[0:00] Who is here with us on this evening for this, I'm swearing in. I like to call it a affirmation for myself. That's my personal choice of word. So good to see all of you that are here in support of this ceremony on this evening. And also, I've already asked class pastor Clifford Hill. If you'll give the invocation, and I'm putting that out there because we're having the changing of the hands, possibly, as a relates to chairman and vice chairman, if whomever that chair and vice chair is,

[0:29] I would like for them to honor Pastor Hill as of doing our prayer for this evening.

[0:36] All right, so we are going to go straight into our ceremony, and we're going to be in the hand of our honor of a judge, and we'll follow your instructions, Judge.

[0:46] All right, get in there.

[0:53] That's fine.

[0:54] Oh, you can, no, no, no, where's, Mr. Young is not here?

[0:59] Okay, we got you.

[1:03] We'll do the new commissioner, and then I'll go because I think he's wearing his daughter to get here, so we'll go with Commissioner,

[1:14] all right.

[1:19] Okay, so I'll go first, because Commissioner Henson is wearing his daughter, and I think Commissioner Wood is waiting on his wife,

[1:33] all right.

[1:34] All right, so, so, Judge, you're on a, you're on a, so what we'll do, because they're still waiting on people to come, we'll go ahead and do the invocation, and then hopefully the commission of what wife will be here in the daughter of commission enhance on to be here.

[1:51] All right, so pass the clip for the view, come at this time, please, and thank you.

[1:54] For

[2:00] the great day in the Lord, let us pray.

[2:04] My hope is built on nothing less

[2:05] but Jesus' blood and His righteousness.

[2:07] I dare not to change the sweetest thing

[2:09] but hold on to His holy name.

[2:12] Almighty wise and eternal God,

[2:14] we come now in the name of Jesus

[2:16] to lift up your holy name.

[2:18] God, we come now asking that your Holy Spirit

[2:21] will come and speak with us and be with us

[2:24] as we go through this agenda

[2:26] at this county commission of meeting.

[2:27] God, we thank you for all of the things that you have done for us and we praise you for being

[2:33] God all by yourself. Lord, we just ask now that you will give us a loving heart, a loving mind

[2:39] and a loving spirit that we may conduct this meeting in decent and in order. We ask a blessing on

[2:45] each and everyone that is here present today. We pray for healing for families right now in the name of

[2:51] Jesus. So God guide us, lead us and protect us. God, we thank you for the new elected officers and that you will cover them as they go through this

[3:00] teacher's journey. For every member of Gaston County, their families, their officers and the leaders, we ask now that you will bless them, Lord. So God, we thank you in advance for what you're getting ready to do in Gaston County. So we love you. We magnify you. We glorify you. It is in Jesus name. We pray. Amen. And thank God.

[3:19] Amen. Amen. Thank you, Pastor of the St. Hebron Air and Mead Church. Thank you. We're going to stand for the pledge.

[3:29] Our pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which expands one nation under God, individual, with liberty and justice for all.

[3:42] Thank you. And as I stated, we will go ahead and move forward because we all are here. The officials are here, so we'll move forward.

[3:51] So commission sorry about the car you commission the judge if you're come forth at this time and we'll follow your instructions

[3:57] I go first sure cuz they still waiting

[4:01] Commissioner Green

[4:04] Absolutely

[4:21] my mother and my son if they're calm and

[4:38] I do have other family members that are here as well

[4:40] So if you all are just stand with me family members just stand

[4:44] Diana to my mom's sister my

[4:48] And my brother and my niece, I see them as well.

[4:52] Okay.

[5:01] Would you please place your left hand on the Bible and raise your right hand and then repeat after me? Sure. Thank you. Absolutely. Okay. I, in state, your name. I, Renterias Green, do solemnly swear our firm, do solemnly affirm that I will support, that I will support, protect, protect and defend and defend the Constitution and government and government of the United States and of the state of Florida and of the state of

[5:31] of Florida that I am duly qualified to hold office under the Constitution, under the

[5:39] Constitution of the state and that I will well and that I will well and faithfully perform

[5:45] and faithfully perform the duties, the duties of County Commissioner, on which I am about

[5:53] to enter, in which I am about to enter. So help me God. So help me God.

[5:58] Congratulations, Commissioner.

[6:00] Thank you.

[6:03] Thank

[6:12] you.

[6:13] Thank you.

[6:15] Power.

[6:18] How

[6:38] do I do a good commission?

[6:39] How are you doing?

[6:41] Good.

[6:44] You're going to call up the family members.

[6:47] Who do you want to get the job?

[6:49] Yes.

[6:49] I'm not sure.

[6:50] Here.

[6:51] What do you want to do?

[6:53] You want to get started?

[6:55] Here?

[6:56] Yeah, that's right.

[6:57] We're early.

[6:58] There she is.

[6:59] She's here.

[6:59] here.

[7:03] No, she didn't just walk in, she's here. No, she's been here, she was here when I got

[7:07] here. No, wait in the door.

[7:11] You

[7:17] don't want to

[7:24] keep your old weight in, so we would do

[7:32] five minute recess, I guess.

[7:36] We do

[7:42] apologize for the inconvenience.

[7:44] Yeah,

[7:50] Joe's a little taller than I am so

[8:11] Yeah, class and night so

[8:12] She was able to stay out here in a way

[8:16] Living

[8:31] farther than

[8:41] I know I'm holding hands that way

[8:52] I think we can sing a song, shall we?

[10:47] How long? Because I don't want us to have to wait again. Okay. All right. Thank you. Um, Commissioner Wood.

[10:57] His wife is here.

[11:19] State your name. Do solemnly swear our affirm. Do solemnly swear our firm that I will support that I will support protect and defend the Constitution and government and government of the United States and the state of Florida and the state of Florida.

[11:40] That I am duly qualified to hold office under the Constitution, under the Constitution, of the state, of the state, and that I will well and out of will, well and faithfully, will and faithfully, perform the duties, the duties of the office, of the office, of county commissioner, of county commissioner, on which I am now, about to enter, I am about to enter.

[12:09] so help me God.

[12:10] So help me God.

[12:12] Congratulations, commissioners.

[12:15] All

[12:21] right.

[12:22] All right.

[12:25] Commissioner Hanson is coming.

[12:27] She said it.

[12:30] His wife is here.

[12:34] OK, they come out the back.

[12:36] I

[13:15] ordered it to stop raining.

[13:17] So we'll see how long it takes before it follows my court order.

[13:52] It's my beautiful daughter.

[13:53] I'll give her a hand.

[13:57] Now I'm going to say, you know how to tell you.

[14:00] You don't want to go out to this.

[14:01] Where are you?

[14:02] There's something I'm talking about.

[14:04] You got to love the kids, but you got to love the kids.

[14:14] And then you place your left hand on the Bible.

[14:17] OK, also.

[14:18] Raise your right hand.

[14:19] Here we go.

[14:20] Then repeat after me.

[14:22] I instate your name.

[14:24] I, Eric, of Hanson.

[14:26] Do solemnly swear or affirm?

[14:29] Do solemnly swear or affirm?

[14:31] that I will support that I will support protect and defend the Constitution and

[14:40] government and government of the United States and of the state of Florida that I am

[14:49] do la qualifier to hold office under the Constitution of the state of the state and

[14:59] That

[15:00] I will, and that I will, well and faithfully, perform, the duties, the duties of the office, of county commissioner, on which I am now about to enter, so help me, God, so help me, God. Congratulations, commissioner.

[15:38] All

[15:49] right, thank you again, Judge Garner.

[15:52] We appreciate your services that you offer to this county.

[15:55] Thank you so much.

[15:55] Can we give our judge a hand?

[15:56] Thank you.

[15:57] Thank you so much.

[16:00] All right, so let me officially call this meeting back to order again.

[16:06] And saying that, we're at the part of what we're getting ready to exchange

[16:10] That means the hand of the leadership on the board as it relates to the chair and device chair.

[16:15] But before we do that, let me say to my colleagues that I'm thankful for the opportunity to have served this last year as your chairman.

[16:22] Actually been privileged to serve twice in the four years that I've been elected and serve this vice chair as well.

[16:28] So thank you all so much for the opportunity to serve you on this level.

[16:32] So with that being said, I will officially open up the floor to my fellow commissioners to make.

[16:40] I was told to follow, all right, so I'm going to officially open up the nomination or can you let me finish?

[16:50] Okay, thank you.

[16:52] I officially open up the floor for nomination for a chairman and we're going to see Commissioner Holt hand.

[16:59] So Commissioner Holt?

[17:00] Okay, I'd nominate Commissioner Henson.

[17:02] All right, Commissioner Henson, is there a second?

[17:04] I started it.

[17:05] All right, so is there another nomination?

[17:08] All right.

[17:09] All right, not hearing any, I guess we'll call the question.

[17:13] All in favor of commission, the Henson being the chair, please vote by saying aye.

[17:16] All right.

[17:17] Back pass, four to one.

[17:19] Next, please.

[17:20] Oh, sorry, commission, Henson.

[17:22] Give it up.

[17:35] Thank you very much, sir.

[17:55] First, I want to thank the fellow commissioners for

[17:58] interested me in the big chairman.

[18:00] So much, now I'm going to open the floor for the vice chairman.

[18:05] And now I'm going to eliminate my Commissioner Green.

[18:10] I'll take it.

[18:11] We have an nomination for Commissioner Green and we have a second.

[18:16] Anyone else want to make an nomination?

[18:22] Okay.

[18:22] For Commissioner Green, all in favor, could be screened to I and one of polls.

[18:28] Okay.

[18:29] Fable vote.

[18:31] Okay.

[18:39] All right.

[18:40] Congratulations, Commissioner Green.

[18:42] Likewise, sir.

[18:43] All right.

[18:48] Mr.

[18:51] Chairman, commissioners, we have a request to add the public hearing.

[18:57] The approval of resolution 2024-028 general and grant budget amendments for fiscal year 2024 as item 10a.

[19:15] Okay, we're going to add a member to agenda for 10A, all in favor.

[19:22] I mean, first of all, we need a motion for it to have a motion on the floor.

[19:25] Move the program.

[19:26] Seconded.

[19:27] Okay, we have a motion in second.

[19:28] All in favor, sir?

[19:29] Uh-huh.

[19:30] You want to pose?

[19:32] The name?

[19:33] Okay, five will vote when.

[19:37] Okay.

[19:38] Okay, we have a number five with the approval of the agenda.

[19:43] Move the program.

[19:44] Okay, do you have a second?

[19:46] a lot of making a amendment to the agenda.

[19:48] Make a amendment to the agenda.

[19:51] Okay.

[19:53] Okay.

[19:53] Do we have a second person?

[19:56] I'll second it.

[19:57] Okay.

[19:58] The amendment.

[19:58] Second with a question.

[20:00] My amendment would be that we have an external entity come in and look at the allegations that are going on. I understand that there is an internal that's going on currently, but I believe we should have an external, okay, because I think that clarity and transparency is important.

[20:22] So we're going to add that we'll add it to the agenda. I like to add it to the agenda, so people in the crowd can talk about it.

[20:32] Okay, we can put a general business for 12, I mean, 12-8.

[20:38] 11-C, Mr. Chairwoman.

[20:40] 11-C, okay, great, 11-C.

[20:54] The other one, I'd like to make a second one.

[21:01] Okay, yes, we can vote on this right now, I guess, we can get this out of the way.

[21:06] Okay, we want to add 11-C, external investigation, external investigation of the county.

[21:14] We have a motion, we have a motion, would you have a second?

[21:19] I'll second it, but I have a question.

[21:21] She has a second with a question.

[21:22] Yes, so do we want to, that one, that one would be for discussion so we can decide on

[21:28] it.

[21:28] So that was just the only thing for discussion.

[21:31] Correct.

[21:32] Okay.

[21:32] That's it.

[21:34] Okay.

[21:35] Okay, we got a motion, a second, all in favor, sir.

[21:39] Aye.

[21:39] And when I pose, five will vote, we'll add 11 to the agenda.

[21:45] 11 to see, I'm sorry.

[21:48] The next one, I'll commission with.

[21:50] Yeah, I would like to, I have two new employees and I would like to talk about their contracts and so I can get updated and you can tell me where we are and what the status is.

[22:04] I mean, yes, sir, you're in the law, you're in the attorney.

[22:11] Oh, okay, so you want to add that to the agenda?

[22:14] Yes, sir.

[22:15] Yes, sir.

[22:16] Are we adding that to the agenda, or should we wait for comments at the end of the meeting?

[22:21] I mean, that you can have the, if you want to have it at the end of the meeting, or just

[22:26] doing your comment time.

[22:27] Yes.

[22:27] But if a question she may have.

[22:29] Okay.

[22:30] All right, thank you all right

[22:34] anything else I'm

[22:38] not sure to call you the more commissioner major would it doesn't matter. Okay, great

[22:43] I answered to a lot of things. Okay, Commissioner Wood

[22:46] Are you have anything else commission?

[22:50] When add no sir. It's right. All right, great job

[22:55] Okay, we need to prove the

[23:00] Okay, first of all we need to prove the agenda as a minister

[23:07] We have a motion and a second, all in favor, aye?

[23:12] Aye.

[23:13] And one of the polls, OK, 5-0 vote.

[23:17] So the next is the number 6, award, presentation, and appearance.

[23:21] Over there, over there.

[23:23] OK, my bear.

[23:26] OK, number 7, consent agenda.

[23:29] No, for approval.

[23:30] Second.

[23:32] Okay.

[23:33] We got a motion, a second.

[23:35] All in favor sign?

[23:36] No.

[23:40] Okay.

[23:41] No.

[23:41] Item 8.

[23:42] Item 4.

[23:44] Item 4 for discussion, huh?

[23:46] No.

[23:46] No, I don't know.

[23:47] Okay.

[23:47] Great.

[23:48] All right.

[23:49] Number 9, citizen, we're questioned to be heard on non-agentive items.

[23:54] Okay.

[23:55] Great job.

[23:59] The guessing candidate, board of kind of commissioners, welcome and encourages public participation

[24:04] in all meetings of the board.

[24:07] Citizens are free to speak for up to three minutes on non-agenda items.

[24:13] Public comments and participation are also encouraged for items on the agenda.

[24:19] Additionally, if you are unable to attend a meeting in person,

[24:24] comments on the public can also be submitted via email to one word.

[24:30] Citizens to be heard at Gaston County, LL.gov, again, citizens to be heard at Gaston County, LL.gov, until noon, on the date of the official records.

[24:46] But the county cannot guarantee that commissioners and staff will have adequate time to review comments prior to the meeting.

[24:54] Citizens are farther encouraged to participate on the county website.

[25:12] All right. So now we have cars on the table here. We have some speaker appears for them. I'll pray that everybody has a chance to sign this. If you want to come up with a speech, first speaker is writing more.

[25:28] More?

[25:29] Um, right in the more key company to speak.

[25:33] It's a reference to the county management.

[25:43] Good afternoon.

[25:44] My name is Rodney Moore.

