Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

JPs To Get Paid For Traveling To Meetings

Nevada County JPs living in rural parts of the county will begin drawing a mileage check in July for traveling to and from their elected jobs.

The stipend will be paid for regular monthly meetings, committee meetings and special group meetings.

This motion passed by a 6-3 vote of the Quorum Court during its regular meeting on Monday, May 12.

JPs Gary Lewis, Danny Miller and Billy Bob Rhodes voted against the measure.

Miller and Rhodes would draw the mileage checks.

Rhodes told the group he felt the JPs were paid enough ($200 a month salary) salary now - though he could see the mileage being necessary if a JP met several times a month.

JP Dobber Hicks reminded the group JPs used to draw a mileage check every month, and it was taken away illegally.

Mileage expense was removed from the JPs pay over five years ago following an election year. It's removal was apparently illegal, though no lawsuits were filed to reinstate the checks.

Minimum cost for the mileage would be $47 a month, for one meeting, though no costs of the additional paperwork was figured into these costs.

During last week's meeting JPs went over and approved the county's first personnel policy handbook.

Discussion on sick days took place for about 30 minutes and a change was made to the manual.

JPs want to check on the Arkansas employee nepotism law and approve one similar also.

The local Shell Superstop convenience store will begin getting a good bit of the county's business soon after JPs decided they would do away with the underground gas tanks at the Nevada County Sheriff's office.

Sheriff Steve Otwell told JPs the county has a 2,000 gallon tank, which has not been monitored.

He has met with a representative from the Environmental Protection Agency about new regulations concerning underground fuel tanks.

Otwell told JPs the county could expect to spend between $8,000 and $15,000 to take out the current tanks and put in new tanks at his office or just pay to have the tanks removed.

If new tanks with proper linings were installed at the sheriff's office, employees would be required to monitor ground contamination according to regulations.

Otwell said his office approached Bill Taylor, owner of the Shell station, about purchasing gasoline since it is the closest station in the city limits open 24 hours a day.

The county has credit cards for Exxon gasoline. There is a station at exit 46 at Interstate 30, giving the county access to fuel on both sides of the railroad tracks.

The agreement with Taylor is the same currently in effect with Exxon. The county will pay three cents a gallon above delivered cost, less taxes.

Otwell said at current gas prices that was already cheaper than the county's last bulk purchase.

JPs reviewed the state auditor's report during the meeting last week, also.

Nearly all offices had excellent reports, with few questions being raised.

Nevada County has been awarded a grant to replace air conditioning in the courthouse except in the courtrooms, according to county Judge James Roy Brown.

Brown said the grant totaled $25,800 but it appeared the units could cost a little less.