County Commission Taking More!
Commissioner King on her perch
The March 10th
meeting of the Clay County Commission was one for the record
books. The direction and posture of that meeting was steered
by CCC Prez Fran King. Here's some of the lowlights of that
public gathering where around a dozen or so occupied the
peanut gallery
For a number of years, the CCC has supported the county's only library, the Clay County Public Library. Most recently, that support comes by paying the liability insurance coverage on the brick building.
Each year, members of the Library Board of Trustees and Library Manager Sheila Thorne make their rounds to govt agencies to shore up support and with their hands out for additional operation funds. The way State oversight sees it, local libraries MUST meet a certain level of contributions before state funds kick in.
For this meeting, Sheila Thorne along with Trustee Karen Nicholas were on hand for the plea. Sheila read down a long list of stuff they hope to do this year. Thorne provided, many online services including ZOOM meetings are now available are now free to use.
CCC voted to cover the insurance bill for the Library, $2535.00
Since Corony struck the world, the local Courthouse went thru lock down periods followed by restricted usage periods. Most recently all visitors were funneled in thru the back door and submitted to sign ins and temp checks.
That's all changing, sort of, on March 15th when the courts will be back to normal. Mask wearing will still be mandatory as will social distancing said Ms King
Now comes the good stuff
From out of the blue, item #14 called for the raising of building permit fees. The whole point of building permits /fees is to let the Assessor's office know so additional taxes can be collected.
Before the vote to raise fees, from the peanut gallery, why and is this mandated by some state directive? The answer from the Commission Prez, Nope it's not mandated, "It's just time."
Get it, during the worst of times, a killer pandemic for instance, and in the land of fewer jobs and businesses, it's time to break it off in those remaining in the county and do so without Crisco.
The vote passed unanimously.
From up front, discussion turned to the Central Appalachia Empowerment Zone (CAEZ) holding unlawful meetings. On her soapbox, King told the CAEZ rep in attendance, she was not about to participate in unlawful meetings, CAEZ was not making proper public notice (agenda) even if their meetings were held via ZOOM internet services, and they cannot limit public participation of the CAEZ gatherings.
Commissioner Connie Kinder (also a CAEZ Boardster) chimed in with issues with not be able to hear the meetings on the web.
Commissioner King to CAEZ rep Gary Stuber, "Maybe you should get some training... Your meetings are illegal!!!"
When is $1+million in reserve not enough for govt? The answer is , here in Clayberry.
Agenda item 16 was announcing a public hearing to raise user taxes on landline telephones in Clayberry.
Background. From the beginning of the ordinance (fee) and long before we had a local 911 dispatching service, the $2 per month fee has been voluntary. Yelp, if you fill out the form, the $2 per month fee will be removed from your monthly tele bill. We think that "voluntary" part came via the efforts of Commissioner Jimmy Sams years ago.
Back to this meeting...
Fran King led the charge for the increase of the 911 fee. Under questioning, she admitted, no state mandate had come down the pike; replacing 911 equipment is very costly; and 911 communications in the county needs improved a bunch.
Here's a kicker readers. This county already have $1,032,532.41 in reserve plus they receive an additional $100,000+ every quarter from the state. For instance, in March, actually the day of this meeting, County Clay received over $150,000 for this quarter. Reality is, the 911 account is a cash cow for the Commission. The coffers are overflowing.
For those of us that listen to 911 scanner traffic, we often hear drops, static, and otherwise loss of signal.
True, when Fran says communications are awful.. she's right but she is also the problem. If 911 control consuls cost around $100,000 each and if new consuls were installed, the remaining balance in the account would still be huge. If they replace or added another tower / antenna, they would still have 100's of thousands left over. The problem with communications is lack of leadership and that's the County Commission.
That public hearing will held April 28th. That's when the public can complain or add support for taking more from your wallet.
And now with her pithy attitude front and center. We think Ms King's shorts were all bunched up!
During the last several months, Ms King came forth with an idea to develop an old barn along ERTS to serve as a rest stop, a place for bikers, hikers, horseback riders to stop and have a picnic or take a break. She spoke on more than one occasion about some kind of grant opportunity was out there to rebuild the old stone foundation building.
A little latter, she told the world, she had found the owner of the barn (Lynn Kelly) and that feller was OK with turning the place into such a tourist stop. We provided a write up on here efforts. A darn good write up too!
For this meeting, Fran King was a horse's arss. As for an update on the barn, she ain't involved, she ain't about to help with that project, she has washed hands with anything to do with ERTS.
What got her thang in the wringer. From her own high speed mouth, she's miffed about the coverage of her efforts via this near award winning newspaper of record and sister, clayberry.org web portal.
With her panties all wadded up, she will have nothing to do with ERTS. Instead, her info on the barn idea, that has been given to the Elk River Foundation down in Clendenin and she ain't touching it.
She's given up on the future of Clayberry because she can't control her own hormones.
Another one of her ideas was some kind of trial club to grow ERTS use thru events. To date, King has been unable to find even one person willing to run with the darn good idea.
When the Trail Club idea came up during this meeting, outraged Fran King wasn't willing to hear one word. She's out of it.
What that Dip didn't know was, sitting right there in the peanut gallery was a guy willing to take up her idea and grow it.
