferguson and Johnny Russell voting yes, magistrate Terry Buster voting no and Riddle abstaining.

Another previous resolution was resolved involving TVA funding which included the Industrial Development Authority.

Judge/Executive Ricky Craig informed the court that additional funds from TVA had been added and a new resolution accepting the funding was made and passed by unanimous vote.

The court also approved a resolution, on a motion by magistrate Marcum, to apply for a 100 percent grant from KOHS to purchase body armor for the Clinton County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff Jeff Vincent explained the funds would be for 100 percent at no cost to his department or the county.

Gail Fryman, with the local health department, then presented the health district’s tax rates for the coming year at 3.5 cents per $100 assessed value. She told the court it was the same rate as the past several years. No vote was necessary by the court as each taxing district sets its own rates.

County Treasurer Cindy Thrasher discussed with the court the ambulance service being able to accept credit or debit cards as payment for ambulance billing.

There would be a small fee to use the card, but it would also allow some people to pay ambulance service bills.

A motion to allow the ambulance service to accept credit/debit cards as payment was made by magistrate Ferguson and passed unanimously.

On a motion by magistrate Lowhorn, the court voted 6-0 to purchase what is estimated to be approximately three and a-half acres of property adjoining the county maintenance building at a cost of $30,000.

The court, on separate motions, voted to approve the sheriff’s settlement and pay the person who did the work a $400.00 fee. (A separate graph of the settlement showing totals of tax revenue for the county and all taxing districts can be found elsewhere this week.)

Clinton County Clerk Nathan Collins then presented the court his second half of the 2019 clerk’s office settlement, this check being in the amount of $532.58. Collins had presented the bulk of the clerk’s office settlement to the court earlier in the year.

The court, on a motion by Lowhorn, voted to hire Victoria Honeycutt full time at $8 per hour to work at the courthouse to do temperature checks for those who enter the facility during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mediacom Cable was then discussed briefly by the court.

Magistrate Lowhorn noted some residents in the Huntersville area questioned why they had no access to the cable company, the county’s provider.

Magistrate Buster suggested that a representative from the cable company attend a court meeting and explain to the court and public why the service isn’t available in many areas of the county. “People think it’s the county’s fault,” Buster said.

Apparently the company requires a certain number of households in a certain mile radius to run cable lines, but other magistrates noted that several areas of the county did not have access to cable or internet.

It was also noted that with the possibility that school students may have to be in virtual learning situations at home, high speed internet availability, especially now, was an important issue.

Judge Craig said he would ask that a Mediacom representative attend a future court meeting to answer questions about the cable access in the county.

Magistrate Marcum then asked Clinton County Jailer Tracy Thurman if he had received any quotes for roof repairs at the jail.

The jailer noted he was still working on getting quotes, but it was difficult to find contractors who were insured that would be willing to take the job. He added he would try to have more information by next month’s meeting.

Thurman also gave his monthly report, saying there had been 48 new intakes over the past month and also turned over a check for $1,518.00 in booking/housing fees.

The next regular meeting of Clinton Fiscal Court is scheduled for September 17 at 5 p.m.