County talks weather woes

The Franklin County Commission met for its work session Monday, with the conversation focusing heavily on the bad weather that came through Saturday.

EMA Director Mary Hallman-Glass said the biggest issue was the wind and how many trees were down. County engineer David Palmer said the storm brought the most trees down he has seen in a while.

Commission Chairman Barry Moore said the storm Saturday blew a few shingles off the Franklin County Courthouse and the Franklin County Archives.

“We made it through this weekend, and we have storms expected the rest of the week,” Hallman-Glass said. “All we can do is prepare. We will handle whatever comes our way.”

The commission also discussed bids on a telephone system upgrade for the courthouse and the possible purchase of a generator for use during storms.

Another point of discussion was the retirement of Pat Williams as animal control technician. The job description is being updated to better fit the needs for the job, and a temporary position will be advertised in the near future.

The commission also discussed the hiring of a permanent corrections officer and dispatcher, two temporary corrections officer and dispatcher jobs and the hiring of a temporary deputy after several retirements within the sheriff’s department.

The coroner is looking to purchase a vehicle for the coroner’s office to use, but the coroner chose to table this discussion until the next work session.

The next meeting for the Franklin County Commission will be Jan. 21 at 8 a.m. instead of the regularly-scheduled Monday meeting, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.