[25:45] My address is 1404 St. Heavon Road.

[25:49] I'm a big Dallas Cowboy fan and Jerry Jones promised us for the last 23 years that we're

[25:57] going to get back to the Super Bowl and win it.

[25:59] You stuck with Dak Prescott.

[26:02] We haven't gotten there.

[26:05] The late, great Senator Thomas said, if you're a county administrator or a city manager, you got a baby count to three.

[26:15] From Mr. Dixon has been able to count to three for about four years.

[26:20] He's had the football team for four years and we haven't gotten to the Super Bowl yet.

[26:27] He has an employee that's out of control, travels to George all the time, is involved with some vehicles that were sold that you guys knew what he said, that you guys knew he didn't know anything about.

[26:38] Well,

[26:40] also shops have been broken down at the kind of road and bridge on several occasions.

[26:47] And on one occasion, they used the county vehicle to haul the materials off.

[26:54] Nobody in jail, nobody held accountable.

[26:58] They said the lawn wasn't set, the first time, the second time, the third time, that's on his watch.

[27:08] 1.304 million dollars spent on county administration cars, whatever happened to a pool car car that can get whoever needs a drive from one point to another with some air, and maybe some heat while purchase $60,000 cars on his watch.

[27:25] Howling his friends and others, one point some million dollars in administrative salaries,

[27:31] while the guys and gals who are then the elements in the heat and then the coal,

[27:36] mosquitoes and fighting off traffic, pretty much tell them you look at have a job under his watch.

[27:44] This goes on and on and on, no economic development.

[27:49] As far as I can understand, he has not bought few guys anything to look into.

[27:54] to help bring this county where it needs to be, and some people right here in this room,

[27:59] or have parents or grandparents who, these tackers have gone up, and

[28:03] I know for a fact there are people who are complaining that, how are we going to pay these taxes on his watch?

[28:12] It's time for a change, Mr. Dexon needs to go, I don't know the city manager.

[28:18] I'm sorry, I've talked about him so much.

[28:21] the county manager, county attorney, I'll get it right in a second, $62,000 in a month and a half.

[28:29] No, sir, no, ma'am, we can't afford that.

[28:32] At the rate that shall be paying the county attorney, half a million dollars.

[28:39] Obviously, he bills you guys from the time he gets in the shower at home until he gets here, until he gets back home and get back in the shower.

[28:48] Commissioners, we can't afford that.

[28:54] MacArthur's lawn service, while they're writing checks to vendors to pay for

[29:00] a county business on his watch, there's something going on, like I've said on these videos.

[29:06] He knows about it, it's chief of staff is involved in stuff that every time things come up,

[29:13] even next door, those two buildings over there with Mr. Huttley's building, with the rent and the light bill.

[29:18] Three names come up, the city manager's name, Mr. Dixon's name, and Mr. Hayes.

[29:24] And I would hate to see us in the same shape where the city's headed.

[29:29] When I tell y'all hold on, help is on the way, it's on the way, and it's not going to

[29:35] be good for some people.

[29:37] Don't be complicit at what's going on.

[29:41] It's time for a change, and I know certain commissioners like to use a race car, this is not

[29:46] a bot color.

[29:47] It's a bot green, like I've said before.

[29:49] or when people have the determine what they're going to pay their taxes, pay their insurance,

[29:55] or by medication some of these folks, they shouldn't have to do that.

[30:00] If y'all want to know, Commissioner Holt and them went to Mississippi, economic development.

[30:06] My advice would be, get in a car, go 15 miles to famous, they'll show y'all what needs to be done.

[30:14] Go 25 miles west to Maryanna, they'll show you what needs to be done.

[30:20] Jerry Jones hasn't delivered and neither has Mr. Dixon.

[30:24] Mr. Dixon and the county attorney need to go.

[30:27] Thank you.

[30:27] All

[30:34] right.

[30:36] Now, Dr. Tracy Starworth,

[30:42] he was to speak on the Columbus, Mississippi trip.

[30:49] Good evening, everybody, and your perspective places.

[30:51] How are you this morning?

[30:52] I mean, evening.

[30:53] Good.

[30:54] All right.

[30:56] Long nap today.

[30:57] I'm

[31:02] going to read this if you don't mind.

[31:04] I want to pit my thoughts.

[31:05] Make sure I stay focused.

[31:07] First of all, my address is PO Box 1339, Quincy, Florida.

[31:11] I love Gaston County.

[31:12] I serve Gaston County, me and my wife feed like 250 people weekly.

[31:17] We see people in the trenches, we bring people to our farms,

[31:24] talk a little about God.

[31:28] We get their hands in the dirt, and we envision where they want to be out in the future.

[31:35] So that is my mission.

[31:37] I have the privilege of participating in a transformative trip to Columbus, Mississippi, under the leadership

[31:43] of county manager Ed Dixon and economic development director T.J. Lewis.

[31:49] This experience was profoundly important to me as a planning commissioner.

[31:52] It provided valuable insight and a clearer vision to make major decisions that will benefit

[31:59] Gaston County.

[32:00] However, I must express my disappointment in the lack of representation from our elected officials

[32:06] in the surrounding county.

[32:08] While I don't know their reasons for not attending, I want to remind them of

[32:13] of the responsibility they assume when they chose to run for office and

[32:18] the trust place in them by the citizens who voted them in.

[32:23] Opportunities like this trip offers critical perspectives that can inspire meaningful

[32:29] change for our county and such occasions should not be missed.

[32:34] Columbus, Mississippi with a population of 23,035, according to the 23,

[32:39] in 2023, Google Check, is outperforming Gatson County with which has a population of 43,833.

[32:49] Despite their smaller size, they have achieved remarkable progress by bridging gaps and

[32:55] fostering collaborations for the greater good of the community.

[32:59] Was it easy for them?

[33:01] Absolutely not.

[33:03] But what made their success or reality was their shared commitment to a common goal,

[33:10] making Columbus, Mississippi a better place for its residents, which we are not all the

[33:15] way there in my opinion, but we can by choosing to.

[33:21] As I conclude, I pose this question to all of us, when will we come together with the

[33:28] unified purpose to make Gasson County great?

[33:32] The time is now, let's seize the opportunity to work together for a brighter future.

[33:37] Now, when we entered into Columbus, Mississippi, I was happy.

[33:42] I was like a little kid when I got my first happy meal.

[33:45] I was happy.

[33:47] You know why?

[33:48] Because we went to Packard Industries, I don't know if it's industry, but

[33:54] Packard who makes the Peter Bill.

[33:57] And I saw African-American women working, making good pay.

[34:03] But I saw other people working as well.

[34:05] And what I saw was when we, I can't remember his name, he's the economic development.

[34:10] Joe Max Higgins.

[34:11] Okay, Max Higgins.

[34:13] He came with a plan and everybody got on board.

[34:18] As I indicated, it wasn't easy, no, it was not easy.

[34:21] But it was about Columbus, Mississippi growing.

[34:26] And now they got a place where they can send people to commit a university to go to school

[34:30] for two years to get trained.

[34:32] if a new industry comes in, they'll train these people so they'll be ready for the organization.

[34:38] So it won't be no problem.

[34:40] And that's what I see what Ed Dixon is doing and TJ, they're trying to bring something

[34:46] here better for Gaston County.

[34:50] We're ranked 67 out of 67 out of school systems.

[34:54] We didn't see any representations from the school board with respect.

[34:58] We have

[35:00] We have to be willing to get past our own biases and set our own emotions to the side and say, what are we going to do for gas and county? Because this is 20, 20, 40, 1950, 80, 1960, things are progressing. What are we going to do for our youth? I'll tell you personally as I land. If we don't have a job for our kids, it's going to be a wall, wall, west, like up north and different places. Thank you. Thank you.

[35:28] And I'm waiting for the phone call.

[35:29] All right question you want to talk to this educate me sure sure so I was getting

[35:37] interested in what he was talking about sir do I have the ability to yield him minutes

[35:43] now the board has to thank you yes all

[35:51] right here we go so you want you know you got

[35:54] the question for me yeah I have a question come on come on it's okay we all found

[35:59] But I know we time try to get it.

[36:02] Yeah, I know.

[36:05] First, don't talk to him a little bit about it.

[36:07] Okay.

[36:08] About a guy.

[36:08] Talk to him a lot about it when they come.

[36:11] Yeah.

[36:11] I mean, what's your idea here?

[36:13] I mean, your idea, a guy.

[36:14] I mean, tell me what you think we need to do to do,

[36:18] to take what you went and did and put it in the practice.

[36:22] Well, what I did was, um,

[36:25] I thought it came us in the community.

[36:27] I started talking to people.

[36:29] I would see people in the grocery store, I would see people on 7th Street.

[36:32] Everybody, hey, come in, let me talk to you for a minute.

[36:33] I would even take some people out to eat, just to ask them, how did you get to where you are right now?

[36:40] Thank you so much.

[36:41] I got to do this this close that I'm about to send to a rehab.

[36:45] His mama died, no other family, no resources that he couldn't think of.

[36:52] And then he got hooked on some other stuff.

[36:56] There are a lot of things out here that could be done, but the real question is this, are we willing to meet the people where they are?

[37:06] That's what we got to do. We got to be willing to meet the people where they are. We got to be able to have town hall meetings.

[37:12] And I know that you guys are doing town hall meetings, but you got to go out there just like you campaign. You got to knock on them doors. Hey, I need you to participate in this town hall meeting.

[37:21] I need your input.

[37:24] How can I help you so that we can help Gaston County be better and be great?

[37:29] There's so many, I mean, there's a mirror to things that we can talk about.

[37:33] But overall, we got to be willing to have discussions.

[37:36] We got to be willing to have a conversation.

[37:38] One of the key things with my son, my son gets mad, he gets angry.

[37:42] And I tell him that he has to set aside his thoughts, his behaviors, his attitude, and

[37:48] calm down, take a deep breath, and let's just talk.

[37:50] Well, that's the only way that we're going to be able to change.

[37:55] I'm just being honest and being transparent.

[37:58] And the other thing I would say is with respect.

[38:04] When there's a lot of commotion that's going on in different places, social media, et cetera, corporations don't want to come here.

[38:10] They don't want to come in the mess.

[38:13] I just say that with respect.

[38:15] I'm just being honest because let me flip this.

[38:16] Would you move to a neighborhood that's drug-infested, gun play?

[38:23] I'm just throwing it out because they're having a different place and no, you wouldn't.

[38:26] You would choose somewhere else to go.

[38:29] I'm just saying that we got to be willing to have a conversation.

[38:33] The Bible clearly states, if you have an alt with your brother, you go to him, you talk to them.

[38:40] That's how I live my life.

[38:41] I got a problem with anybody.

[38:44] No one can tell you anything about me.

[38:45] I'm going to come to you, we just need to start having more realistic conversations.

[38:50] I think that if we have a realistic conversation, I think that we can move past a lot of this stuff and do further.

[38:56] But I will say this as I leave, I understand what the county commission is going through when I sat there and

[39:06] listen to the economic development.

[39:08] It's hard to get people together.

[39:11] I coach part one of football, it's hard to get them kids to get them plays down, but we got to do a practice over and over and over and over.

[39:19] But I understand your job a little bit, I don't want it, but I understand, because it's hard.

[39:25] It's hard, but if we have a team like they got a team,

[39:32] they're making it happen, and lastly, I know I'm jumping a little bit because I'm decided.

[39:35] But they have something that's coming up, that they're already set up in place to hire 3,000 people, if I'm not mistaken.

[39:43] 3,000 people, what if we can hire 3,000 people here in Gaston County?

[39:49] We could stabilize the economy a little bit, we could stop crime a little bit.

[40:00] I think I want to see Gaston County thrive and be the place to be. That's why I moved here to Gaston County. I could have moved anywhere else. But I chose to move to Gaston County. Why? Because my great-granddad, he lived here and had a tobacco farm. And he worked with FAMU. So to me, that's legacy for me. And so I just want to continue his efforts to help the community. But thank you for staying some time.

[40:26] So you're telling me re-entry recovery and jobs and cohesiveness

[40:32] Is that that the just what you said? Yeah, we need that but

[40:36] Can I just approach the doctor to illustration real quick? You you can talk to me later because I know they're busy

[40:41] But I'm always welcome to no, I just want to show you something real quick. This is what we have to do

[40:49] Brother we always been good. We got to be willing to go and risk together and communicate and talk with people

[40:55] Can't just talk to people across on social media?

[40:58] You got to meet the people where they are, you can't be afraid to re-engage or engage, I'm sorry, engage.

[41:03] You got to meet the people where they are.

[41:06] Thank you, thank you.

[41:08] Thank you very much.

[41:10] Our next is our daughter, Thomas.

[41:18] She also want to talk to talk about her Columbia trip to as well, Columbia, Mississippi trip.

[41:29] Weat my name is Dorothy Marie Fag Thomas. I live at 586 Shiloh Road in

[41:37] Quincy, Florida. 3, 2, 3, 5, 1. We don't

[41:45] want tomorrow brings in a world where

[41:52] few hearts survive. All we have is here right now in our lives, hoping to find the

[42:10] road is alone. There are mountains in our way. But we climb a

[42:24] step every day. Lord, lift us up where we belong. I stand here

[42:36] today because I sit on the morning and see many times here, I will be 72 years old.

[42:48] I am a former educator,

[42:54] I am a citizen and definitely I don't appreciate night sitting

[43:01] here and seeing people going back and forth trying to put each other down with something they

[43:06] could have settled before they got here.

[43:07] I

[43:10] don't stand scary about a job, another of those other things.

[43:18] I just want to see grown-ups, act like grown-ups.

[43:22] And I stand as a senior citizen tonight.

[43:26] I've heard enough of the name calling.

[43:30] My word of God says that if I can't judge people,

[43:35] he's the only one perfect and he's the only judge.

[43:39] He also tells me in the word that if I have something against someone, go to that person.

[43:44] If I can't get it done with that person, I go two or three more people, and then I go to the top.

[43:51] But I never, you'll never find me scandalizing anyone because I'm not perfect.

[43:59] I'm standing about the trip tonight, but I just had to let you know God is not pleased with some of the stuff you're doing in Gaston County.

[44:06] and I have about 1,200 people, 12, yeah, 12 something on my Facebook and they like to ask me,

[44:15] mother, Thomas, that's what they call me. Why do you, a lie, I don't lie to nothing.

[44:22] Why do you sit there and talk about one another like you do and carry on in the business of the town

[44:29] when we should have been getting people out to vote, we were talking about trash.

[44:34] There's no secret about the board because everything is recorded.

[44:39] I don't need anybody to go to the courthouse for me.

[44:42] I can go for myself.

[44:44] I don't need anybody to put in the thing on land for me.

[44:48] I can read for myself.

[44:50] And I feel like this, if you can't say something good about somebody,

[44:54] you know, we always bring up the worst things about someone.

[44:57] But we never tell the good that they do.

