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By Fred Guarino
The Lowndes Signal
The Lowndes County E911 Board held a special meeting Thursday night, June 12 to elect officers and take care of matters relating to the function of the board.
Kelly Lambert, who presided over the meeting, said, “At this time, we don’t have any officers whatsoever.”
To remedy the situation, the board elected Lambert, as chairman, Willie Arnold, as vice chairman, Martha Matthews as treasurer and elected Lowndes County E911 Director Santana Rogers as secretary.
The board will seek to confirm as to whether or not an employee such as Rogers can serve as an officer.
The board also approved the following:
•Lowndes County Sheriff John Williams will oversee E911 dispatchers.
•A $50 stipend will be paid to board members per meeting.
•Lowndes County Commission Chairman Robert Harris and Lowndes County Commission Administrator Jackie Thomas will be authorized to sign E911 checks.
•All E911 salaries will remain the same (there are currently eight E911 dispatchers).
•The board adopts the Lowndes County Commission policies and procedures, but will check to see if any provisions do not apply or other provisions are needed.
•The board adopts the Lowndes County Commission travel polices.
Overstreet said the $50 stipend was a good starting point, but the board could “see over time how it works for us.” Lambert added, “At the same time we will be watching our money, and if we see our money is disappearing, we will try help get the money back by maybe lowering it.” He said, however, if funds increase and the board members find they are doing a lot more work, “We might want to increase it.”
Rogers pointed out that the E911 Board is a separate entity from the Lowndes County Commission. She said with regard to salaries, if the commission approves a raise for county employees, the E911 Board would have to take separate action to the raise salaries well.
Lambert added, “We’re going to have another meeting just for the budget, and all of this (salaries, etc.) will be taken up.”
The board tabled action to appoint a seventh board meeting until is next meeting in July.
Present for Thursday’s meeting were Rogers and Board members including Sheriff Williams, Lambert, Bob Overstreet, Willie Arnold, Martha Matthews and Lowndes County Engineer David Butts.