County finalizes purchase of office space for district attorney

Union County supervisors wrapped up purchase of office space for the district attorney Monday during a brief meeting.

They approved the sale closing and check issuance, and also approved transferring up to $100,000 from the general fund to the district attorney’s building fund.

The district attorney had been using space in the old jail but needed room and was hampered by water damage in the aged building.

As an alternative, supervisors voted to purchase the former law office of John David Pennebaker on Camp Street near the courthouse for use by the DA.

The recently renovated office was purchased for $300,000, the appraised value, from Jordan and Jordan Properties. The county was able to get a $200,000 grant to pay part of the cost and the building will actually be leased by the county to the district attorney’s office, eventually offsetting the remaining $100,000 the county will pay.

The structure will serve as the home office for the entire district’s seven counties, replacing the Oxford office.

The district attorney has been using the former law office on a temporary lease basis while funding and other details were worked out.

Supervisors also transferred $300,000 from the general fund to pay for the new E-911 system. The system, recently installed, is expected to improve communications and location abilities. The old system was obsolete and finding replacement parts had become difficult.

The board approved an inter-fund loan in the amount of $76,541.18 for the Martintown North Industrial Park utilities project. The transfer was made in anticipation of grant funds. The industrial park had a road constructed through it and then utilities were added along the road as well.

In personnel, supervisors approved hiring Rex Allen Chism and Kevin Yager for the road department and approved a longevity pay increase for Mary Katherine Hale at the justice court department.

In other business, the board approved requesting a grant from the Department of Environmental Quality to be used to clean up unauthorized dump sites in the county. The grant would be for $15,179 and board president Steve Watson said unauthorized dump sites are a continuing problem in the county.

Supervisors approved some petitions to decrease real property assessments as presented by tax assessor-collector Tameri Dunnam. Dunnam said the decreases were applied to property that was actually sold to the state or had an error in including Homestead Exemption.

They also voted to re-appoint board president Watson to represent Union County on the Three Rivers Planning and Development District Board.

Other routine business included the May claims docket and minutes, the June road work schedule, solid waste register and paying the medical examiner-investigator for 16 death investigations. Also approved were the list of surrendered vehicle tags (that must be destroyed), paying the five election commissioners their per diem fees and paying the circuit clerk for services as county registrar and holding circuit court.

The next board of supervisors meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday, June 21.