The Marion County Board of Supervisors opened its 2018 session by electing District 1 Supervisor Randy Dyess as its president.
The decision came Tuesday on a motion from District 4 Supervisor Raymon Rowell and second from District 3 Supervisor Tony Morgan.
Dyess succeeds District 5 Supervisor Calvin Newsom, who served as last year’s president. The Board elects a new president and vice president each year. District 2 Supervisor Terry Broome will serve as vice president after a motion by Newsom and a second from Morgan.
“It’s always an honor to serve your constituents and the county,” Dyess said. “I always enjoy it. This a part of the job that I enjoy. I’ve served three times as president. It will be a very busy year. I hope to have a lot of good things come this year.”
The Board had a busy slate on tap for the rest of the session as well, with visits from several organizations, County Engineer Jeff Dungan, Marion-Walthall Correctional Facility officials, various county officials and CPA Charlie Prince on the docket.
Dungan recently addressed the Board with a list of bridge closures after inspectors began work last month. Throughout the state, federal inspectors have been targeting wooden-pile bridges, which are prone to rotting underneath even if the driving surface looks fine. The issue of funding to pay for repairs is expected to again be a major issue during the legislative session that began Tuesday.
In other action Monday, the Board:
• Reappointed County Attorney Joe Shepard.
• Reappointed Dungan as county engineer.
• Cleaned up leftover tax rolls and homestead tax exemptions including some duplicates and some not eligible.
• Received a check from the bankruptcy court for more than $900 owed the county for electricity from the former Columbia Parachute Company, which had located in the Marion County BusinessPlex and then gone out of business.
• Deposited funds in each of the five district road accounts from money borrowed for roads and bridges. Each account received a transfer of $120,000 for road construction.
Next week, Board members will be attending the midwinter conference for supervisors.
The Board also normally meets on the third Monday of the month, but that Monday will be Dr. Martin Luther King Day, so the Board will meet on Jan. 16 at its offices on Courthouse Square.
The Jan. 16 meeting includes a 10 a.m. public hearing on solid waste disposal fees for commercial users.
A notice was recently given of the intent to increase the fee by $5 per month effective April 1, 2018, for a total fee of $25 per month per 96-gallon cart to be assessed against each small commercial site lying within the unincorporated area of Marion County. The public will be allowed to make comments.
Pictured Above: District 1 Supervisor Randy Dyess presides over the Marion County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday after being elected board president for 2018. District 2 Supervisor Terry Broome will be the vice president. | Photo by Mark Rogers