[45:00] I be with these people a whole lot, but I wanted to know I went to the trip and I know my time is up. You can't ask me to sit. I am an educator. So what was so fabulous about that trip is that there were eighth graders going to a computer college university. And they will be trained to get jobs, not little jobs like Mike Dungeons and I don't put Mike Dungeons down at all. And I'm talking to the crowd because we came for a show tonight.

[45:29] But God says, no, show, no show tonight.

[45:33] We came to do the business of the town.

[45:35] We know what you said.

[45:37] We read your text.

[45:38] We've seen your things.

[45:40] A lot of boys are handling it.

[45:43] I have been here many years looking at seeing what people are doing,

[45:48] but I'm so disappointed with Gaston County.

[45:51] Citizens going out of land when we got 82% of people who are voting

[45:57] And others can be voted, but we aren't out there trying to get people to vote.

[46:00] We aren't there trying to scandalize names and talk about salaries.

[46:05] You want to know my salary, I tell it to you myself, y'all stop acting like you're acting.

[46:10] Stop doing what you're doing, black on black, but the trip was very educational.

[46:16] It was high-end job.

[46:18] Yes, I could go to Bainbridge and I head to my seat, but Bainbridge don't have the jobs that

[46:23] I want them to have.

[46:24] And I talked to my cousin who lives in Bangalore, but the jobs we saw were by people houses.

[46:31] The jobs we saw were draw people to the western county.

[46:35] So, all that other stuff, y'all meet down on the corner with it.

[46:39] Let's do the business of the town.

[46:40] Thank you very much.

[46:44] All right, thank you very much.

[46:46] That's one of my favorite songs, I must tell you that me, my sister's singing the song all the time.

[46:51] I can sing a lick, but one of my sisters is back there now.

[46:54] She also just saying what went into as well.

[46:58] Next, we have Mr. Michael K. Brown, he want to talk about the county, Michael Brown.

[47:12] Good afternoon, good evening, commissioners, attorney.

[47:16] My name is Michael Brown, I've decided at 588 Charles Brown Road, Friendship Area,

[47:21] Commission of Hope is my commissioner.

[47:25] I reached out to a few of you, some of you I was able to get contact with, some of you I wasn't, I appreciate you taking my call.

[47:32] And I do come somewhat waving the white flag.

[47:36] I've been living in Gaston County all my life.

[47:38] And I'm very proud of Gaston County.

[47:41] I really love this place, it's a beautiful town.

[47:44] I'm concerned about some of the things that we have going on in this town, because I love this town.

[47:50] And thank you for, when you get off of Pat Thomas, there's a sign that home was the

[47:56] most valuable player, Dexter Jackson.

[47:59] We live 22 miles from two of the greatest university, one of them being Florida State University,

[48:04] and one of the biggest and best HBCU, not Southern-Rong Green.

[48:10] Right here from Gaston County, we had a head football coach from Quincy, right here from

[48:16] this town.

[48:17] One of the best bands in the lands of Marching 100, we have a drum major right here from Quincy.

[48:23] We have FBI agents that's right here from Quincy.

[48:26] Now, I represent the gassing kind of soil and water board.

[48:29] Some of you don't even know what that is, but I'm the chairman of the board there, just like you the chairman.

[48:33] So I went to Gainesville last week.

[48:35] I meet people.

[48:36] Now, all I'm saying and I'm kind of encouraging you.

[48:39] I want to see things change for what we have going on in this town.

[48:43] I want us to be known for things like the sign with Dexter Jackson.

[48:47] I won't CBS coming to us every day like the doctor said that people he walking up the

[48:53] people should be coming here saying, man, you know, we want to use most unique towns

[48:58] problem in the state of Florida.

[48:59] I'm going to tell the United States, but what we have, how we set up here, seeing anyone

[49:05] should be breaking down.

[49:06] How y'all do it?

[49:06] Our school should be doing good.

[49:08] Crime rates should be down.

[49:09] We got these signs that mirror over there on product that you all have on that wall there

[49:14] So all I'm saying my elected officials some of you were just sworn in

[49:18] If you this will keep your humble if you ever keep the people read to your heart and always know that you're working for the people

[49:26] You won't have no kind of problems

[49:28] Not about you district one two three four five. That's not what it's about

[49:34] But if you keep the people at your heart that's from the sheriff that's for the school director

[49:38] that's for the chairman of the board, that's for the city commissioner, the county commissioner.

[49:44] I graduated from school in 1987.

[49:47] I used to become rent down town and go over there to a place called Quality Shop and buy my school clothes.

[49:52] I could go rent down here and get a half cut.

[49:54] I could go buy me a suit out of pay our jeans from a place called Witties.

[49:59] You know, if you want to-

[50:04] I want to encourage you all to let's get right. You know the stuff echoing. We ain't got time for this. We shouldn't even be having these meetings. Some of the stuff going on. I'm ashamed. I'm ashamed. And I love this town. I don't want us known for when I go smoke what y'all doing over there. Got this going on, that going on. So I humble it. Asking each and every one of you to look into yourself and represent the people not about us and this and that.

[50:29] Okay, thank you very much.

[50:31] Thank you.

[50:32] Mr. Chairman.

[50:34] Mr. Chairman.

[50:34] Mr. Brown.

[50:35] Yes, sir.

[50:37] Commissioner.

[50:38] Sure.

[50:38] Before you call your next person, if you kind of keep...

[50:41] Well, if I can say this, we'll ask if you don't make any comments

[50:44] doing the person that's speaking, if you'll be just kind,

[50:47] and just keep your arms and arms.

[50:49] Yes, that's right.

[50:50] To yourselves.

[50:51] Thank you.

[50:55] And thank you, Ms. Brown, for those encouraging words.

[50:58] And yes, I was one of those guys that you called.

[51:00] And I apologize, I was so tied up, but normally it's your phone call all the time.

[51:06] But I apologize this time, I probably answered two or three phone calls in the last 40 dollars.

[51:13] I was just that tied up now.

[51:18] Now we'll have Mr. Derek Elyse, talking about it's an other gen item, number nine, I guess.

[51:27] Yes.

[51:32] Good evening.

[51:33] Good evening.

[51:34] And congratulations to all of you who were recently sworn in.

[51:38] Derek Elias, 233 Chiefs for Avenue, Quincy.

[51:44] If we always agree, we will never change.

[51:48] If we always agree, we will never grow.

[51:54] There's no expectation that you all are going to be one monolithic board having the same

[52:00] thoughts.

[52:01] We as citizens are going to disagree with you as well, but as some of you just took and some of you all previously took, you took an oath of office and you swore to uphold some things.

[52:14] As citizens, we're here to say to you we want you to uphold those things to make sure that this county progresses.

[52:21] I've heard this evening some things about trips for development.

[52:25] Those trips for development are fine.

[52:28] If you all ever go back or come back and put some of those things into action, I can't

[52:36] think of one thing that has resulted in some of these expensive trips.

[52:40] They seem to be more like vacations.

[52:43] Now you all make somewhere in the neighborhood of $45,000 a year, but I don't think you all

[52:48] pay for those trips.

[52:49] I think we as taxpayers pay for those trips.

[52:52] I want to encourage you when you're going on these so-called economic development trips

[52:55] and other trips.

[52:56] Pay for the amount you're $45,000 salaries and not from the backs of citizens.

[53:01] And then we'll see if you all continue to go on these trips, and we'll also see if you all will come back and

[53:07] ever implement any of these things, because I certainly, for one, would be interested in seeing from this particular trip that people have been talking about when it's something going to be implemented.

[53:17] I would also wonder if that place that you all visited, and you're talking about how progressive they are.

[53:22] I wonder if their county administrator makes $140,000 a year.

[53:27] I heard you all several speakers mention the Bible,

[53:31] but also in the Bible somewhere in the book of Luke.

[53:35] It talks about to whom much is given, much is required.

[53:39] If we're giving a county administrator $140,000 a year,

[53:43] I expect a whole lot, a whole lot, a lot more than what I've seen.

[53:49] That's a whole lot.

[53:50] But not too long ago, the board entered into a contract with a new attorney.

[53:58] I came before you and I stood right here and I said to the attorney, oh, money is not

[54:02] good money.

[54:03] I said then that what was being done was not properly and order they done is my grandma

[54:08] Jay-Z-Bill used to say it's got to be done properly in order.

[54:12] It was legal and he reminded us that it was legal but it was not proper.

[54:16] you had a commission coming in and it was not properly done and you all ended into an extensive

[54:24] contract unnecessarily and I think at some point in time you all are going to have to go back

[54:29] and address that. Another thing I brought up is that when I look at the agenda, it's read

[54:34] that you all as commissioners ever have anything on the agenda. It's always the consent agenda

[54:39] and then whatever the administrator wants to talk about. I would like for you all to actually

[54:44] agenda some things for you all to talk about on our behalf and not just wait on

[54:50] the administrator to establish the agenda. Yes I'm pretty sure everything

[54:54] points to the fact that the administrator prepares the agenda but you all are

[54:59] responsible

[55:00] So for telling him what you want on the agenda and we can get away from the consent agenda and the kind administrator's agenda, and you all get back to your agenda. Thank you very much. Thank you. All right, so all right.

[55:27] Our next we have a number ten public hearings,

[55:34] but Mr. Administrator, but before we say this, I want to make sure we're in line with our ordinance.

[55:46] I didn't call you about that, we did, I said, by having, we received this within the last

[55:54] year for days.

[55:55] And I thought that the citizens got to have at least a week, not public hearings now.

[56:02] All right.

[56:04] You did call me and we talked about this issue, and if you recall, at the last meeting,

[56:08] you made a comment about whether a budget amendment should be a general business or public hearing.

[56:16] And so I reviewed the statute and discussed it with staff and basically the way it works is,

[56:23] you have three exceptions or five exceptions under the statute where you can do a budget amendment

[56:28] under general business, as long as it doesn't add or subtract from the budget that was approved by

[56:35] the board. So this item is under public hearing because this is an addition based on some additional

[56:40] grants that will be provided to the board. So it's under general business. Also, I confirmed

[56:46] because I had the same concern that you did as to whether the notice was done properly.

[56:51] Notice has to be two to five days prior to. And I mean, Sarah's can come in, but I believe it was

[56:56] five days prior to the hearing. So it can apply with the statue. To the public here, right? Public

[57:07] I don't know if it's a local newspaper, the Democrat, but Ms. Harris can come in and talk

[57:15] about that.

[57:16] Uh-huh.

[57:20] Todd's Democrat.

[57:21] Okay.

[57:22] And it's, it's, it's five days or two to five days.

[57:26] That's for Republicans.

[57:27] Correct.

[57:28] I know a regular meeting, I know a regular meeting two to five days, but I thought that public hearings had to be about seven, I wasn't sure at all.

[57:36] We looked at the statute with suitify days.

[57:39] And correct me, Sarah, it was two to five days, right?

[57:42] To be notified, right?

[57:43] I'm just curious.

[57:44] I took the hard your comments from the last meeting.

[57:49] Okay.

[57:49] And verified that it should be, this particular budget amendment should be a public hearing, not general business.

[57:55] But in the future, there may be meetings, excuse me, amendments that may be under general

[58:03] business because they will meet the statutory criteria.

[58:07] And the reason why this is such, not, they don't give me, it's been a heartburns because it

[58:13] doesn't affect the budget, these. I think Ms. Harris and she'll come and talk to you about it,

[58:18] can give you more detail about that. But from a legal standpoint, it's legally

[58:24] That's the effect of the budget, though.

[58:26] I believe that's some additions to the budget for understanding correctly.

[58:29] Some grant funds that are going to be added.

[58:32] But again, Ms. Harris can come in and provide additional information about that.

[58:36] Okay, Ms. Harris, we feel like you're going to sign them up.

[58:47] Well, I tell you, we can just wait it out.

[58:50] It's okay, we can go and get it started with, yes, we'll let the minister go ahead and

[58:58] Mr. Chairman,

[59:02] this item is presented for Board Approval, just a resolution 2024-3038 for authorization from the administrator and the finance director to complete and execute all budget amendments necessary to maintain a balanced budget.

[59:21] The attached items are to adjust budgets for various funds and projects or to adjust budgets due to a change in the grants or the general funds.

[59:32] The attached budgets amendments listed on the administrative are required to be advertised as they relate to internal fund transfers, donations are grants.

[59:44] The recommendation is to approve resolution 2024-038, Mr. Chairman.

[59:53] Okay, all right, we have a motion, I mean, we have recommendation to have a motion.

[59:56] On the first of all, we have to get the audience to talk about it first because.

[1:00:00] We got a public hearing. Normally, before the board talks, we got to have the audience.

[1:00:07] Do you all wish anyone in audience wish to speak on this agenda item here? They just had a lot of works there. Yes, okay, cool.

[1:00:19] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If you could just briefly just let us know exactly what it is that you're all attempting to do. That was certainly help. Thank you. Mr. Cannon, Mr. King. Mr. Chairman, this is the general will.

[1:00:32] There's a lap grant to build the sidewalk on Adam Street from what we know as the old jail, all the way up to the school district to add a sidewalk, and I think to widen that road a little bit for a million, $46,000 there's a budget amendment to set up the grant for the Sheriff's Deputy Salaries.

[1:01:00] In the amount of $657,000 in change, there are library donations approximately $6,000.

[1:01:10] There's also an emergency preparedness assistance grant for $119,000 additional.

[1:01:18] There's a budget fund to set up to purchase new ambulances, debt service in the amount of $368,000.

[1:01:27] And there's a transfer from fund one in the amount of $374,000, Mr. Chairman.

[1:01:39] All right,

[1:01:43] Commissioner Simkins.

[1:01:45] Mr. Administrator, just for the public's knowledge, could you kind of smell fund one and then fund one forty two, so get them.

[1:01:54] Because this is the set up the fund, Jan correct, for the ambulances to set up the fund to move the money for the new ambulances.

[1:02:06] We are on a schedule to purchase new ambulances, as you know, there was a time we weren't actually

[1:02:12] ran out of ambulances because two of them were wrecked and then we had mechanical difficulties with others.

[1:02:18] So now we're on a schedule to replace those ambulances on a regular basis.

[1:02:22] and this sets up the fund.

[1:02:27] That's the last one?

[1:02:28] That's the last one.

[1:02:31] Is this the last meeting that we're allowed to do this for the budget?

[1:02:36] No, sir, we may, Mr. Chairman, I'm sorry, I don't know.

[1:02:39] Yes, sir, good, but you may approve the budget as money comes in.

[1:02:45] A lot of these are new monies and or changes to the budget and you may do it every meeting.

[1:02:56] I'm not sure your budget will I first speak to as well?

[1:03:02] There's a question.

[1:03:05] I think she's coming to do clarification on.

[1:03:12] You still got a flow of commission.

[1:03:14] No, I think she knows what I'm, yeah, she's about to address it.

[1:03:17] Yeah, right.

[1:03:18] The budget amendment before you, this is the last meeting that we can approve these.

[1:03:24] but you will have budget amendment, put it on down a little bit more.

[1:03:29] But you will have budget amendments that come to the floor throughout the year that you will have to prove it.

