Wood County Commissioners Court
County expenditures: $16 million; Mileage rate upped to 50-cents
By JOHN SPARKS

 

Meeting Friday, December 28 in regular session, Wood County Commissioners heard disbursements for 2006-2007 topped $16-million in a report from the Wood County Treasurer. In a brief year-end meeting, Commissioners also adopted the mileage reimbursement rate of $.505 per mile and received a mock check for $38,454.90, representing the volunteer hours for the year recorded by the Wood County Master Gardners.

Wood County Treasurer Becky Cannon told commissioners that more than $16-million had been disbursed through her department in fiscal 2007 (ended September 30, 2007). Cannon also presented a report covering the quarter ending September 30, 2007 along with a report on monies held in various securities and accounts.
 

Following the rate of expense for automobile mileage observed by the Internal Revenue Service, Commissioners approved raising the rate to $.505 per mile.
 

Wood County Extension Agent Clint Perkins presented the court with a mock check in the amount of $38,454.90, representing the 2,838 volunteer labor hours logged this past year by members of the Wood County Master Gardners organization. Perkins also advised commissioners the Master Gardners have adopted a continuing service program which will result in the establishment of an arboretum in Quitman at Governor Jim Hogg City Park.
 

In other action, the Commissioners approved:
- Payment of claims in the amount of $265,574.11.
- Payroll in the amount of $249,302.71.
- Employee/dependent health claims of $58,164.92.
- Appointment of Ken Donahue to Wood County Industrial Commission representing the City of Alba.
- Renewal of Verizon telephone maintenance agreement for the Tax Assessor/Collector’s office.
- Approval of a new three-year agreement with Verizon for base services on main county phone lines. Extending to three-year term represents a savings to the county of $484.80 per month.
- Correction to FY08 compensation schedule.
- Authorizing the Wood County Sheriff to enter into a purchase agreement with the Texas Department of Public Safety to purchase certain supplies needed to gather evidence in DWI, PI cases.
Two personnel actions were approved as follows:
- Michael Clanton, resignation, Emergency Coordinator, County Judge’s office.
- James A Turner, retirement, Criminal District Attorney’s office.
The next regular meeting of the Wood County Commissioners Court will be Friday, January 11, 2008 at 10 a.m. A special meeting of the court can be called with 72-hour public notice.