Owen named new supervisors president

District 4 Supervisor Randy Owen was named board president Monday at the first meeting of the new year. District 5 Supervisor Steve Watson was chosen as vice-president, which is in keeping with the board’s announced plan four years ago to rotate the presidency each year. Supervisors said they want to give each board member experience in leading the group and also not allow too much authority to rest in one person over the four-year term.

Because this was the first meeting of a new term, the board also needed to appoint various county positions and name supervisors to serve on boards outside county government.

This was the first meeting for District 1 Supervisor Sam Taylor and District 3 Supervisor C. J. Bright, both elected this past fall. The two were selected to serve on the board of directors for the PUL Alliance, the three-county group responsible for helping bring Toyota here.

Bright will represent the county on the New Albany Main Street Association Board, and Owen and Bright will represent the county on the Union County Development Association Board.

In one personnel matter, the board appointed emergency management director Curt Clayton interim Union County Fire Coordinator. President Owen noted that this is an interim appointment for a few weeks until a permanent coordinator can be selected.

Former coordinator Steve Coker resigned in December, citing health reasons, after having served for nearly a decade. Coker is remaining and chief of the New Albany Fire Department, however.

Term appointments approved include:

• Terry Johnson as county administrator
• Scottie Wigington as road manager
• Chandler Rogers as board attorney
• Shellie Kent as purchase clerk
• Amanda Barnes as inventory clerk
• Curt Clayton as receiving clerk
• Larry Britt as county engineer
• Brittney Roberson as assistant purchasing clerk
• Brittney Roberson ad comptroller
• A number of individuals as receiving clerks

This year the board has added an item to each meeting called the consent agenda. This includes routine items that come every month and state officials have said supervisors may vote on all of these as one group, unless a supervisor wants to call out one or more items for any reason. The consent agenda was approved.

In other business, supervisors approved updating interlocal agreements the county has with New Albany, Myrtle, Blue Springs and Sherman concerning tax collection.

Each town has the county collect taxes for them to help simplify the process for residents. In return for handing the collection, the county gets 1.5 percent of the amount collected.

The board also approved accepting a Victims of Crime Act grant for the district attorney’s office. The grant comes from federal funds and the district attorney’s office so no money comes directly from Union County.

Before the board adjourned, Union County Circuit Clerk Phyllis Stanford announced that senior circuit court judge Andrew Howorth has said he will retire June 30. No reason was given but it was said that Howorth has been a circuit court judge here about 18 years and it will be up to the governor to appoint a replacement until an election can be held.

The next board meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21. The meeting will not be on Monday as usual because of the Jan. 20 Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.