[1:03:35] This particular one is for fiscal year 2024, and they have to close out.

[1:03:41] This is really coming from the clerk's office, the finance director.

[1:03:56] Who's, I'll go there.

[1:03:57] No, I was about to say that normally these are online, so you can pull them up.

[1:04:02] You can just go to gas and count it to the website.

[1:04:06] Commission and all of this stuff is on lines that you can click on it, if there's anything you need to want to preview ahead of time, any of these items.

[1:04:13] Also the commissioners, the procedure has been since I've been here, that you call it.

[1:04:18] You sit down with the administrator no matter who that is, or maybe.

[1:04:23] And you sit down with that individual, you go over as a county commissioner, you go over the budget, I mean the items with them on the agenda.

[1:04:30] So that way, if you have questions that will give them the staff an opportunity to bring

[1:04:36] back some answers to you, but for the citizens, you can pull these up online, you can click

[1:04:41] on them and look at it.

[1:04:43] At the budget, you'll see just what we have in this book, okay?

[1:04:47] Thank you.

[1:04:48] Thank you very much.

[1:04:49] Also, too, if we can, let Ms. Thomas say earlier, we're going to be very careful how we speak,

[1:04:55] because we are all citizens, we are all grown, we got family members and audience.

[1:04:59] I'll see you guys next time.

[1:05:00] Let's try not to throw in your windows out because now we're going to happen to someone else going to say, I got to say, because you have the right to say something because you don't want your constituent to say anything. So we can't, let's try to, because when I was a chairman, we had quick meetings, leave it or not, of all people saying it, right? But because, really, that's what I'm talking about, because I understand that I appreciate everything. You say, where everybody who talked earlier, I evaluate everything everybody said.

[1:05:29] I don't have no offense with anything, because you have to respect everybody.

[1:05:33] Everybody come from a different level, you have to still respect them.

[1:05:35] So on this board, let's not throw in you windows at people, let's be positive.

[1:05:44] And so we can move forward and we can love each other.

[1:05:48] Mr. Green, I know you, you wish to say the thing for-

[1:05:52] You're fine, Kerry, I want to thank you.

[1:05:54] Yes, sir, and I thank you, too, as well.

[1:05:55] Do we have a motion on this floor?

[1:05:56] Move the program.

[1:05:58] Second.

[1:05:58] The motion is second.

[1:06:00] All the papers are.

[1:06:01] Aye.

[1:06:02] And one oppose.

[1:06:04] All right.

[1:06:04] It's approved.

[1:06:07] Thank you very much.

[1:06:09] Mr. Chairman, we had general business.

[1:06:11] General business, nothing they wrote.

[1:06:12] Item 11A.

[1:06:13] Yes, sir.

[1:06:14] Oh.

[1:06:16] We're returning the motion on the love, the first one, I missed it.

[1:06:22] We're not there yet.

[1:06:23] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[1:06:23] We're not there yet.

[1:06:25] Mr. Chairman.

[1:06:26] The board seeks approval to renew, this item seeks your approval.

[1:06:32] I'm sorry to renew the silent waste franchise agreement with WastePro and

[1:06:37] authorize the chairman to sign it on December 1, 2009.

[1:06:44] The board awarded a five year franchise agreement to WastePro of Florida for

[1:06:49] collection and disposal of waste within Gaston County.

[1:06:52] The agreement was approved after the competitive bid was solicited.

[1:06:56] The five year term of the agreement was from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2014.

[1:07:04] The agreement has had an automatic or renewal clause for five year periods.

[1:07:11] On November 18, this agreement was renewed for another five years, and through December 2019, the agreement was subsequently renewed.

[1:07:23] for another five years ending December 31st, 2024.

[1:07:28] We have met with WastePro over the last six months and talked about this, this agreement.

[1:07:40] The county has been receiving a 10% franchise fee from WastePro.

[1:07:47] This renewal has additional terms and conditions.

[1:07:50] Waste Pro has agreed to provide curbs out assistance in greater dimension to the senior citizens that cannot bring there.

[1:07:59] Waste containers to the curb, additionally Waste Pro will notify the county if there is a change of schedule and will discuss the changes with the county prior to implementation.

[1:08:10] This agreement speaks to a 7% increase over the next five years, as Wastepro has demonstrated that the CPI has not kept up with the growth of the automatic grower in the contract, has not kept up and they are experiencing increased cost.

[1:08:29] 3.5% for the first year and 3.5% for the second year.

[1:08:36] Lastly, Waste Pro has agreed to create a bigger presence in our county as we spoke to them.

[1:08:47] One of the things that commissioners recall is we had some problems with commercial entities receiving adequate service on a timely basis.

[1:08:58] We've discussed that in depth with Waste Crow.

[1:09:02] They were having staff and shortages themselves.

[1:09:04] That was right after COVID and so on.

[1:09:07] And we've discussed that long and a long way with them

[1:09:14] to make sure that we did not experience those kinds of things again.

[1:09:19] And if we did, if they were experiencing those things

[1:09:22] that we would be notified in order to deal with residents

[1:09:26] and their commercial vendors who will call us and not necessarily waste pro.

[1:09:32] So we have this before you, the attorney was involved in this, trying to help bring it home.

[1:09:40] And so if he has any comments to make, Mr. Chairman, see what we recognize.

[1:09:45] Mr. Chair and commissioners, there are a couple other things that we added, the way this agreement, this is a franchise agreement.

[1:09:54] and so basically WagePro has an exclusive contract for providing.

[1:10:00] A waste collection services for the county. As the administrator stated, this agreement has been in place since 2010, and it's written every five years. We had an automatic renewal provision in the agreement.

[1:10:30] franchise agreement to be active at the end of each five year period, there has to be ability to have discussions about what's relevant as a relation to the agreement.

[1:10:41] So we agreed to eliminate the automatic renewal provision for the waste pro agreement and it will terminate at the end of each five year period subject to renewal, which will allow both sides to negotiate out terms.

[1:10:54] We had a provision that also stated that if we were to get to the end of the term, and for some reason that it was not negotiated out,

[1:11:04] Wachepro agreed that the agreement does not terminate, but we have 180 days to complete any negotiations for the next renewal if it's so desired.

[1:11:15] So those are some additional provisions that we put in.

[1:11:25] I wanted to ask, and I have forgotten his name just that fast, was Mr.

[1:11:34] Children.

[1:11:35] Mr. Children.

[1:11:39] A couple questions for you, please.

[1:11:42] Yes, sir.

[1:11:50] All right.

[1:11:51] That's your name and address for the record, too.

[1:11:53] Boyd, children, 1536, fine tip.

[1:12:03] Looking at the B and doing a comparison when they're taking a look at Lear Counties, B and Gaston, could you tell us why the difference in?

[1:12:18] Services really geared towards density.

[1:12:22] When you have an environment like the city of Tallahassee where you have more density it's a it's a stop start stop start stop start you can get more work done per hour which reduces the rate that we have to require.

[1:12:35] Then the rate jumps from Tallahassee's rate to Leon County's rate because it's a little more spread out even though it still has considerable density.

[1:12:44] We move out into the more rural communities and then that density is not there anymore.

[1:12:49] There are times where we can drive a mile before we get to the next home, to service, or

[1:12:56] the next commercial business to service.

[1:12:59] So it's a matter of density and travel time.

[1:13:01] Okay.

[1:13:02] And for our citizens, when we're talking about, no, we have the percentage here.

[1:13:07] But what does that look like for them?

[1:13:10] So that's an additional.

[1:13:12] So what you're looking at, because it's broken up into two different rate increases.

[1:13:18] is you're looking at approximately $0.89 for the first increase.

[1:13:24] Okay.

[1:13:25] Did you say $0.89?

[1:13:26] I'm sorry.

[1:13:27] I believe that's $0.89 here.

[1:13:30] I wasn't.

[1:13:31] I think it's $1.77, if I remember correctly, for the first increase.

[1:13:37] When you include the CPI, but what we're talking about, I believe, is the 3.5 is $0.89.

[1:13:46] Okay.

[1:13:48] Okay, so with the CPI, we'll be looking at the dollar in.

[1:13:51] Yeah, at the CPI, we don't know where the CPI will land yet.

[1:13:58] The way the contract reads, it's the trailing 12 and you draw an average from the 12 trailing 12 on the CPI, so we won't have that number until the end of the year.

[1:14:11] Okay.

[1:14:11] Now, right now, it's at about 2.52%, it could go up or it could go down, but not significantly.

[1:14:21] And I'm going to ask again, I see it says at least, which is good,

[1:14:32] a corporate presence in the county to support county activities.

[1:14:36] With at least 15, I'm going to ask again, at least 20.

[1:14:43] And I don't have that authority, but you ask the question, I'll bring it to the correct people.

[1:14:52] I appreciate that.

[1:14:54] Yes, ma'am.

[1:14:55] All right.

[1:14:55] Thank you.

[1:14:56] Commissioner Green.

[1:14:58] Thank you.

[1:14:58] I gotta start looking to turn left.

[1:15:00] Yes, right. It's okay. I apologize. No problem. You find. My question was going to actually be about the incentives as well as a relates to giving back to the community. And I think that is something that we need to place emphasis on a lot of our vendors and contractors with the county. But my question is, how many other options? I know it's very limited people who does, who do this, but how many other bids were there or were there any other interested companies that were

[1:15:29] available or that will serve as this county, Mr. Dixon.

[1:15:35] Yes, yes, sir.

[1:15:37] Yes, appreciate it.

[1:15:38] Thank you.

[1:15:38] Sorry.

[1:15:40] Commissioner, we looked at going for RFP or an invitation to be it.

[1:15:48] We monitored for the last year the Leon County situation and a couple other situations around.

[1:15:55] Now, the Leon County situation, which we all know is a much more prosperous market than ours came in.

[1:16:06] I think $7 more than they did in waste flows of low bidder.

[1:16:12] Everyone else were many, many dollars ahead.

[1:16:17] And they entered, as they went through their process,

[1:16:21] because they realized that their contract was probably the best contract that they were

[1:16:26] going to get understanding this is a multi-million dollar operation and that if the next closest

[1:16:34] bids were at least ten dollars more.

[1:16:38] And so we felt that gave us an opportunity to go and negotiate as opposed to going out to

[1:16:46] be it.

[1:16:46] We had a rollover, but we think we were able to get in as cheaply as we possibly could have hope to.

[1:16:54] I think we on county experience a 15% increase.

[1:16:59] So we were monitoring folk around us, and we thought this was the best opportunity.

[1:17:05] Sure.

[1:17:07] Yes, sir.

[1:17:08] If I can add on what the administrator said, we did do some verification on what the increases were.

[1:17:14] If this contract was put out to bid and I was hearing from 15% to 20%.

[1:17:21] Even with that, the request was 7% for One Year and

[1:17:26] we were able to, to an illustrator now able to negotiate out 3.5 for

[1:17:31] the first year and then 3.5 for the second year, so we didn't do a 7% increase in One Year.

[1:17:41] Which day requests?

[1:17:47] Mr. Chair, what is the address of your business?

[1:17:53] Mr. Chair, you come up here, I'm sorry about that.

[1:17:57] Is that 264 Commerce Lane, Midway?

[1:18:02] So you're a gas and county business?

[1:18:04] Yes, sir, we are.

[1:18:05] You know what I like the most about y'all?

[1:18:07] What's that, sir?

[1:18:08] Every time the truck rides by, somebody hollers, hey, major wood.

[1:18:13] And what it tells me is there's a lot of our locals.

[1:18:17] the work for y'all.

[1:18:20] Gatson County probably supports us from the employees standpoint by about 60%.

[1:18:25] Keep up that good work.

[1:18:28] And also we have a program where we meet with local law enforcement directions.

[1:18:35] And if there's an opportunity for second chance citizen that needs a job, they can start on our trucks.

[1:18:42] They have to be certain criteria, but we're proud of that fact.

[1:18:48] Colonel Barclay is sitting in the back.

[1:18:50] And so, when you leave, if y'all can, he may already know our folks.

[1:18:55] Keep giving us jobs, thank you, sir.

[1:18:59] I wanted to have a question for you.

[1:19:01] Yes, Commissioner Hope, then turn after that.

[1:19:03] Okay, thank you.

[1:19:04] Do you guys, do you need large item pickups?

[1:19:08] Well, you're referring to bulk item pickups.

[1:19:10] There is a bulk item pick-up provision in the contract, I believe it's once a month, and you'd have to call that end, and we would come out and pick it up, that bulk item could consist of anything from white goods to, you know, couch chairs, stuff like that for an injury.

[1:19:27] So the citizen would have to have, have you already picking up their, do they have to be a sign on?

[1:19:34] They would have to be, it would have to have service already yes.

[1:19:39] Okay, all right, thank you.

[1:19:41] Yes, ma'am.

[1:19:42] Mr. Chair and commissioners, there was one amendment that we needed to make to the agreement.

[1:19:49] Mr. Children and I were trying to, when we look at this contract to figure out what the county would

[1:19:56] the need over the five year period and talk with them.

[1:20:00] We did put in the helping hands, which allows the elderly citizens to get free service. And so we got that in. We also added Section 5.5, which is a premium collection services, so individuals could pay for that. But we wanted to negotiate out terms on that, but we couldn't get the terms negotiated out. So we need to delete that item, Section 5.5. So when you get your motion, we ask that you approve the

[1:20:29] the agreement with the exclusion of Section 5.5, and also authorize any modification based on script news errors.

[1:20:40] Also, too, before we get into that, it's not even good.

[1:20:47] Yeah, those those was two concerns that I had and I talked to attorney about that.

[1:20:51] I'm glad he said he was able to negotiate with the role side assistance because he had a lot of seniors calling me about that.

[1:20:58] I'm glad I was able to look into that.

[1:21:01] Also, another one was the bucket, Adam Pickup, yes, with Commissioner Ho state earlier.

[1:21:10] Do y'all pick up certain things because I was told that y'all are going to pick up one or two things.

[1:21:15] You see, we've got a set of things, you've got a bed out there, it has a dresser, a drawer, and a stool or whatever.

[1:21:22] Y'all are going to come pick up one thing, and that's still a part of the print, right?

[1:21:26] It's based on volume now what we try to do because if we're running once a month and you have several homes out there that may need service, we can't pick up a whole house move out and then take away from the service from everyone else down the road.

[1:21:44] So we have to be just, you know, discriminant, whatever the word is, and what we pick up.

[1:21:50] So if we look at what we've got going for that week, and there are several homes that have bulk pick up,

[1:21:59] if we follow the rules of the contract, it's a very small amount.

[1:22:03] Typically we'll pick up two to three times that amount, we pick up.

[1:22:06] But if it's an extreme amount, we can only pick up what we can in order to serve us to look at the customer down the road.

