The Drew County Quorum Court held its first meeting of 2024 on Monday, January 8, in the Quorum Court chambers. Justice of the Peace Frank Appleberry opened with an invocation, after which all in attendance recited the Pledge of Allegiance. County Clerk Stephanie Chisom called the roll and found all of the Justices of the Peace to be present. Following this, the agenda and minutes from the last meeting were approved.
County Treasurer Charlie Searcy gave his report to the court. He stated that December had been an expensive month for the county. He added that the county had been running pretty decent throughout the year up until December. He said that the county ended up around $550,000 which is down from 2022. Searcy noted that a good portion of the expense was making payment on the jail roof repairs. Searcy said that the amount available in County General ended up being $7,048,000 which is down from $7,700,000 in 2022.
County Judge Jessie Griffin offered his statements to the court. He noted that several trash trucks are operational but sit at the warehouse doing nothing. He said that the trucks cost the county $4,000 annually to keep them maintained. He tasked the Justices of the Peace with figuring out what the county should do with the trucks. He asked them to have an idea within the next three to four months. Judge Griffin also said that none of the county committees have changed, and he has no plans to change them. Judge Griffin said that the Policies and Procedures Committee will begin presenting one to two policies to the court members each month. This will allow them to be reviewed for any necessary changes. If there are any, they will be addressed at the following month’s meeting. Both Searcy and County Attorney Cliff Gibson said that this process hasn’t been done in at least 11 years.
County Collector Tonya Loveless came before the court to revisit her proposal of potentially charging Drew County taxpayers for the cost of postage to mail out statements each year. This reimbursement would help the county recoup some expenses. Justice Orlando Jones made a motion to leave the system the way it is. His motion was approved with Steve Piggott offering the only dissenting vote.
The court approved Appropriation Ordinance No. 2024-01 which would fund two Class II operator positions that were accidentally omitted from the 2024 budget. This ordinance simply fixes the budget as these positions already exist.
Appropriation Ordinance No. 2024-02 was approved to clean up funds from the 2023 end-of-year.
The members of the court approved Appropriation Ordinance No. 2024-03 which would pay $375,000 to repair three bridges in Wilmar. A fourth bridge has already been repaired on the same section of road.
The Quorum Court also passed Emergency Ordinance No. 2024-24. This ordinance would be enacted to raise the landfill rates and address related matters. Per the ordinance, landfill rates will move to $50 per ton of solid waste that is delivered by commercial firms or non-residents of the county. The fee would move to $35 per ton for solid waste delivered by Drew Co. residents. These fees go into effect March 1, 2024. The court also enacted the Emergency Clause passing the ordinance on the spot.
The Court members approved the 2024 Holiday Schedule and agreed to keep the Quorum Court meetings at 6 p.m. on the second Monday of every month (pending holiday interference).
With no other items on the agenda, the Quorum Court adjourned until February 12.
