Most of the actions at the relatively uneventful Marion County Board meeting on Tuesday involved paying bills or approving payment for already-approved projects. The most disputed ordinance of the night was authorization of an installment purchase agreement to pay costs for window replacements at the courthouse as well as potentially a backup generator and backup battery power for the courthouse. An ordinance was already approved at the previous board meeting authorizing Chairwoman Debbie Smith to sign forms necessary to take out up to $900,000 in loans from People’s Bank. This ordinance was to approve a purchase agreement for that loan.
Board member Brock Waggoner raised concerns about the loan before the vote, questioning whether the borrowed money was effectively a “slush fund” that could be used for any purpose. It was later clarified that spending of this money was limited to the items the board had already approved. Waggoner also questioned whether the county could afford the expense. As Waggoner went on to raise other issues, discussion turned into an argument between Waggoner and Debbie Smtih touching on a variety of topics, including the board’s utilization of Office 365 subscriptions, computers running outdated software, the lack of a time limit on discussion, what constitutes “out of order,” and whether a vote to “move on” is equivalent to a vote to “close discussion.” After a vote finally did close discussion, the board approved the ordinance by a vote of 7-5.
In other noteworthy actions, approved a resolution relocating the Trinity Lutheran Church polling place in Centralia to the Trinity Day Care facility. The board approved a bid to C Hill Civil Contractors, Inc. for work on Range Road costing $445,555.00. The board also approved the purchase of a work cell phone and microchip scanner for the animal control officer.
Marva Bledsoe was reappointed as Marion County Housing Authority board commissioner. Her appointment will last through September 2029.
