County Still Not Ready To Renew Affiliation With Rescue Squad

Court Votes To Lower Tax Rates From 13.9 to 13.8

Darren Doyle, story:
County Attorney Greg Vincent made several points at tonight's fiscal court meeting as to why he would not recommend the current proposed affiliation agreement with the Edmonson County Rescue Squad.

Vincent said the proposed agreement contained language that was either unclear or not favorable with the county, such as chain of command issues and no budget or auditing requirements for the squad. He pointed out several other areas of the proposed agreement and advised the fiscal court that the rescue squad would need to make necessary changes in order to recommend an agreement.

"That doesn't mean I'm against the rescue squad," he said. "What that means is that I recommend a committee composed of Emergency Management, the Sheriff, possibly the Judge, maybe a magistrate, and I'll help as well. I would invite rescue squad members to meet and we can work out the details on how we want some of this stuff to go."

Rescue Squad member Tim Skees was in attendance and asked to speak and said the proposed agreement was basically copied verbatim from Hart County Rescue Squad. He said the squad would be interested in making changes in order to work with the county and also told the court that Emergency Management Director Terry Massey and Edmonson County Treasurer Tammi Willhite were made honorary members of the squad for transparency purposes.

"We've bent over backwards to be compliant with what fiscal court wants," he said.

Judge Executive Cannon responded to him and said no one was disputing that. Skees then said that the squad needs an affiliation agreement in order to allow personnel to undergo proper training.

County Attorney Vincent also recommended that the affiliation agreement with the Tri-County Mounted Search and Rescue Team be rescinded as soon as possible for similar reasons.

"This was not adopted by fiscal court, to my knowledge," he said "This was signed as an executive order by the Judge. This needs to be repealed. You need to issue a new order that cancels this, rescinds this, and sends them back to the drawing board. That order of affiliation gives them powers and authorities that I don't think you meant for them to have."

Judge Cannon appointed the committee, made of EM Director Terry Massey, Sheriff Shane Doyle, County Attorney Greg Vincent, and himself. Cannon said the committee would meet and discuss the item on the next meeting's agenda.

County Tax Rates For 2021
The fiscal court voted to lower the county property tax rate from 13.9 cents per $100 of assessed value to 13.8 cents. The vote came as a recommendation from Judge Cannon, who said the compensating rate had dropped to 13.4 and lowering to 13.8 would be a slight break, but would not hinder the county budget from dealing with inflation.

Courthouse Sidewalks
The fiscal court voted to accept a proposal from Martin Excavation and Contracting for $16,150 for the construction of new sidewalks at the courthouse.

The project will provide new sidewalks from the Jackson Street side, around the front of the Community Center across from Bank of Edmonson County, to the steps at the Community Center facing East Main Cross Street.

The court also voted to

• Approve to hire Kim Carroll, part-time custodian (Parks) at $11.00 per hour, date of hire 7/5/2021.
• Approve to hire Robert Coomer, part-time Dog Control at $10.00 per hour, date of hire 7/14/2021.

The next fiscal court meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 9th at 9AM in the upstairs courtroom of the courthouse.