Clinton County Fiscal Court held its final meeting of 2020 last Thursday, December 17, with hand and a light agenda for the brief 20 minute regular session.

The meeting was streamed live on the Clinton County Judge/Executive’s Facebook page.

The court first acknowledged receiving the treasurer’s report, approved the monthly report and one line item transfer and voted to pay claims and bills.

A couple of cash transfers were approved on separate votes, including $30,000 to the jail account and $40,000 to the ambulance account, both from the Occupation Tax Fund.

The court then approved a sheriff’s department budget amendment pertaining to the purchase of a sheriff’s department vehicle and also approved the sheriff’s office 2020-21 fiscal year budget, including deputy salaries.

Sheriff Jeff Vincent noted the new budget was slightly less than that of the last fiscal year.

The court then approved second and final reading of a resolution to discontinue a 760 foot portion of the back end of Upchurch Road.

After hearing the monthly jailer’s report from Tracy Thurman, magistrate Jerry Lowhorn thanked the judge, fellow magistrates and county employees for their work over the past year.

The next issue brought up by magistrate Ray Marcum was met with a split decision when it came time to vote.

Marcum said county road department employees had questions about pay raises and noted that during this year, one of the county employees had left the department. Marcum recommended, and eventually made a motion, to split that employee’s salary and divide it among the other nine county road department workers.

Marcum said the salaries were coming from the road fund and that by splitting the one salary with the remaining employees, it would not raise the budget.

Although the motion passed, two magistrates, Lowhorn and Mickey Riddle, voted no, saying they felt it wasn’t fair to employees in other departments.

Clinton County Judge/Executive Ricky Craig, after a roll call vote and the motion passing, said the process on how to divide the salary among the other employees on the road crew would have to be made.

The court also approved an agreement with Verizon to continue service with a cell tower in the county that had been originally put in place in 2011. Since that time, Verizon has purchased the rights of the tower from another company and the agreement allows the continuance of Verizon to maintain and provide service from the cell tower.

Prior to the meeting being adjourned, several expressions of gratitude were passed out during the final meeting of the year.

Sheriff Vincent thanked the judge, fiscal court, the jailer, county attorney and others for working in cooperation with his office over the past year.

Judge Craig also thanked the sheriff and all the court members and county employees, including his office staff, and other officials for their work and cooperation.

Although noting it had been a very tough year,due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he wished everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and asked everyone to keep those affected by the pandemic in their prayers.

The next regular meeting of Clinton Fiscal Court is scheduled for Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 5 p.m. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the meeting will once again be streamed live on the county judge’s Facebook page.