County Boards Elect Officers

The Jefferson County Commission, Jefferson County Budget Committee and Jefferson County School Board recently elected officers to hold various positions of service to the citizens. Commissioners elected Jefferson County Mayor Mark Potts to the position of Chair of the County Commission. Commissioners Kesterson, Douglas and Scarlett will serve respectively as Chair Pro Temp, Chaplin and Parliamentarian of the County Commission. Scarlett will do double duty as Chair of the Budget Committee. Dockery is Vice Chair and Carmichael will hold the position of Secretary of the Budget Committee. The County Commission and Budget Committee welcomed new member Snodgrass to the fold this month.

Long standing School Board Chair Ann Marie Potts will retain the gavel for the School Board, with Pinkerton serving as Vice Chair. The School Board welcomed two new members in September and one returning member. Solomon returned for another stint on the Board and new comers Zander and Martin took their oath of office.

Highlights of September action for the Special Called Meeting of the County Commission ( no regular meetings in September) included the approval of several budget amendments and resolutions that were largely general housekeeping in nature. Jefferson County Finance Director Potts reviewed the County financial situation with both the Budget Committee and the full body. He stated that Jefferson County received a generous increase of nearly $400,000 in grant money above what was budget for in the current fiscal year. Rollover funds were solid for both the county and school side of the budget with a $2.1 million dollar rollover from the county and a $3.3 million rollover from the schools. The County General Fund now sits at at $2.9 million dollars and the Department of Education General Fund is at an available balance of $4.7 million dollars. The Jefferson County Highway Department enjoyed a $800,000 rollover from the previous fiscal year. Director Potts attributed County side numbers largely to an increase in sales tax of 14% driven by stimulus funds and on line shopping. Hotel/ Motel tax also has seen an increase of $70,000 over foretasted numbers. Tax payers benefited from lower interest rates due to the covid crisis which also improved the county’s overall position. The only loss discussed was in funds coming in from boarding prisoners which was down around $200,000.

On the school side of the budget, Jefferson County Department of Education will be spending around $312,000 to hire teachers for distance learning. The contracts will be short term at the onset and will be assessed as needs shift and change due to restrictions.