Staff Reports
Earth Week 2022 is set and Commissioners are gearing up for the annual event allowing residents to dispose of many types of waste and debris.
This year, Earth Week will run from April 22 through May 1, giving residents two weekends to make it to any of the county dumpsites. The sites will be open regular hours, however, so residents are encouraged to plan accordingly. Times are: Pct 1 located off Victory School Road on Dumpster Rd, Noon-4p Monday and Wednesday, Noon-4p Saturday; Pct 2 located off FM 248 on Pines Rd, Noon-4p Wednesday and Sunday, Noon-5p Saturday; Pct 3 located off Hwy 49E on MCR 3503, Noon-4p Thursday and Friday, Noon-4p Saturday; and Pct 4 located off FM 3001 on Dumpster Rd, Noon-4p Tuesday and Thursday and Noon-4p Saturday.
Brush, tires, shingles, paint products, batteries or fiberglass boats are not accepted. Used oil is accepted only at the Pct 2 location.
All other materials are accepted at no charge at the dump locations.
In their regular meeting, Commissioners also designated April 2022 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, noting in the resolution that “sexual harassment, assault, and abuse are widespread and impact every person in this community… and Marion County joins advocates and communities from across the nation in playing an active role to end sexual assault.”
Marion County Judge Leward LaFleur made progress to eliminating one of the largest annual complaints Commissioners have: having to approve insurance purchases without knowing the final bill.
LaFleur said he’s worked with TAC to address the problem and now has a process in place where Commissioners first approve submitting a questionnaire, and then TAC will respond with the costs of coverage for Commissioners to approve.
Property Insurance premiums have risen every year, with the County seeing an 11% rise from 2019-2020, and a 20% rise from 2020-2021. TAC estimated a 15-20%, or about $6,000, for 2022, and estimates additional 10-15% increases for 2023 and 2024. The County has a $5,000 property deductible and a $1,000 mobile equipment deductible.
Commissioners approved new Financial Policies and Procedures for Federal Grant Contracts, revised Purchasing Policy and a Seat Belt Policy during the meeting to be in compliance with the acceptance of various Federal grants they are receiving.
Jefferson Mayor Rob Baker presented the court with a preliminary statement on the repairs made to the parking lot behind the courthouse. The City owns the lot, but has an Interlocal Agreement with the County for use. The agreement stipulates the City and County split the cost of materials on all repairs to the lot. The total bill was almost $150,000 following the re-opening of a sink hole at the conclusion of Mardi Gras weekend. Baker said he’d be getting with the contractor to re-issue the bill differentiating between material and labor costs, and would re-submit that to the court at a later date.
Finally Commissioners issued an RFQ for engineering and architectural services for renovations to the Marion County Jail project.
Commissioners will meet again on April 14. A video of the meeting is available on the Jimplecute YouTube channel