[1:22:13] because that was that was some of what people had hard burns where could they they made a phone call they got

[1:22:19] the great kids to put everything outside not maybe a couch and I'm dead in the stew and

[1:22:26] they just came pick up one item and so I think that that's that was that was some of the concerns that

[1:22:33] we had and I think that that part we need to address that to as well before we sign it for five years

[1:22:39] something because we are a rural area and we are aging community and we're just trying

[1:22:44] that's those are two concerns I'm glad we create the one that we go and talk to

[1:22:48] well addressed to senior citizens if they need someone to pick up their stuff y'all

[1:22:52] glad y'all address that issue I really appreciate matter fair I got a I'm going to disclose I

[1:22:56] had a great relationship with each protee I mean like you said you're you're a staff major

[1:23:02] their staff is impeccable I gave him some peaking I got a peek on to you I gave him a whole

[1:23:08] People think, well, I go to Strawberry Fests,

[1:23:10] I bring Strawberry and Jaws, some great people.

[1:23:13] So I have a great relationship with everybody, including your vice president.

[1:23:17] Yes, thank you, as everyone on this board knows.

[1:23:21] I'm in favor of people taking their stuff to the dump, because it makes your property look real bad.

[1:23:27] Put those items right there and they sit, and it almost devalues your property by having people come by.

[1:23:34] And so if you can, take that to the dump and that way it wouldn't be a problem.

[1:23:39] We have that enough for seniors, I'm happy about that because they do need help with

[1:23:44] that.

[1:23:45] When I just think if we're younger and we're out working and we're doing those things

[1:23:49] that we can go and take care of some of that.

[1:23:52] So if the gentleman has to pick up something for the senior citizen, you got 15 other houses

[1:23:56] where they're able to take this stuff to the land field, take it and don't leave them

[1:24:01] fun of your house in order for animals to be all on it and also for the rain on it and things

[1:24:08] like that that happen, devalues your property. But thank you so much. And I think it's a very

[1:24:14] good idea because you've negotiated in some good items when we look through it. And I think we

[1:24:21] should go ahead and improve it with those increases. I mean, and with the numbers that we have,

[1:24:28] I've got a number's good, but all right, thank you.

[1:24:31] Commissioner, I will let you know right now

[1:24:34] that I'll put it on my agenda to speak with our senior vice

[1:24:38] president about the bulk issues that you're experiencing.

[1:24:42] And I will address that internally.

[1:24:45] That's a decision that we can make locally.

[1:24:49] Right.

[1:24:49] So that's just seeing since the elder didn't have the answer.

[1:24:53] You know, it's going to help him as much as you can.

[1:24:55] The reason I brought that up though,

[1:24:56] I did not bring it up for everybody to leave the stuff out by the road.

[1:25:00] That's what I'm saying. If it's a need, then they need to do it, but we don't need even, we're picking up now. Some people just put stuff out their own. They leave it there for weeks and stuff like that. And it's unheard of. We're trying to encourage businesses to come. And I give you a good example. I'm going to stop talking on this. I brought two business people down. I was trying to talk to the school board about St. John School. There were two businesses that were looking for storage. And we discussed that, but the school board decided to sell it to an individual.

[1:25:29] to a church. They thought it was great for their businesses, but then they noticed some

[1:25:36] things about highway on 2 CC 7. And one of them asked me, he said, why is that stuff

[1:25:40] about a road? And I told him, he said, well, that shouldn't be. That doesn't look good

[1:25:46] for the county, because you got to think for a beautification, but you have a mattress

[1:25:51] out by the highway. And I told him, I said, yeah, tell me what you really think, because that's

[1:25:56] That's what he was doing, and it makes sense to see what people on the outside think about us when they're looking at.

[1:26:02] But that was the reason I asked, thank you.

[1:26:04] Yes, ma'am.

[1:26:08] Mr. Green, thank you.

[1:26:11] I don't think that the conversation that was just had it had any reflection on the services provided from waste for, I think, is more the program that we have as it relates to the book.

[1:26:26] I think that's the only way to

[1:26:28] identify that issue is not only what

[1:26:30] happens is people will call to say

[1:26:32] especially in my district that they

[1:26:34] have certain items out there and

[1:26:36] I will just make the call to

[1:26:37] management and they'll make the

[1:26:38] call to make sure that those

[1:26:39] items are going to get picked up

[1:26:40] during that week of book.

[1:26:42] Bokey out and pick up so I don't

[1:26:44] think that that conversation was

[1:26:46] really referring to the statements

[1:26:47] was referring to the ways for

[1:26:49] a country although it's good to know

[1:26:51] that you are offering that services per month.

[1:26:55] So, and maybe I missed that.

[1:26:57] How can they car you or the day

[1:26:59] that you're gonna set aside?

[1:27:01] And once a month, I don't have that.

[1:27:03] I don't have that.

[1:27:04] It will be good to get that schedule

[1:27:05] so that we can inform our citizens

[1:27:07] and the process and the way

[1:27:09] that you're going to do that program.

[1:27:11] So, we'll know how to go with it.

[1:27:15] Thank you.

[1:27:16] We'll get that to the county administrator.

[1:27:20] Yes, before we get into them, just clarify something quick.

[1:27:23] My statement was going directly to waste product by the bulk of items, all fairness.

[1:27:30] Because you know, a lot of them live, someone live in the city, I know they've got different

[1:27:33] contracts, but I always tell them that if your city may be, I have a different contract

[1:27:38] in the county.

[1:27:39] So, but my statement is what do you guys, but again, you guys always been accessible for

[1:27:43] me in the community, also for the employee just in PEP, but to as well.

[1:27:51] Commissioner Simpkins, are you an echo?

[1:27:54] Oh, you can.

[1:27:55] Yeah.

[1:27:55] Same thing.

[1:27:56] Okay.

[1:27:57] Thank you again.

[1:27:58] Thank you, sir.

[1:28:00] Now, do we have a motion on the floor now?

[1:28:02] Move approval.

[1:28:02] Governor, aye.

[1:28:03] With the exception.

[1:28:05] With the amendments.

[1:28:06] Yeah, I was going to say, move approval with the deletion of Section 5.5 and authorize

[1:28:14] any exception for a script of the years.

[1:28:19] All right, I'll second that.

[1:28:21] Okay, we've got a motion in second, all in favor say aye.

[1:28:25] Aye.

[1:28:25] With all those corrections, and one of the polls said nay.

[1:28:29] All right, five will vote.

[1:28:31] All right, so here we are now with the approval of the city of Gritnell.

[1:28:38] Loves, Travis Sino, Mr. Dixon.

[1:28:42] Mr. Chairman, this item seeks your approval, seeks

[1:28:57] your approval of an interlocal agreement for the ownership transfer of an unimproved roadway known as Clifford Johnson Road, owned by Gaston County and execution of a proposed right-of-way deed in unimproved, excuse me, roadway to the city of Gretna.

[1:29:15] As you all know, the city came before the board requesting this agreement.

[1:29:21] We've had extensive conversation with the city, and moving toward this, we've even had a survey done.

[1:29:28] And it is now before you for approval.

[1:29:32] If the attorney has anything else, Mr. Chairman.

[1:29:36] Mr. Chair, Chair and commissioners, administrative is correct.

[1:29:42] We had extensive conversations with the city of Gretner, I see Mr. Nose in the audience and he and I discussed this and I believe that he's in concurrence with what we've done here.

[1:29:53] So are there any questions from the city of Gretner? I think he's here to answer any questions.

[1:29:58] Yeah.

[1:29:59] Yeah.

[1:30:00] Yes, I want to, I'm sorry, I was going to go and put it in. Yeah, it's not a, I was going to go and put it in a motion for approval, because all they needed was a letter. And one technical change. Go ahead, sorry.

[1:30:17] Okay.

[1:30:21] Yes, Mr. President.

[1:30:22] The floor is yours.

[1:30:23] Good evening, everyone.

[1:30:25] There was no city attorney for the city of Gretna.

[1:30:28] Yes, sir.

[1:30:28] There was one timeline in the agreement.

[1:30:32] It was a 15-day period within which the county could approve, put all signatures together

[1:30:39] to approve the interlocal agreement.

[1:30:41] We're requesting that that timeline be reduced to 48 hours.

[1:30:47] If everybody's an agreement with what we're doing here,

[1:30:50] you know, reason why we should have to wait another 15 days to get this document executed.

[1:30:57] Mr. Chair.

[1:30:59] Mr. President.

[1:30:59] Yes, sir.

[1:30:59] Mr. President.

[1:31:00] And I'm glad he brought that.

[1:31:02] We're waiting on the final legal description.

[1:31:06] Just to be clear, I want to personally thank the board for allowing us to get the survey done.

[1:31:13] And we not done the survey, we would have taken a foot of land, a foot of land from a private landowner.

[1:31:22] We were at a clouded title, and we've had a potential lawsuit coming back before the board at some unknown time.

[1:31:28] And maybe the city of Redna.

[1:31:30] So, I'm totally in agreement with expert darkness as quickly as possible.

[1:31:35] We need to survey back, which we don't have, so you can't get the legal description, so you can't file anything.

[1:31:41] And I'm not of the opinion that I would want to put any restrictions on the commission in that regard.

[1:31:47] So I would say that we keep the 15 days, but Mr. Knows, as I've called you regularly, so we could get this worked out.

[1:31:55] I'll make that same commitment.

[1:31:57] We'll try to do it as expeditiously as possible and not do it within 15 days.

[1:32:02] But we've got to get the legal description back, which you also assured me that the legal description would be here by tonight.

[1:32:08] And you assured me that the legal description that you gave me was accurate and it wasn't was to my knowledge

[1:32:14] I'm not a lawyer the point is that we need to make sure we do it right sir and that's what I'd like to do

[1:32:19] So I'm committing let me ask the further question when will the survey be available as I mentioned to you and I talked to you

[1:32:27] It was our goal to have it tonight

[1:32:30] It is to be done correctly. It has to be signed and sealed as you know

[1:32:34] So we expect to have it in the next day or so

[1:32:37] And so once we get that, my commitment to the board is that we'll go forward and get this expedited for the City of Greteness.

[1:32:45] I've mentioned before we're not here to oppose the City of Greteness economic development, but as I've said to the board before, it's important that we get it done correctly.

[1:32:55] So as soon as we get that survey, what Mr. Nose and I had worked out was that I would give him that document, he would put it in for the legal description, which he's already framed, which is an exhibit here.

[1:33:06] And then he will have that and he'll get it back to me as a deed and then we can record it.

[1:33:12] So with all due respect, that is an attachment to a deed.

[1:33:15] The deed can still be executed, subject to that attached document.

[1:33:20] That document being attached to it, as can be the local agreement in a local agreement.

[1:33:27] There's no reason not to go ahead and sign off on the document with the understanding that

[1:33:32] that the legal description will be subsequently added to it.

[1:33:38] Mr. Chair, this is about an execution issue.

[1:33:42] Let's turn it on.

[1:33:42] Not about a survey issue.

[1:33:44] I want to say, really, I appreciate the conversation because the information that's what I'll have a problem with, but I want to speak, just wait until the end of the finish, then you go back and respond because you want to make sure it's not like a tight mold.

[1:33:56] What you're saying is there's some valuable information that's coming to us, so I just want to tell you.

[1:34:01] We're good for you, but we've got to represent our clients.

[1:34:06] Yes, sir.

[1:34:06] I understand it.

[1:34:07] You know, two lawyers get together.

[1:34:09] It's going to be kind of interesting sometimes.

[1:34:11] You too.

[1:34:12] I just, I stay out of your way, but y'all, you guys keep on, you keep on, let me, let me just

[1:34:18] say this again, I keep saying that I'm committed to getting it done as quickly as possible.

[1:34:22] There will be no delay.

[1:34:24] We need to get all the documents in order and then execute all the documents one time.

[1:34:28] That's the proper way to do it.

[1:34:29] And so we get the survey back tomorrow, just like I've called you regularly, and you have to agree that I've called you regularly.

[1:34:36] Oh yeah, right, and then I will send that document to you as soon as I get it, and then we'll get it everything ready, and we need a vote to approve these chairman's authorization to sign the document, and once we get all the documents together.

[1:34:51] As I've mentioned to each of you individually, you follow the path that we put in place.

[1:34:56] There's no knocks on the doors, five years, ten years down the road.

[1:35:00] roll. We get things done in proper form and proper order. And that's what we're going to do here. And so we got the legal description done properly. So there's no issues there. Now we just need a couple of days. Maybe maybe tomorrow, just to button it up and get it done properly. And that's my recommendation to the board.

[1:35:29] Okay.

[1:35:30] I'm going to come back once you get that survey completed, so I mean, I'm legally, can we go ahead and make that approval?

[1:35:38] Chair.

[1:35:39] Yes, sir.

[1:35:40] Okay.

[1:35:40] The answer is yes, if I wasn't clear, that's my recommendation.

[1:35:44] The legal description, Mr. Nose and I agree, as a minor issue, as it relates to the approval of the interlocal agreement.

[1:35:51] You approve the interlocal agreement that authorizes the transfer, we need to attach the legal description.

[1:35:57] Once we get all of that, it's presented to the Chair for signature.

[1:36:00] So the motion is to approve the chair to sign the interlocal agreement upon all the documents being in place, and then you don't have to come back for a second review by the board.

[1:36:14] Thank you, and I understand that, but I just wanted to be clarified even more as we move forward with this item.

[1:36:19] Thank you.

[1:36:20] Yes, sir.

[1:36:20] Okay, one right, quick, one repeat, Mr. Attorney, with the approval of a signed legal agreement with the legal description.

[1:36:31] Once we, the motion is that the board will approve that the transfer of the Clifford Johnson road via interlocal agreement and authorized the chairman to sign the interlocal agreement upon a legal description being attached to the interlocal agreement.

[1:36:49] Okay.

[1:36:50] Okay.

[1:36:51] Commissioner Simpke, you have a quick question with the legal description.

[1:36:58] Is that something that we're waiting for them to give to us or is that something that

[1:37:06] we, with the survey, that's our survey.

[1:37:10] We're waiting for the legal description from our surveyor.

[1:37:13] Chair, yes, sir.

[1:37:15] Commissioner, what Mr. Knows and I agreed to is that he drafted up the legal description.

[1:37:19] So we had it framed, excuse me, the deeds that we had it framed.

[1:37:24] And then we're just going to get the surveys legal description.

[1:37:28] And when we get that, he's going to serve that in that and once we got that, we're done.

[1:37:31] Right, I understand.

[1:37:33] My question is, who is going to provide this legal description?

[1:37:37] The surveyer.

[1:37:38] Okay, so do we have a time?

[1:37:40] The county's surveyer.

[1:37:41] Okay, that's my question.

[1:37:43] So we should have the survey from our county surveyer.

[1:37:53] within, by the end of this week, we should, we should, and again, let me finish.

[1:38:01] And the reason I'm saying that is because we, and I know I wanted us to make sure that

[1:38:07] we did our due diligence, but at the same time, I do not want us to continue to hold up,

[1:38:14] or we may not be holding up, but I don't want us to drag, drag, drag, if we're able to find

[1:38:19] And now when our survey is going to be able to provide that information, we can give them a call and find out when they're going to provide that information, because I don't want us to wait this 15 day because we have the 15 days, we wait the 15 days.

