At the Feb. 20 Franklin County Commission meeting, Chairman Barry Moore provided an update on the sales tax legislation the commission originally discussed in November 2017. Moore said the legislation had passed through both the House and the Senate and then requested that the commission approve him to submit the two referendums they voted on in November.

The first resolution the commission passed presents two changes to the current tax amendment: that the 1-cent sales tax be set for a 30-year period instead of two years and that the 25 percent the commission receives will not go toward ATRIP projects specifically but for construction, maintenance and repair of roads and bridges, Moore explained. It also states that if the proposal does not make the June ballot, it will move on to be placed on the November ballot.

The second resolution is in place in case the amendment doesn’t make it to the June ballot. It states that in the case of it not making the June ballot, citizens can still vote to renew the original two-year tax plan in June without it having to go through legislature. Moore said this resolution keeps the school systems from being left without the funding in between voting sessions.

Through unanimous vote, the commission approved Moore to submit the two referendums. The deadline to turn them in is March 15, and the deadline to make any corrections to them is March 21.

Other proceedings at the commission meeting included:

• Approval for the solid waste department to hire Colton Hallmark as a temporary employee.
• Approval for the solid waste department to declare two garbage trucks as surplus property and go to JM Wood and one front end loader and another garbage truck to go to govdeals.com as surplus property.
• Approval for the solid waste department to solicit quotes for a loan of $300,00 for new garbage trucks with a five- or six-year time frame with no penalty.
• Approval of the lease buyback program with the solid waste department for either 18 months at $107,250 or 24 months at $92,500.
• Approval of the resignation of Hollie Phillips, a corrections officer/dispatcher at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
• Approval for the Sheriff’s Office to advertise for a corrections officer/dispatcher.
• Approval of the termination of Amy Shelnutt from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
• Approval for the Sheriff’s Office to advertise for a corrections officer/dispatcher.
• Approval of ATRIP invoices to the Highway Department for $7,071 and $266.98.
• Approval to apply for an Industrial Access Grant for Mike Green Park to extend an existing road. The application will be through NACOLG for $292,000.
• Approval for the highway department to solicit bids for a loan for four dump trucks at the approximate value of $600,000 with a five- or six-year plan with no penalty. “These bids for the dump trucks and garbage trucks are for maintenance issues. We don’t do this lightly. It is actually saving us money,” Commissioner Jason Miller said. Attorney Roger Bedford agreed and said the lease buyback program saves them “hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long run.”
• Approval of Trae Durden as the new Community Action Board appointee
• Approval of Lille Pride as the new Department of Human Resources Board appointee
• Approval of the signing of the ACCA Liability Self-Insurance Fund Participation Agreement, which Moore said the commission started last year.
• Approval for the highway safety budget revision of $50,000.