County Commission Meets
Commissioner
Connie Kinder was absent from duty for the final Commission
meeting of 2021 on Dec 22nd. Twenty or so taxpayers were in
the peanut gallery for the fun fest.
How do you like your internet service? Not so fast? Not so dependable?
County leadership has been talking about improving DSL service for a number of years. Other than talk, little else has been going on despite millions upon millions of dollars in new (free) COVID funding flowing from DC.
As best we can understand after years of talk, the local plan calls for new service coming from Dixie up to the Town of Clay. That doesn't sound like much when you consider much of that area is covered with cable service from SuddenLink.
For this meeting, reps from Roane County were on hand to say quite frankly, either move it or milk it. Its sounded like, something along the lines of, Clayberry, either get on the ball or Roane County will set up a connection to Roane with or without you. Translation: Roane County will set up a high speed line from Dixie to Roane and leave us out of the loop.
Commissioner Fran King was hesitant to cough up local COVID funds ($500K match) for the project since wawa extensions are top priority.
Consensus: You don't have to be a part of this but Roane will, with or without you.
The County Commission's decision on this will occur on Jan 5th during the organizational meeting at the Courthouse.
Item 7 on the agenda concerned the Nebo Wawa line extension. On hand was Mr Money Bags Terry Martin who explained, the last Nebo wawa project funding had been shot down and it's time again to make the ask for the Federal funding. We can expect some mandatory public hearings to pop up in the next few weeks and then the application will be submitted once again.
CCC is applying for a new Badgemobile grant (USDA) for the Sheriff's Dept.
OK readers. Since the beginning of time, our Black Shirt candidates have had a tough time passing the written test to be a Badge. Up until now, candidates had to score at least 70% on the exam to make it to training. Not so no more. County Commission voted to lower that threshold down to 65%. Let's see now, on about any test in the Clayberry School System, 65% nets a great big F.
Here's the biggy for this final meeting in 2021.
Govt agencies are a cash cow with free COVID dollars flowing left and right. Towns, School Boards, and County Commissions through out the state are rolling in it. The idea of the $$$ was to making lasting improvements, to grow struggling economies.
Agenda item 16 was to hand out $1200 Christmas bonuses to all Courthouse employees. Christmas bonuses, or any bonus checks, are unlawful in West Virginia. How do you get around such a law? It's easy, just change wording to read incentive pay, seasonal adjustments, or some other crapola. Right?
Fran and David came up with calling the Christmas bonus a "one time incentive pay".
There's a problem with that name. If you give an employee a $1200 pay raise, it can't be just one time, it has to be continued for the following fiscal years.
When asked where the money was coming from, neither Commissioner would answer the question. Instead, they just grinned and continued business.
In the way of history, County Clay wrote the book on illegal bonuses as far back as 1997. So much H was raised back then, Commissioner Jimmy Sams asked for a formal Attorney General opinion on the matter.
On Dec 11th 1997, the Attorney General's office issued a decision on the notorious practice. In bold black and white, the decision read: bonuses are illegal.
So much for the law and learning from previous mistakes.
How do you like your internet service? Not so fast? Not so dependable?
County leadership has been talking about improving DSL service for a number of years. Other than talk, little else has been going on despite millions upon millions of dollars in new (free) COVID funding flowing from DC.
As best we can understand after years of talk, the local plan calls for new service coming from Dixie up to the Town of Clay. That doesn't sound like much when you consider much of that area is covered with cable service from SuddenLink.
For this meeting, reps from Roane County were on hand to say quite frankly, either move it or milk it. Its sounded like, something along the lines of, Clayberry, either get on the ball or Roane County will set up a connection to Roane with or without you. Translation: Roane County will set up a high speed line from Dixie to Roane and leave us out of the loop.
Commissioner Fran King was hesitant to cough up local COVID funds ($500K match) for the project since wawa extensions are top priority.
Consensus: You don't have to be a part of this but Roane will, with or without you.
The County Commission's decision on this will occur on Jan 5th during the organizational meeting at the Courthouse.
Item 7 on the agenda concerned the Nebo Wawa line extension. On hand was Mr Money Bags Terry Martin who explained, the last Nebo wawa project funding had been shot down and it's time again to make the ask for the Federal funding. We can expect some mandatory public hearings to pop up in the next few weeks and then the application will be submitted once again.
CCC is applying for a new Badgemobile grant (USDA) for the Sheriff's Dept.
OK readers. Since the beginning of time, our Black Shirt candidates have had a tough time passing the written test to be a Badge. Up until now, candidates had to score at least 70% on the exam to make it to training. Not so no more. County Commission voted to lower that threshold down to 65%. Let's see now, on about any test in the Clayberry School System, 65% nets a great big F.
Here's the biggy for this final meeting in 2021.
Govt agencies are a cash cow with free COVID dollars flowing left and right. Towns, School Boards, and County Commissions through out the state are rolling in it. The idea of the $$$ was to making lasting improvements, to grow struggling economies.
Agenda item 16 was to hand out $1200 Christmas bonuses to all Courthouse employees. Christmas bonuses, or any bonus checks, are unlawful in West Virginia. How do you get around such a law? It's easy, just change wording to read incentive pay, seasonal adjustments, or some other crapola. Right?
Fran and David came up with calling the Christmas bonus a "one time incentive pay".
There's a problem with that name. If you give an employee a $1200 pay raise, it can't be just one time, it has to be continued for the following fiscal years.
When asked where the money was coming from, neither Commissioner would answer the question. Instead, they just grinned and continued business.
In the way of history, County Clay wrote the book on illegal bonuses as far back as 1997. So much H was raised back then, Commissioner Jimmy Sams asked for a formal Attorney General opinion on the matter.
On Dec 11th 1997, the Attorney General's office issued a decision on the notorious practice. In bold black and white, the decision read: bonuses are illegal.
So much for the law and learning from previous mistakes.
For exceptional service, 911 Dispatchers Michelle Morton (Left) and Erica Kirk were presented with certificates for outstanding service.
Here's the curb on Main Street where Courthouse Square was damaged by a passing motorist a number of years ago. The dangerous situation would drive a risk management expert nutso. No so here in Clayberry.
AW