Fiscal Court approves measures to enhance local infrastructure
BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — According to the results of the 2020 U.S. Census, Martin County residents are set to see new magisterial boundaries. Magistrates ratified Judge-Executive Lon Lafferty’s recommendations for appointees to a local redistricting committee in a Fiscal Court meeting Thursday.
“After the census every 10 years, the state requires us to form a committee to ensure that each district is equally represented in terms of the number of votes,” Lafferty stated.
The redistricting committee, which must devise and submit a plan within 60 days, consists of Martin County Clerk Susie Skyles, Gary Gauze from District 3, James Ayers from District 1, and Kayla May from District 2.
In addition to redistricting, the Fiscal Court addressed a variety of agenda items, including authorizing a single-county coal severance grant application for $70,000 to cover the Martin County Economic Development director’s salary and another for $667,000 to make payments on the Martin County Government Center debt in FY 2024.
“The economic development authority pays half the salary for the economic development director, and this is actually a reimbursement to the court and the general fund for $70,000 from the economic development authority,” Lafferty said. “It couldn’t come at a better time.”
The court accepted a $122,787 Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant to build a splash pad and voiced a desire to maintain the existing county swimming pool. Lafferty noted he had never supported replacing the county swimming pool with a splash pad.
“The pool is a tremendous asset for the children of this county, so our plan at this point is to do both—to have a splash pad and to work to reopen the Martin County pool,” said the judge.
The court conducted the first reading of a business license ordinance that will require all businesses, sole proprietors, contractors and subcontractors conducting business in the county to purchase a license for $25 and renew it annually.
In other matters the court:
• approved an alternative library board appointment process. Previously, a list of candidates came from the state library board and the court had to pick from those. Under the new plan, the judge and fiscal court can select board members who they believe are more qualified.
• accepted Servpro’s bid of $566,173 for fire restoration of the Historic Martin County Courthouse. Insurance will be paying 100% of the cost to repair the damage incurred in an April 10 fire that broke out on the second floor of the east wing.
• authorized grant applications to replace sheriff’s office firearms and purchase a new vehicle.
• accepted bids from Cody Webb on two parcels of surplus property. Webb bid $2,500 on the first parcel and $1,500 on the second parcel.
• declared surplus property, including 14 tires, three salt spreaders with gasoline motors, five snow plows, a 5×8 utility trailer, and 0.19 acres of land at Chapman Bottom in Lovely. Those will be advertised in the newspaper.
• voted to advertise for blacktop and gravel prices.
• voted to remove a portion of Castle Branch Road from the county road plan. Phelps explained the property owner at the head of Castle Branch owns all of the property and that portion of the road serves no other property owners.
• approved hiring Marie Fitzpatrick as finance officer on an interim basis at $16.35 per hour, Kara Grace as a full-time secretary in the judge’s office at $12.74 per hour, Addison Duncan as a seasonal office worker at $9.50 per hour, and Candace Fulton and Charles Anthony Spence as dispatchers at $14 an hour.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, a resident questioned the age of the sheriff’s firearms and vehicles, asking if it would be less expensive to repair or replace.
Judge Lafferty explained the maintenance and replacement needs, saying the equipment was “quite old.”
The next Martin County Fiscal Court meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Aug. 17.