We think someone must have crapped in Fran's oatmeal that morning. Or else.... Can't help but recall what Elbert Hubbard once said: Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped.
In the end, Clayberry will suffer again. Thank you Fran King
AW
For a number of years, the CCC has supported the county's only library, the Clay County Public Library. Most recently, that support comes by paying the liability insurance coverage on the brick building.
Each year, members of the Library Board of Trustees and Library Manager Sheila Thorne make their rounds to govt agencies to shore up support and with their hands out for additional operation funds. The way State oversight sees it, local libraries MUST meet a certain level of contributions before state funds kick in.
For this meeting, Sheila Thorne along with Trustee Karen Nicholas were on hand for the plea. Sheila read down a long list of stuff they hope to do this year. Thorne provided, many online services including ZOOM meetings are now available are now free to use.
CCC voted to cover the insurance bill for the Library, $2535.00
Since Corony struck the world, the local Courthouse went thru lock down periods followed by restricted usage periods. Most recently all visitors were funneled in thru the back door and submitted to sign ins and temp checks.
That's all changing, sort of, on March 15th when the courts will be back to normal. Mask wearing will still be mandatory as will social distancing said Ms King
Now comes the good stuff
From out of the blue, item #14 called for the raising of building permit fees. The whole point of building permits /fees is to let the Assessor's office know so additional taxes can be collected.
Before the vote to raise fees, from the peanut gallery, why and is this mandated by some state directive? The answer from the Commission Prez, Nope it's not mandated, "It's just time."
Get it, during the worst of times, a killer pandemic for instance, and in the land of fewer jobs and businesses, it's time to break it off in those remaining in the county and do so without Crisco.
The vote passed unanimously.
From up front, discussion turned to the Central Appalachia Empowerment Zone (CAEZ) holding unlawful meetings. On her soapbox, King told the CAEZ rep in attendance, she was not about to participate in unlawful meetings, CAEZ was not making proper public notice (agenda) even if their meetings were held via ZOOM internet services, and they cannot limit public participation of the CAEZ gatherings.
Commissioner Connie Kinder (also a CAEZ Boardster) chimed in with issues with not be able to hear the meetings on the web.
Commissioner King to CAEZ rep Gary Stuber, "Maybe you should get some training... Your meetings are illegal!!!"
When is $1+million in reserve not enough for govt? The answer is , here in Clayberry.
Agenda item 16 was announcing a public hearing to raise user taxes on landline telephones in Clayberry.
Background. From the beginning of the ordinance (fee) and long before we had a local 911 dispatching service, the $2 per month fee has been voluntary. Yelp, if you fill out the form, the $2 per month fee will be removed from your monthly tele bill. We think that "voluntary" part came via the efforts of Commissioner Jimmy Sams years ago.
Back to this meeting...
Fran King led the charge for the increase of the 911 fee. Under questioning, she admitted, no state mandate had come down the pike; replacing 911 equipment is very costly; and 911 communications in the county needs improved a bunch.
Here's a kicker readers. This county already have $1,032,532.41 in reserve plus they receive an additional $100,000+ every quarter from the state. For instance, in March, actually the day of this meeting, County Clay received over $150,000 for this quarter. Reality is, the 911 account is a cash cow for the Commission. The coffers are overflowing.
For those of us that listen to 911 scanner traffic, we often hear drops, static, and otherwise loss of signal.
True, when Fran says communications are awful.. she's right but she is also the problem. If 911 control consuls cost around $100,000 each and if new consuls were installed, the remaining balance in the account would still be huge. If they replace or added another tower / antenna, they would still have 100's of thousands left over. The problem with communications is lack of leadership and that's the County Commission.
That public hearing will held April 28th. That's when the public can complain or add support for taking more from your wallet.
And now with her pithy attitude front and center. We think Ms King's shorts were all bunched up!
During the last several months, Ms King came forth with an idea to develop an old barn along ERTS to serve as a rest stop, a place for bikers, hikers, horseback riders to stop and have a picnic or take a break. She spoke on more than one occasion about some kind of grant opportunity was out there to rebuild the old stone foundation building.
A little latter, she told the world, she had found the owner of the barn (Lynn Kelly) and that feller was OK with turning the place into such a tourist stop. We provided a write up on here efforts. A darn good write up too!
For this meeting, Fran King was a horse's arss. As for an update on the barn, she ain't involved, she ain't about to help with that project, she has washed hands with anything to do with ERTS.
What got her thang in the wringer. From her own high speed mouth, she's miffed about the coverage of her efforts via this near award winning newspaper of record and sister, clayberry.org web portal.
With her panties all wadded up, she will have nothing to do with ERTS. Instead, her info on the barn idea, that has been given to the Elk River Foundation down in Clendenin and she ain't touching it.
She's given up on the future of Clayberry because she can't control her own hormones.
Another one of her ideas was some kind of trial club to grow ERTS use thru events. To date, King has been unable to find even one person willing to run with the darn good idea.
When the Trail Club idea came up during this meeting, outraged Fran King wasn't willing to hear one word. She's out of it.
What that Dip didn't know was, sitting right there in the peanut gallery was a guy willing to take up her idea and grow it.
We think someone must have crapped in Fran's oatmeal that morning. Or else.... Can't help but recall what Elbert Hubbard once said: Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped.
In the end, Clayberry will suffer again. Thank you Fran King
AW