Macon County Commissioners hired Randall Kirby as county EMS (ambulance service) director Monday night after a close vote that first deadlocked at 10-9 in favor of Kirby over the other applicant, William Moss. A majority of the 20 member body, or eleven votes, was necessary for the hiring action, and this majority was achieved when 14th District Commissioner Anna Dean Carter changed her vote from Moss to Kirby, making the vote 11-8. Commissioner Billy Bransford, whose father, the late R.C. Bransford, died last Friday, was absent from the meeting.

Some controversy and confusion preceded the vote that selected Kirby to replace Steve Jones as Ambulance Service director. A motion by Melburn Cothron for the commissioners to vote for their choice between the two declared candidates was delayed by a lengthy discussion when Scott Gammon proposed an amendment specifying that the new EMS director should assume all of the duties performed by Jones, including those of E-911 director.

However, when Jones announced his resignation as EMS director in early November, he had stated his desire to remain as E-911 director, an unpaid position he has held since the system's inception. The E-911 position is not under the control of the county commission, but is independently funded by the 911 telephone surcharge, and is governed by an eight-member 911 Board of Directors.

The situation has been complicated further by the fact that the official vehicle used by the Ambulance Service director was originally purchased by the 911 Board. In remaining in the 911 director's position, Jones has requested the board, not the commissioners, make a one-time payment to him of $17,500 to be used toward purchase of a private vehicle to be used by him for E-911 mapping and other duties.

The E-911 operation is in the process of moving from its current location with the Ambulance Service into the quarters nearby that formerly housed the THP offices in the county's EMS building. It had been proposed earlier that E-911 pay the...

county... $100 per month for the use of this space.

“It's really gotten kind of ‘messy',” agreed Commissioner Anna Dean Carter this Tuesday morning. Ms. Carter also serves on the E-911 Board of Directors, who met and discussed the situation with Jones at their regular quarterly meeting last month.

“We'd discussed a possible ‘swap' whereby we would give the county the truck in exchange for use of the old THP room. But nothing was decided for certain,” explained Carter.

A NUMBER OF COMMISSIONERS spoke up in support of retaining Jones in the E-911 position. Also voicing confidence in retaining Jones in the position were Sheriff Mark Gammons, who serves on the E-911 board, and County Mayor Shelvy Linville, who read a resolution prepared to honor Jones for his 33 years with the county Emergency Medical Service. Jones was not present but is in Missouri this week where he is training for the private sector position he has taken with the Air Evac Life Team. Air Evac has a regional base located in Lafayette.

After this lengthy discussion, and a statement by Jones' wife LaTise Jones noting her husband's love and dedication to the E-911 job and asserting that he was in no way “in it for the money,” Commissioner Scott Gammons withdrew his amendment for lack of a second. The commissioners then moved to Cothron's motion to choose between Kirby and Moss for new EMS director by majority vote of the body.

THE VOTE PROCEEDED with a roll call vote of commissioners: voting for Randall Kirby were commissioners Crowder, Ray, Snow, Doss, Tucker, Boles, Spears, Malo, Cothron and Biggs. Voting for William Moss were commissioners Hughes, Carter, West, Gammons, East, Looper, Hessen, Dennis, and Driver. This 10-9 vote was not decisive as commission parliamentarian Tony Boles pointed out that an 11 vote true majority of the twenty member body was necessary for selection between the two candidates.

At this point Ms. Carter changed her vote to Kirby making his hire official. County Mayor Shelvy Linville congratulated Kirby and complimented Moss noting that both men were excellent candidates well qualified to fill the position. Kirby's designation as EMS director was made effective immediately, as Jones' resignation had taken effect on December 1.

IN OTHER BUSINESS Schools Director Mike Prock told the board that bids for a new roof for Central Elementary School had been opened last week with a bid of $700,455 including engineering fees submitted by Alert Roofing, the contractor who recently completed a new roof system on the Red Boiling Springs School. “With Tri-County and North Central having to relocate some of their service to the building, we estimate a total of $705,000 will be needed for the complete job,” stated Prock.

Commissioner Melburn Cothron said he felt the schools ought to use part of their fund balance of over $1-million to fund the roofing project, rather than for the county to borrow money for a capital outlay project. After some discussion, the commissioners directed Prock to bid out the loan to local banks to see what interest rates would be on the note, and then bring it back to the commissioners for a decision on the funding mechanism.

Prock was also asked what impact the impending consolidation of Clay County Schools might have on the Macon County School system. Prock replied that even the addition of “two, three or four students” in a single elementary school grade might cause the need for an additional teacher and classroom at Red Boiling Springs. He also noted that the $1,207 out of county tuition the county currently requires “is not enough” and would have to be raised by action of the school board if sufficient Clay County students enroll in Macon County schools.

“It could be ten students, or it could be 40 or 50,” said Prock. A few Macon County residents who live on the edge of Clay County have been sending their children to Hermitage Springs School, “because their parents graduated from there and they wanted their children to go to school there too,” Prock said.

“It's not good enough for them to just have a Macon County address or Red Boiling Springs telephone number. We have a strict policy on this, and consider it on a case by case basis,” the schools director concluded.

PERMISSION TO PROCEED on the purchase of a track loader for the county Highway Department was granted, even though only one bid, by Caterpillar, had been received for the equipment. Road Department committee member Melburn Cothron made the motion to buy the $167,240 piece of heavy equipment after Road Supervisor Chop Porter told commissioner he felt like it was a “good bid” and less than original estimates by dealers.

Discussion ensued with Commissioner Tony Boles asking if they wanted to take the money out of the General Fund, or wait and see if they had a capital outlay note for a new school roof the purchase could be added to.

County Mayor Shelvy Linville cautioned the commissioners concerning spending down the General Fund balance, noting that they had recently allocated $84,000 for the Sheriff to buy four new patrol cars, and $72,000 that would eventually be transferred to the Senior Citizens Center building fund.

“I think we ought to be careful how we fund these large purchases,” stated Linville.

As with the Central School roofing proposal, the commissioners agreed to authorize the road supervisor to accept the bid “contingent on how it is funded.” The commissioners will consider both measures again at their regular December meeting on Monday night, December 18 beginning at 6 p.m.

In the least controversial action of the evening, commissioners authorized the purchase of four, two-way radios for the West Macon Rescue Squad that might also be used as pagers. The modest $700 plus tax estimated cost for the radios will be expended from the General Fund, on a motion by Vernon Biggs, seconded by Ralph Doss.