[1:38:37] We're talking about another two weeks, so if you are expecting it tonight, then we should have it by the end of the week.

[1:38:55] I don't know that the city has a recourse against the board, but to the extent that something

[1:39:01] happens outside of the control of the board with the serve there, then I don't want to

[1:39:08] know what recourse they have.

[1:39:10] I know that we should be able to get it done.

[1:39:12] And we should have had it today, I asked the surveyer to get it today.

[1:39:16] They dropped other jobs to get the survey done early because it needed to be done.

[1:39:22] We wanted to get it in proper form with legal description done.

[1:39:26] But I don't control the surveyer, he's committed to me that he would have had it today, but he didn't.

[1:39:32] So I can only assume because of his word quality that he's making sure he does it right.

[1:39:37] So, I've committed to Mr. Knows that as soon as I get it, as I've discussed everything with him regularly, that I will get it to him, and if you authorize the chair to sign it, it could be tomorrow.

[1:39:51] But that's a different issue as whether you would bind yourself with a shorter time period if something outside of the control of the commission would occur.

[1:40:00] And that's all I'm saying. It's not that we're going to wait 15 days. We just don't put unnecessary restrictions on the board that if something outside of the control of the board would occur. So, again, my commitment to the board is that as soon as I get it, as I've done with everything else with Mr. Nose, I return, I turn it over fairly quickly. If I remember correctly, you sent me the interlocal agreement and I got it back to you the next day. That's correct. Right. So we're not. There's no.

[1:40:28] So to the extent there may be a suggestion that there's any delays happening from the commission side.

[1:40:34] There's not happening, we're actually moving very exponentially to get this down from Mr. Noes.

[1:40:38] I have two parenthetical comments I'd like to make if you don't mind.

[1:40:42] It does me for one second.

[1:40:43] Yes sir.

[1:40:44] Our problem has been, and our frustration has been, that this has taken three months to get done.

[1:40:52] And then really it's a roadway project as everyone knows, maybe the citizens don't.

[1:40:57] But this is just the project itself is on hold and Mr.

[1:41:05] stalwart, I believe it is, this is a $28 million project.

[1:41:10] So there are things going on in this county, it's in your district sir, so welcome aboard, this is our gift to you.

[1:41:18] Didn't give it to me huh, but I had it.

[1:41:22] It's a gift to everyone please, you're correct.

[1:41:26] But my point is, we're just, you know, these people are waiting in Oklahoma to come and start turning dirt.

[1:41:35] And we're talking about economic development and everything in it tonight.

[1:41:38] We're talking about economic development in Gaston County and we need this, that the other.

[1:41:42] There is economic development that is going on.

[1:41:45] This is the largest project that I'm aware of at this point.

[1:41:49] So we need to get it going.

[1:41:50] We're ready to turn dirt.

[1:41:52] er...

[1:41:52] I'm the chair now.

[1:41:58] Man you've been alone.

[1:42:02] Down on the way.

[1:42:05] Or is there any responsibility to be a lawyer or a student?

[1:42:14] Well, that's definitely fuert.

[1:42:17] I think that's a lot of back and forth, and in the spirit of compromise, Mr. Knows, let's say ten days so we can move this agenda ahead.

[1:42:26] Absolutely, we have it done.

[1:42:28] This is the third month, you said.

[1:42:31] Unexceptible or acceptable.

[1:42:33] Unexceptible. That's why I ask for a two-day lead time instead of a 15-day lead time.

[1:42:42] Well, we can't give you what you don't have.

[1:42:43] The thing is that I'm just curious, all fairness, I'm just trying to figure things out.

[1:42:50] We've been knowing about this for a while, right?

[1:42:52] No.

[1:42:53] I know I got a phone call this weekend, so somebody had no something that it was here that

[1:43:00] we were doing this.

[1:43:00] We had this conversation.

[1:43:02] Oh, sorry to fire, sorry to somebody like that.

[1:43:04] So if we knew about it Friday, why can't we get started Friday or get started Monday and trying to get the

[1:43:12] probably trying to be fair by job be fair with everybody I understand we need

[1:43:17] People understand the difference between urgency and sense of urgency this urgent right here

[1:43:22] So I think that because you because you only got a certain time frame right here. It was a certain time frame to

[1:43:29] because if someone don't call me, change their mind, any given day.

[1:43:34] Some can happen, but at the same time now, I must respect the attorney's guidance

[1:43:39] because we don't want to be stuck in a acquired marb, because we've registered too quick

[1:43:44] and then, like you say, there's so much stuff that you find like a foot into a private property,

[1:43:50] things like that.

[1:43:51] That's why I got to respect you.

[1:43:53] I got to give you the floor to make sure because he is our attorney and you've got to list

[1:43:58] But at the same time, we're going to have an urgency on this matter, though, to make sure we get it quick in swallowing.

[1:44:04] Now, I'm sorry, now, Mr. Chair, you want to say a thing for me to make you want to, for like, at this point, my sense of it is it should be done inside of ten days.

[1:44:15] It should be done inside of two days, but I don't, you know, commissioners, and I hate to go back down memory lane, but just so you understand, understand.

[1:44:25] And I mean, I represented Governor State of Florida, I was a General Counselor of the Florida Department of Transportation.

[1:44:30] And no situation of I ever advised a board or an entity, a government entity, to put pressure on themselves when they can't control the outcome.

[1:44:41] So in this case, my recommendation is, and apparently Mr. Nose is not in agreement.

[1:44:46] We'll cut it from 15 days to 10 days, but my commitment has been from the outset.

[1:44:51] And I have worked with Mr. Knows throughout this to get it done sooner than that, but not put pressure on the board if because you don't control the serve there.

[1:45:00] He could have someone in his family that gets ill. He may have an emergency trip out of town, something totally outside of our control, and then we have a time frame by which we said we would do something, which we can't commit, we can't complete. So, cut it from 10 days, 15 days to 10, I'm comfortable with the day to get it done in that time frame. I'm hoping it gets it tomorrow. But I can't recommend to you that you would actually put pressure on yourselves to complete a task when you don't control the hour.

[1:45:29] Okay.

[1:45:31] But let me let you make your motion, Gary.

[1:45:36] Who are we?

[1:45:37] So I just like to make a comment.

[1:45:39] I want to make a motion.

[1:45:40] Okay.

[1:45:41] Go ahead, meet you.

[1:45:42] And I just like to make a comment.

[1:45:44] You're sitting here.

[1:45:44] I mean, it is my district.

[1:45:46] I'm very thankful.

[1:45:50] My part of it is, is I got out of the way.

[1:45:54] Talking to the commissioners in the city of Gretna

[1:45:57] and your manager, I thought it was a great project for the city of Gretna, hats off to you.

[1:46:05] I don't know if any of my commissioners are in here, I see a couple.

[1:46:09] I thought you did very good, 28 million, 50 jobs, a couple hundred thousand dollars return

[1:46:17] to the community every year from taxes, as my understanding.

[1:46:20] Whether we have stone watered or not, it is the perception, and perception is reality.

[1:46:31] And for us, this is the same thing that we were talking about, Dr. Stahlworth, about

[1:46:35] working together.

[1:46:37] We have got to get to where we allow other people to be successful.

[1:46:43] And I did what Reverend Bush, one of my favorite people of all time, says sometimes major, you

[1:46:49] to get out of the way for other people to be successful.

[1:46:53] I had absolutely nothing to do with this,

[1:46:56] and that's not what you hear politicians say,

[1:46:58] but I didn't.

[1:47:00] And I feel that the timeframe,

[1:47:04] and I get what the lawyer is saying,

[1:47:07] but we're at a point to where it has to be expeditiously.

[1:47:12] And we have to move this forward.

[1:47:15] And I would like to see that timeframe

[1:47:17] even further down if we can, and if we can't, then we do amend it, and the manager does

[1:47:25] what he needs to do to bring it back.

[1:47:28] Everyone of us understand that, but you got a man that's putting 28 million dollars in

[1:47:33] my district, 50 jobs.

[1:47:37] And this is what we talk about, economic development.

[1:47:39] We just spend all this money that we got to under, but this guy's coming to us.

[1:47:44] And so if we cut that days and we cut it down to three to five days, is that a problem?

[1:47:52] Mr. Knows, is that acceptable?

[1:47:53] No, sir.

[1:47:54] That would be fine.

[1:47:54] Do you feel like to threaten anyone in here that's official, is that out of line to you?

[1:48:03] I think that would be fine.

[1:48:05] You know, with all due respect, this is just, Laurie is going back and forth.

[1:48:09] Okay.

[1:48:09] We're going to have time to go back and forth, because we're going to have to go forward.

[1:48:12] We need to move.

[1:48:13] It helps when you speak English.

[1:48:15] It helps when you'll speak English.

[1:48:19] Mr. Chairman, may I make a motion please?

[1:48:21] Yes, but-

[1:48:22] Okay, well, I would like to move past, fail, or whatever.

[1:48:25] Yes.

[1:48:25] I would like to move that we approve the interlocal agreement and execution of the right-of-way

[1:48:31] these conveying the ownership of Clifford Johnson Road to the city of Gretna and authorize

[1:48:37] the chairman to sign Mr. Attorney, anything else?

[1:48:43] I want to serve it.

[1:48:44] What's the survey?

[1:48:45] Right.

[1:48:45] And we have a legal description.

[1:48:46] And we have a legal description.

[1:48:48] And that's my motion.

[1:48:49] Without having to come back to the board.

[1:48:51] We don't ever want to come back to the board.

[1:48:53] All right.

[1:48:53] I'll second that.

[1:48:55] What is the time on that?

[1:48:57] Here's the thing.

[1:48:58] Let's go.

[1:48:59] But he asked him for a time, but we can't give a time when you don't know when he's going to have the survey completed.

[1:49:04] Again, I'm sorry, but this is so unnecessarily complicated.

[1:49:09] When we all know that he's made it very clear, it's up to the survey when we get the survey.

[1:49:15] If it comes tomorrow, it gets executed tomorrow.

[1:49:18] If it takes 10 days, that's when you get it.

[1:49:20] We don't have.

[1:49:22] So we need to carry the motion.

[1:49:24] As was stated, I'm second in that motion.

[1:49:26] Thank you.

[1:49:28] No, not at all, but I'm just ready to move.

[1:49:32] Here we go.

[1:49:33] So we got a motion in a second on the floor, and now we have discussion about commission.

[1:49:40] Just quickly, what I'm going to request is, since we're not, we're stating we don't know the time.

[1:49:47] What I'm going to request Mr. Attorney is, if we can have the commissioners,

[1:49:50] If you can email the surveyor and if you can send us, you can see us on that email with them giving us a time frame.

[1:50:00] I mean, when that legal description will be available, that's what I would like to have. Chair, if I could suggest it's probably better not to involve this survey on emails from the commissioners, but I think it's appropriate for the administrator of myself to convey back to you what they responded as to what the time I would be, if you're okay with that. I don't understand why I can't receive an email from this committee.

[1:50:29] survey. So if you can, if you can, it means to come to you directly and you send me the email,

[1:50:36] then that's fine. But I'd like to see it in writing. And Mr. Chairman, just, we have asked the

[1:50:43] surveyer to drop jobs to complete this job because we gave him our word that this will be on the

[1:50:49] agenda tonight. It is on the agenda before you as we stated. There has not been any complications

[1:50:58] to right now, we will continue to move expeditiously and get this done.

[1:51:04] If it's not done in two days, you will hear from me as to what it is the surveyer says.

[1:51:11] We expect that it will be done.

[1:51:15] Okay.

[1:51:16] Thank you.

[1:51:16] I'll wait for the email from the surveyer so we can go through it.

[1:51:19] Thank you all very much.

[1:51:21] I'll thank you.

[1:51:21] Thank you.

[1:51:22] No.

[1:51:23] Do it.

[1:51:24] Okay.

[1:51:25] Okay.

[1:51:25] We have a motion.

[1:51:26] Second.

[1:51:28] All the papers are.

[1:51:29] I and one of polls.

[1:51:31] All right, five will vote.

[1:51:33] I'll write it.

[1:51:37] Okay.

[1:51:38] Oh, he said auction.

[1:51:39] Okay.

[1:51:40] All right.

[1:51:41] All right.

[1:51:45] Okay.

[1:51:45] I'm lab and see.

[1:51:48] Okay.

[1:51:50] I'm lab and see the discussion of Adam of the investigation of the auction.

[1:51:56] I'm going to give it to the image.

[1:51:57] Mr. Kennedy.

[1:51:59] I didn't realize you were the auction.

[1:52:01] Or just in general.

[1:52:03] In general.

[1:52:07] I'm going to address the elephant in the room.

[1:52:10] I think listening to the speakers, we have all heard that there's a lot of things that

[1:52:15] are going on that people have concern about.

[1:52:17] I can tell you on the campaign trail, it was something that I heard often.

[1:52:23] And so I would like, because I know how difficult it is as being someone that was over internals,

[1:52:29] being someone who's had to do them.

[1:52:30] And when you're talking about people that are in charge,

[1:52:35] those people that are in positions to have the authority to deal with the people doing the investigation,

[1:52:40] I think we need to ask outside to look at this and determine if there is any illegal activity and what's going on.

[1:52:50] And then it will answer the question, what are we doing? Are we transparent? And that's my thought.

[1:53:12] I do think that we need to give opportunity for to find out what it is that the internal investigation is going to find out the findings.

[1:53:24] We have to give opportunity for that process, and I do believe that after that process is done,

[1:53:30] that the appropriate actions will be taken.

[1:53:33] And based on what is found, if needed to go to another step by all means, I support going

[1:53:40] to the next step, if it requires the next step.

[1:53:45] But in the process that will be in, I almost feel like we're not given opportunity for those

[1:53:50] those who are conditioned or those who are, who service or work in that department in an area to do their jobs or to do their diligence.

[1:53:58] So I want to make sure that we are extending that opportunity, but hopefully that we will have some results sooner than later.

[1:54:05] I was actually hoping that that part of the process could have been done before the meeting tonight.

[1:54:10] And I guess that we're having that conversation that if I can ask HR, you know, to come to the mic, you know, asking them, asking them administrator for permission to just ask HR a question about the process.

[1:54:26] And I will advise that we don't have a hole for a conversation about this because it can in return become a very detailed legal matter that we want to make sure that we're careful for how we trade.

[1:54:38] But I just want, I just have a simple question from the HR director if allow.

[1:54:43] Mr. Turner.

[1:54:44] Good evening, Mr. Dixon.

[1:54:45] Board and commissioners, one of the first things that I looked at was whether or not this investigation was exempt under Chapter 119 as being a public record and it is exempt.

[1:54:56] So I just want to say that when you ask questions of the HR.

[1:55:00] Person that you keep a more general, so it doesn't compromise the investigation. One thing that is clear in this investigation, I've been watching it is that you have documentation. And there are a lot of different types of investigations commissioner, you know, as a former prosecutor, I've been involved in them as general counsels involved with them. When you have documentation, the only question is whether you got all the documentation or not as opposed to as opposed to just statements from individuals.

