Pinotti objects to 2 items on county agenda

Cherokee County Commissioners met briefly Monday morning to consider a 12 item agenda.

Two items on the agenda drew opposition from Katherine Pinotti.

The first was a budget amendment that allowed longevity pay for an employee being made fulltime in the Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 office. This person had 10 years of service to the county. Mrs. Pinotti said commissioners agreed not to raise salaries and she thought this would be a raise for this employee.

Also, the budget amendments included payment of a salary for a full-time court reporter for Judge Bascom Bentley III’s court. The salary will be split between Cherokee and Anderson counties with Cherokee paying 46 percent and Anderson 54 percent.

The second matter that Mrs. Pinotti opposed was the nomination of John Mark Lester and Jamie Treadwell to the Cherokee County Appraisal District Board of Directors.

Mrs. Pinotti said she did not know either of the two and did not want to vote for someone she did know.

Commissioners voted to allow constables to use their own or leased marked vehicles for county business.

The 2010 Cherokee County Resolution Indigent Defense grant was approved to provide funds to pay defense attorneys for indigent county residents.

Upgrades and the purchase of new software from Net Data for Justice of the Peace James Morris, Precinct 3 were approved. Cost will be approximately $15,000, but will not allow information to be sent from his office to the county’s collection firm.

Larry Martin of McCreary, Veselka, Bragg & Allen P.C., hired by the county for fine collections, attended the meeting and asked if the package included an export program. Mr. Martin was told that it did not.

Fuel bids from Hubert Glass Oil Co. in Jacksonville and Beckat Oil in Tyler were approved. The county will purchase fuel from both companies.

The use of a boom-ax on Haws Road in New Summerfield was approved.

Monthly reports from Ricky Moore, license and weight officer; and Constable Lynn Kelley, Precinct 1 were approved.

The Monday Oct. 12 meeting will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 13 because of the Columbus Day holiday.

Attending the meeting were Judge Chris Davis; Commissioners Kelly Traylor, Kevin Pierce, Mrs. Pinotti and Byron Underwood; County Clerk Laverne Lusk; and County Auditor L.H. Crockett.