
BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Martin County Fiscal Court approved board appointments, awarded mowing contracts and advanced several other business items during a special meeting March 26.
Magistrates approved Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty’s reappointment of John Hensley and Colby Kirk to the Martin County Utility Board.
The court also approved Karen Thoma to fill Linda Lou Webb’s unexpired term on the Martin County Tourism and Recreational Board through June 2026.
Lafferty said Webb, who has helped lead Christmas in the Mountains, will remain involved in an advisory role.
“We say every year what an incredible festival it is and what incredible work that Linda, Barry [Webb], Brenda [Davis] and everyone else affiliated with Christmas in the Mountains do,” Lafferty said. “She’s come off the board, but she is still going to be there in an advisory role. She assured everyone that she would do whatever she could to help. Now filling those shoes is a huge task.”
Jessica Preece got the nod to serve on the Martin County Public Libraries board.
The court also approved hiring Braxton Lafferty as CARES program recovery resource manager at $50,000 per year. The late Carmel Cline previously held the position.
“He will do a great job in that role,” Lafferty said.
On bids, magistrates awarded the park mowing contract to Tan the Man Lawn Care Service of Inez for $35,000 over a competing $38,974.94 bid from B&B Contracting LLC of Inez. The court also accepted Jamie Queen’s $1,250 bid for surplus property on Groundhog Hollow in Warfield.
For roadside mowing, the court received two bids from M&J Contracting: $12,500 for partial cutting of roads the county cannot mow itself (about 90 miles) and $17,500 for two cuts on all county roads. Magistrates awarded the $17,500 contract for two cuts on all county roads.
In other action, the court:
- Approved an interlocal agreement with the City of Warfield for work on the city’s caboose as part of the county’s “Himler Heritage Caboose” project (see related story)
- Closed the ARPA account
- Tabled a tentative jail budget
- Heard a proclamation designating April 3 as Arbor Day
- Approved payment of claims totaling $192,130.82, with an attached list of bills totaling $20,888
- Authorized a birth control program for feral horses (see related story)
- Accepted the sheriff’s excess fees settlement (see related story)
- Conducted the second reading of an ordinance amending the budget to reflect receipts and appropriations of $6,688,205.59, including about $6.3 million tied to the county’s flood buyout effort (see related story).