[1:55:27] So this is a transaction that involves documentation and I think that the HR person again without getting into much detail is involved in collecting all of the documents and the documents tell the stories and the documents either cooperate or don't cooperate the statements that are made but the documents don't change.

[1:55:49] So the documents will be accurate about what actually happens.

[1:55:51] And so to the extent that there are questions that are generated based on what the documents provide, I think it would be appropriate for some external review, but the documents are going to be the controlling review or what occurred in this and this matter, I think at this point.

[1:56:09] Commissioner Green has answered the question.

[1:56:11] No, I asked, well, that wasn't a question for him to answer for me.

[1:56:14] I was asking for permission to ask my simple question to my HR director.

[1:56:19] Sure, sure, all of the HR director.

[1:56:32] All right, thank you.

[1:56:33] How are you doing, Dr. Burrell?

[1:56:35] How are you?

[1:56:35] Good, simple question.

[1:56:36] Sure.

[1:56:37] And the simple question is, do you have a timeline on when your part of this investigation will be finished?

[1:56:43] I'm hoping by the end of the week, but I know the timeline, but we're at the process that

[1:56:53] we're ready for to do a final review of the, to analyze the documentation.

[1:57:04] So definitely by, when people say the end of the week, I never or give a few days, I like

[1:57:12] to give abstentions because as it's been stated, anything can transpire throughout this process.

[1:57:17] So I want to make sure that we're being fair and let you're doing your job.

[1:57:20] And I just wanted it to be known that you are working as hard as you can to be as accurate

[1:57:25] as you can with the information that you're going to present.

[1:57:27] So thank you for Mr. Administrative for allowing me to ask that question.

[1:57:30] Thank you, Dr. Brown.

[1:57:31] Yes.

[1:57:32] Thank you.

[1:57:33] Thank you.

[1:57:34] Mrs. HR.

[1:57:36] Commissioner Wolves.

[1:57:38] So, as a former state attorney, do you think that these people that are getting interviewed

[1:57:44] in a internal investigation, that there's the possibility that they can incriminate themselves

[1:57:50] in their statements?

[1:57:52] Do you think that or is this just a fact-finding?

[1:57:56] Are they going to interview people?

[1:57:58] Again, we're going to be very generic right now.

[1:58:01] The answer is yes, they're going to interview people.

[1:58:03] So the best example I can give you is how you would do an FBI background check.

[1:58:08] You have questions that you're asking the visuals, and as you know, they may bring up other names.

[1:58:15] And then that leads to additional interviews that will occur.

[1:58:21] Commissioner Simpkins, thank you, Commissioner Wolves.

[1:58:25] Thank you, Commissioner Hanson.

[1:58:27] And I'm going to agree with Commissioner Wood and the reason why when this initially came

[1:58:37] for in our previous meeting and then we kind of missed, nothing comes on the agenda.

[1:58:46] Well, I guess I need to ask who approves the agenda, Mr. Administrator, before it comes

[1:58:52] to us.

[1:58:54] Approves the agenda.

[1:58:55] Right.

[1:58:55] Who reviews the agenda to see what's on the agenda?

[1:58:58] Staff in the chair, I mean, usually it's a review the agenda.

[1:59:03] Because that made it to the board, right?

[1:59:07] So with that making it to the board, I do believe that there needs to be an external investigation.

[1:59:19] Because this is something that the

[1:59:24] administrator approves the agenda.

[1:59:27] And because it made it to us, there was some awareness.

[1:59:34] So I believe there needs to be an external.

[1:59:39] And that puts, and what happens is, we can try to be,

[1:59:44] we can, you know, say that everything is done and no one will be.

[1:59:49] No one is job scared or no one.

[1:59:53] You know, people will speak freely.

[1:59:56] Let's be realistic.

[1:59:58] and I think if we

[2:00:00] We have it done externally. Then this is going to calm down some of the things, some of the concerns that the citizens have that I have. I believe an external investigation would do that. And that's what we need to, we need to move ourselves from this.

[2:00:33] And even our employees from this, and it needs to be done externally.

[2:00:38] Commissioner.

[2:00:39] Thank you.

[2:00:40] Oh, Dean, Commissioner Green.

[2:00:42] And I apologize.

[2:00:43] I mean, Commissioner Green.

[2:00:44] Okay.

[2:00:46] Thank you.

[2:00:47] Ladies and gentlemen, this does not mean you can't do an external anyway.

[2:00:52] If you don't agree with what the results, or even if you want one and you agree with the

[2:00:58] results, you still can have an external investigation.

[2:01:01] so that's not even the point. I think the point of this is to allow the people that need to do their job to do their job.

[2:01:10] We can't say someone is guilty because I picked them out.

[2:01:15] Okay. All we can do is look at evidence. Now once that's looked at and you do not agree, have extra investigation anyway.

[2:01:24] is very simple to do that. My concern with this is to make sure that we do not stumble

[2:01:33] when it comes to people's rights, when it comes to the rights of the citizens or a government.

[2:01:40] If you are said to have done something, then we go through the process. I always tell the administrator,

[2:01:46] And every administrator I've ever worked with since 02.

[2:01:50] To please follow policy and procedure.

[2:01:54] Do what we need to do.

[2:01:57] The first thing I do is call attorneys.

[2:02:00] And say the attorneys, this is what I want to know.

[2:02:03] What's going on?

[2:02:05] Tell me exactly what's happening.

[2:02:07] Do not, and I always tell them this, when you tell me something, you tell all the other commissioners.

[2:02:12] Mr. Decident tell you that when I say tell me what you tell me tell everyone else the same thing

[2:02:19] Make sure that they're aware

[2:02:21] And so what we're doing is we are becoming all of us are becoming prosecutors and

[2:02:28] We're prosecuting people

[2:02:30] Give them the policy and procedure. Do your investigation turn around if you want an external investigation do that, too

[2:02:38] Because that's what that's what you want and that's that's your right

[2:02:42] But I don't think that we should jump to any conclusions.

[2:02:46] I didn't like some things, and I won't tell you I did.

[2:02:50] But I do say let the process work itself out.

[2:02:54] And then ask for whatever you want.

[2:03:00] You finished the commission?

[2:03:01] Yes, sir.

[2:03:02] Uh, HR, I got a question for you again.

[2:03:06] Do you realize you're acknowledging me after her too?

[2:03:08] I don't have a nose.

[2:03:09] You already did.

[2:03:10] No, by law, I don't want to do that.

[2:03:11] She's a staff.

[2:03:12] I can talk to her.

[2:03:13] I'm just saying by law, now.

[2:03:14] First of all, that's not what I said.

[2:03:16] Oh, I think trying to acknowledge the kind of ministry,

[2:03:18] I'm just saying in general, I just want to acknowledge her,

[2:03:20] real quick, just a quick question.

[2:03:21] Dan, we go back to commissioning green.

[2:03:22] I apologize.

[2:03:24] That's right.

[2:03:24] Because I know this is, I just want to make sure

[2:03:27] we do everything right away.

[2:03:28] Because this may help your question out a little bit.

[2:03:31] Do we have a policy on, on donor investigation as well?

[2:03:35] Do we have a policy for that?

[2:03:36] We've created some procedures.

[2:03:39] So y'all creating a policy now?

[2:03:40] No, it's, it, it exists now.

[2:03:43] So we've got the policy now, okay, great, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

[2:03:47] Pandor to proceed now.

[2:03:49] What, comments agreed, did, did, did, did, commissioner, oh.

[2:03:51] Well, it cannot, it's, it's a little, okay.

[2:03:54] You said you're creating it, or you've created it since this has since you've been in this investigation.

[2:04:01] Or was this a policy that was already in place prior to prior to the investigation?

[2:04:07] I created standards of procedures in terms of how we would go forward with the investigation

[2:04:13] so that it would be transparent in terms of what to be expected.

[2:04:20] So this is something that was already a part of the county policy, or once this came

[2:04:26] about then before you went into the investigation, you created the policy.

[2:04:31] I wouldn't consider it as a policy per se, standards of procedures, meaning in terms

[2:04:39] of how, like, departmental procedures for investigations.

[2:04:45] Okay, so that was created, and I'm just trying to understand, so that was created.

[2:04:51] Once you knew that you were going to have to do an investigation and then you created

[2:04:56] that those standards are you're saying that, that was...

[2:05:04] No, it wasn't months, but I realized that there were no standards of procedures in place, so I created those.

[2:05:16] Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much. Now, Commissioner Greenfers, didn't Commissioner Woods or how you would like to?

[2:05:23] No, I just wanted to be clear that I am too in favor of an external investigation when it gets to that point.

[2:05:31] Only thing that I'm saying is allow HR to do their due diligence and present us whatever it is that they have and we can go to the next step.

[2:05:43] There's going to be several steps to this. I'm very sure.

[2:05:47] We have to allow the process to initiate.

[2:05:51] But what what gives me heartburn and I like you said speak with elephant room the last guy did that he got fire on spot

[2:06:00] It's be realistic and I'm looking right at him right now. I ain't calling my name

[2:06:04] But last guy did that he gave us some information

[2:06:09] Turn it say do not never fight about it. What up? What up? What up? All right? Don't really get it comes to the board

[2:06:14] Soon left the meeting that guy got fired the same day

[2:06:18] So who will be a fool to, I mean, go out and mention in, because I don't want to do that because

[2:06:23] I'm a one, you put the people at risk of losing the job, I'm all friends, people don't

[2:06:28] need to lose the job in the house.

[2:06:29] So I prefer to do an extraordinary investigation so people will not know who is, who is working

[2:06:35] to trust and come within, because now they put in people jobs at risk, not children, I'm

[2:06:41] just saying in general, I don't want to put you at risk, I don't want to put no one at

[2:06:44] risk.

[2:06:44] because people don't want to lose a job on the house,

[2:06:46] just because somebody can get rid of them,

[2:06:48] all fairness.

[2:06:49] So, we did that less than a few months ago.

[2:06:53] Probably the beginning is, I'm not sure.

[2:06:55] The guy said this, he got fired.

[2:06:59] Cause he decided to talk in speed.

[2:07:02] And so he got fired like that.

[2:07:03] So, I don't want to put people,

[2:07:04] life is too beautiful to begin fired on the house.

[2:07:07] So, I don't think the boys should have no inter investigation.

[2:07:09] I think they can do their own thing,

[2:07:11] they can have the inter investigation they want to.

[2:07:13] But I think that we should have an external investigation deal.

[2:07:17] I personally trust them that it will not be, at least they can have some legal

[2:07:25] ramifications because we put them in that position.

[2:07:27] That's just my home of opinion.

[2:07:29] I don't want to put them out like that.

[2:07:31] Do we have a motion on the floor real quick?

[2:07:33] Motion for one.

[2:07:33] I have another comment.

[2:07:34] Okay, another comment you can move forward from that point.

[2:07:38] Yeah, no, ma'am.

[2:07:39] I've had to stand there a lot of times and that's a very difficult place to be.

[2:07:42] Actually, what I'm trying to say, it protects the employee.

[2:07:48] That's what we're talking about because an employee may want to invoke their rights.

[2:07:52] If an employee is in an internal, and that internal could lead them into criminal prosecution,

[2:07:59] you're not being fair to the employee.

[2:08:01] And I say that as upset as I am about the allegations, that employee still deserves the right to have

[2:08:09] of those rights and vote if it's a criminal charge.

[2:08:14] So I just want it to be clear that as a board to the public that we do not have a problem

[2:08:21] that an outside law enforcement agency would look at this.

[2:08:25] They may come back and say, hey, yeah, it might just be politics, or they may come back and

[2:08:34] say no, this employee has committed a crime, and then they should move forward.

[2:08:41] That's my take, and that would be my motion when people have stopped discussing it.

[2:08:47] I mean, Major, I want to do that, I mean, echo something here real quick.

[2:08:52] The question here to me, the question is, in order for them to adopt policy that affect the board,

[2:08:59] Or doesn't the board got to approve that first, approve that policy before we come into law?

[2:09:04] No, you can ask them out from the attorney perspective.

[2:09:09] On time before they make this, because when you change policies, if I thought the board got to approve those policies when you change it.

[2:09:20] So I'll just curious about that.

[2:09:22] So if we did have a policy, did the board approve that policy and when did we approve it?

[2:09:27] That's what I'm not saying in general, I'm from a commissional standpoint, Ms. Kennedy, turning it.

[2:09:36] If I understand your question, your question is, is there a policy as related to the investigation?

[2:09:41] Yes, sir.

[2:09:42] I'd have to defer to Ms. Burrows on that.

[2:09:45] Okay, then does the board get to prove that policy before that happens?

[2:09:49] I'll just curious.

[2:09:50] If we're going to make modifications with certain things, do we have to prove that policy before it coming to effect?

[2:09:56] I'll just curious.

[2:09:56] If it's a policy, you would have to approve it if she had...

[2:10:00] As internal operating procedures, by which he conducts visits or investigations, I don't believe that would have to come before the board. So it's a question of which one it is. I would not. I want to talk Ms. Burrows on an idea. I want to be respectful on that situation. All fairness to you. Mr. Miss County Administrator, do we have a policy in place? If we do have a policy, the board approved that policy. But they said we have one. Everything else that we did the board approved that policy. I just curious about that.

[2:10:30] Mr. Chairman, the HR director and the attorney got together and agreed on how to approach the investigation.

[2:10:40] I think that is what she is talking about.

[2:10:43] Yes, how to approach the investigation.

[2:10:47] And may I?

[2:10:48] Yes, sir.

[2:10:48] Mr. Chairman, I've contacted local law enforcement and said we will come to you with a set of facts

[2:10:58] When this investigation is over, once we finish, we need for you to prove if there is or is not.

[2:11:08] What we hear in the streets and what the documentation may show could be something, could be nothing.

[2:11:16] That's for the fight finding to happen.

[2:11:19] We still need to gather those documents and present them, the attorney and HR writing will write the response, the final response.

[2:11:31] And that information will be presented to whatever agencies, we've looked at doing our own audits as well because it is internal policy that we need to fix.

[2:11:47] If there's something wrong, we know there's something wrong.

[2:11:50] How do we fix it?

[2:11:51] How do we go about it?

[2:11:53] The question is, how does this situation relate and how do we deal with it?

[2:12:01] Thank you, Mr. County Ministry of Commissioner Simpkins.

[2:12:07] And I hope I'm not, Mr. Turner, you can tell me if I am.

[2:12:11] My problem is there was board a policy was not followed as it relates to us, right?

[2:12:22] The county administrator is doing his investigation for his employee, right?

[2:12:29] There was a policy that was not followed as it relates to the board of county commissioners.

[2:12:39] There's no investigation that needs to be held as it relates to that.

[2:12:43] We already know the answer to that.

[2:12:46] So we need to determine what we're going to do as it relates to that, like Mr. Administrator

[2:12:53] and deal with his employees.

[2:12:57] But then we need to deal because something came to this agenda, something took place and

[2:13:05] And we did not approve it.

[2:13:07] And we know that we did not approve it.

[2:13:11] Chair, this is kind of interesting.

[2:13:13] I'll turn it on.

[2:13:14] Without getting into a lot of detail about what the investigation involves,

[2:13:19] that question is a legitimate question.

[2:13:22] The account administrator has recused himself.

[2:13:24] He's not involved in a day-to-day review of any matters that are involved here under my advice to him.

[2:13:31] So, Dr. Burles is not providing him any information about what has occurred.

[2:13:38] I think I can disclose this without any compromising.

[2:13:41] He's actually been interviewed about the process.

[2:13:44] So, I would tell you that in my opinion, the investigation has been thorough.

[2:13:50] And again, we're, so whether you stay internal or go external or not, he is not involved

[2:13:57] in the direction of the investigation, so whatever the outcome is, it's not going to be based on the input on the county administrator.

[2:14:07] Just so everybody.

[2:14:07] Hello, Mr. Commissioner.

[2:14:09] One second, one second, one second.

[2:14:12] When does the county attorney represent the county administrator?

[2:14:20] How can you tell himself that without the board making that decision to relate that to him?

[2:14:29] I'm just trying to figure that out.

[2:14:30] It's getting me to have the desk listen to that comment, because I never heard, because

[2:14:37] you represent us.

[2:14:39] You don't represent him.

[2:14:41] You can't say that he is the one who got to be away from this thing, it's offensive to

[2:14:46] me as a board member, to hear you say that Mr. County turning, when you can tell him when

[2:14:53] something going on that the board can be complicit, right,

[2:14:58] it's nervous.

[2:15:30] Should the board say this is my recommendations to do this. Then the board can instruct you to do that to give him advice. You don't, I've been on several boards, like I said. This is the first time in America. The first time I've heard that you give him recommendations, and you work for us, and he work for us. You put the representative board, because if staff come together and sue the board, based on you getting recommendations and cover him, now we get a major

[2:15:59] the mayor lawsuit with the county, because now you put the staff at risk, but you're trying to take the county administrator.

[2:16:07] Based on, that's just perception, I see it's true, that just perception of what you just said just then.

[2:16:13] So, can you tell me this is in this county?

[2:16:14] I have a question.

[2:16:15] No, I'm the chairman.

[2:16:17] I know, no, no, no,

[2:16:21] no,

[2:16:24] no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, reason why I'm saying this, man, because people can lose jobs behind this.

[2:16:28] I'm caring about the guy who finally got a job, worked for three years.

[2:16:33] You know, he's making $15 an hour, he's trying to do his right, and he may have a question

[2:16:39] whatever.

[2:16:39] But he's not being protected.

[2:16:41] But yet you tell him the kind of administrator without board approval to silence himself.

[2:16:50] To me that's, I'm trying to be as fair with it, but it's kind of throwing me off the

[2:16:55] wrong weight with that deal.

[2:16:58] Can you explain how can you have the authority to maybe do to bypass the board and talk to him without board knowing anything about this is my first time but all fairness public disclosure is my first time in this conversation so can you can you please address that concern and I apologize being so emotion that's who I was a former head football coach so I'm not getting emotions I apologize for that so chair marriage fine. Yes sir.

[2:17:27] First of all, there was never any intention to circumvent the board.

[2:17:33] And there's not been any actions on my part that I consider to be protecting the county administrator.

[2:17:41] Everything has been to the commentary.

[2:17:44] What we've been involved in is trying to make sure the investigation wasn't compromised.

[2:17:49] And so I have provided advice to miss barrels about what I thought would compromise the investigation, and since there was no clear understanding as to what the investigation would result in, I actually provided that advice today.

[2:18:07] So there has been no attempt to circumvent the board, but this was a recent development that just occurred today.

[2:18:14] But what my thinking is turning.

[2:18:18] Why give, why, just, again, I don't have, I'm trying to figure this out.

[2:18:25] Why give it to, why tell the kind of administrator, hey, we don't want you to see anything, but yeah, you go to the human resource director.

[2:18:34] And, and, and, or human resource person go to the director, someone else, why you put the med risk, but you tell him the kind of administrator, he can't say nothing.

[2:18:42] Why is that the case, I never heard, I'm just, that's not what happened, sir.

[2:18:46] Well, you just said, just saying that you told him, he's, is now is under the, the direction

[2:18:52] of, of the human resource, because you gave him, you told him that he can, again, I think

[2:18:58] when you see the report, whether you go external or stay internal, it'll be clear.

[2:19:02] These questions are actually being addressed in the action, the investigation itself.

[2:19:06] And so every question that's been raised here is a part of what the investigation involves.

[2:19:11] Well, that's great, I just had to ask that question.

[2:19:16] I have a feeling what I want to need to have, but who's next, Mr. Dixon?

[2:19:26] Let me make it very clear that the questions that were before the board were, was

[2:19:42] their

[2:19:46] We are initially, that they are initially looking at, county policy.

[2:19:52] If county policy is leading to a violation of criminal law, then investigate.

[2:20:00] Opposition will go that way. I have presented myself and said I'm available. I heard the words coming from and the insinuations. I'm smart enough to know, hey, put yourself out there. I'm out there. I was called for investigation for interview. I went and did my interview. The attorney did not direct me to quiet down a hush. That's not true. Appreciate that.

[2:20:25] Commissioner Ho, sorry, Mr. Dick, you finished?

[2:20:28] Yes, sir.

[2:20:28] Thank you.

[2:20:29] Yes, Commissioner.

[2:20:30] Thank you.

[2:20:30] I'm so happy that you recognized me and you are the chairman because we didn't have

[2:20:34] anybody left.

[2:20:36] Okay.

[2:20:36] Now, let me say this.

[2:20:38] Whoa.

[2:20:39] Yeah.

[2:20:39] And I mean just what I say.

[2:20:41] Whoa.

[2:20:41] Okay.

[2:20:41] But now what I want to say is this, I agree with you doing an external audit if you, if that's

[2:20:47] what you want to do.

[2:20:48] I don't have any problem.

[2:20:53] Excuse me.

[2:20:54] We want to be listed to our commission hold speak.

[2:20:56] Thank you very much.

[2:20:57] Yes, I don't have any.

[2:20:57] If you want to go ahead and make the motion,

[2:20:59] like I said, I don't have any problem with it.

[2:21:01] I'll talk to him to him, okay?

[2:21:05] To the commissioner.

[2:21:06] Yeah.

[2:21:06] The reason I'm saying that is because he's the one that brought it up.

[2:21:10] I do not have a problem with doing that, as I said before.

[2:21:14] I just said, allow them to do their job.

[2:21:17] But if you want to do that, then that's just a matter of a vote.

[2:21:20] But what I wanted to say is this, I'm hoping that we continue to work together, and I would like for the person that hired any of those people not to be a part of the investigation, because if they're a part of the investigation, as Ms. Commissioner Woods knows, the person that may be involved in any kind of way, even if you just hired that person, you would like for them to step back so that way you can do the investigation, so that's not a problem.

[2:21:49] What I really want to do is to say this, if we have had investigations before, so we

[2:21:56] have plenty of policies in place, we've had everything from gas missing, and people

[2:22:02] were getting gas, with other people's cards, we've had all that, we've had a couple of vehicles

[2:22:06] missing.

[2:22:07] You know, it's all kind of things have been going on over the years.

[2:22:11] So now it's a thing of something that you need to fix, just like we have to fix those

[2:22:17] things back then.

[2:22:18] We had to fix them, put a computer on the gas pumps down there to keep people from getting

[2:22:24] gas and they were supposed to get.

[2:22:26] So there were several things that we did and you continuously do that, just like you

[2:22:29] continuously clean your house because sooner or later something is going to happen.

[2:22:34] So that's what you do.

[2:22:35] As I said, I don't have a problem with doing it.

[2:22:38] I just want to do a lot of them to do their job.

[2:22:39] Mr. Larson used to do and look into situations with the county all the time when he was at

[2:22:44] the office of Larson.

[2:22:45] And that's what he did.

[2:22:47] We have a problem with that.

[2:22:49] So if whatever your motion is going to be, let's do it and keep moving.

[2:22:52] Yes, and we will do that.

[2:22:53] I'm talking to Mr. Woods.

[2:22:55] I can't wait.

[2:22:56] Mr. but thank you for your kind words, commissioner, commissioner of, commissioner of, commissioner of, commissioner of Woods, you have enough time.

[2:23:06] So what I'm trying to say is, is I'm not talking policy.

[2:23:11] Yes, I'm talking statutory.

[2:23:13] Okay, my bad.

[2:23:14] Okay, so I'm talking about criminal.

[2:23:16] Some of these guys could face a criminal charge.

[2:23:19] And even though our employee and we're upset with them, we still need to protect them.

[2:23:24] That's my whole point.

[2:23:26] And Mr. Administrator, which local law enforcement have you discussed this with?

[2:23:31] Chair for the department.

[2:23:32] The chair from self?

[2:23:34] The Corporate.

[2:23:35] The Colonel.

[2:23:37] Okay, great.

[2:23:38] Thank you.

[2:23:38] But that is, my motion is, is that we would, as a board, ask the law enforcement authorities to come in and look at the situations that we have, are they illegal?

[2:23:55] I think you should do that before you do the internal, because that guy, Mr. Attorney, who's answering to an internal, could in say something that would incriminate him.

[2:24:07] That's truly not fair to the employee, and I know it takes longer, but in the end you have to take the manager out because he's the one that's going to make the, no, because it's the judge in the jury, he can't do the investigation and be the judge.

[2:24:25] So, that is correct, but that is my motion that we ask for external law enforcement to see if there's been any Florida statues violated by county employees.

[2:24:41] Mr. Chairman.

[2:24:42] It's a motion, I'll second.

[2:24:45] You know, extra investigation, right?

[2:24:47] Law enforcement, not on policy.

[2:24:49] I think Ms. Burles is on top of the policy.

[2:24:51] We just need to have someone to see if we violated

[2:24:54] Florida's statute.

[2:24:55] I think that we're going to do that.

[2:24:59] We don't need to do a little.

[2:25:00] Local, the local officers and guests in Canada, we've got to go to higher than that. If, if, if, if you want to be up, because right now you want these everybody in there, you know, we want to make sure they have a non-bice thing. If we're going to do a list, do it the right way, don't, don't put the sheriff and his people in that, I think we need to go a little higher. He may opt out because of our relationship, but it would not be, it would not be the first time that we have investigated the county.

[2:25:29] It wouldn't be the first.

[2:25:31] Now he may in turn ask that it be F-D-L-E, F-B-I, or whomever.

[2:25:37] Okay.

[2:25:38] Because I want to put...

[2:25:39] You know, we got relationships there.

[2:25:41] So I didn't want to put people...

[2:25:41] Sure.

[2:25:42] People of relationships don't want that.

[2:25:47] But again, let me say something else too.

[2:25:49] When you're wrong, you're wrong, you're right, you're right, right?

[2:25:51] I must say, I was high and disturbed.

[2:25:55] Because we know we got kids looking to us.

[2:25:56] but we as grown as we do something wrong, you got to go out and correct that.

[2:26:02] Let me correct some of the attorneys just in.

[2:26:04] What Major Wood just said just in, he makes sense.

[2:26:07] He answered my question when I was asking.

[2:26:10] I've never seen it before, the first time being a party situation.

[2:26:15] And what Major Wood said, we got to take the county administrator out of the equation, right?

[2:26:20] In order for him to be non-vice with the thing, so I want to put it out there so

[2:26:25] So we can be up front, because they ain't trying to go out to anybody.

[2:26:28] I just want to make sure I get the right information, because we got kids looking at things.

[2:26:32] We want to make sure we do things the right way.

[2:26:34] Major, that's all, you finished answering your question.

[2:26:36] I made a motion, and I made a second, and a second, right?

[2:26:42] Before we said it, we have a citizen audience we like to speak, Mr. Derrick, a lot.

[2:26:55] I think Barclay is like this.

[2:26:59] I just want to clarify something.

[2:27:01] When Mr. Dickson called me and I gave him clear direction, I said, sound like you have some criminal overtures here.

[2:27:08] It's like we were handled and employee at Sheriff's Office who is involved in a criminal investigation.

[2:27:15] It's real simple.

[2:27:16] You do two things.

[2:27:17] You have two separate investigations.

[2:27:19] You do an internal, you address policy violations, general order violations, and you do a criminal investigation.

[2:27:27] Now, my recommendation was you can type FDLE, you separate them and you don't turn over anything from that administrative to that criminal because if you compel employees to give a statement, those statements are protected on the guarantee.

[2:27:42] So, you can't use them in any criminal proceedings after that.

[2:27:47] So, it's simple, it's a simple process with something like this when you have criminal

[2:27:52] overtures.

[2:27:53] You split it, you run your internal investigation, you run a criminal investigation.

[2:27:58] Now, who you choose to do that criminal, that's up to this diocese here.

[2:28:03] But my recommendation was contact FDLE to take the sheriff's office out of it because you

[2:28:09] You are responsible for our budget, smart, and you haven't been good to us, so.

[2:28:17] Yes, ma'am.

[2:28:18] On that note, I have a seat.

[2:28:21] Yeah, I want to get you in my mind, ma'am.

[2:28:24] Yeah, I want to get my camera.

[2:28:25] Next, again, please, Louis Voss, we want to be respectful again, Mr. Derek Lies.

[2:28:32] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[2:28:34] You all have covered a lot of stuff but you haven't made any grounds in my opinion because

[2:28:38] Because as I said there, I'm listening because I heard when Commissioner Woods first came forward, he said, allegations.

[2:28:45] You all are yet to actually identify what the specific allegations are that are currently being investigated or perhaps will be investigated.

[2:28:55] So I think you all will need to identify specifically what it is that you're all investigating.

[2:29:00] Because when I first listen, I'm thinking is it the allegations of the purchase of expensive vehicles?

[2:29:05] Is it the allegation of the selling of the vehicles without proud knowledge?

[2:29:10] Is it the allegation of firing of employees?

[2:29:14] Is it the allegations of the subsequent lawsuits after firing employees?

[2:29:19] Is it an investigation into a conflict of interest where staff are holding two positions at the same time?

[2:29:25] And maybe it's stealing time, is that the allegation that might be investigated?

[2:29:30] Is it the allegation of paying for utilities at another location that was not county on property?

[2:29:38] So I think if you all are going to be fair to us listening out here specifically,

[2:29:42] what is it that you all are going to, or somebody is going to be investigating?

[2:29:46] Now I heard that there's an internal investigation and perhaps an external investigation is

[2:29:51] emotional on the floor.

[2:29:52] But it seems as though that that would be duplicitous because what you find in one you may not find

[2:29:57] in the other.

[2:29:59] I'm going to do that.

[2:30:00] There are a lot of investigations. I have 40 years of HR experience. I've done this year in and year out.

[2:30:07] It's tearing on insanity to have the HR director essentially investigate her boss asking her boss questions. What do you think is going to come out of that? That's not better. Her as you've been trying to say. It's not better. The county administrator is her boss. How can she really investigate her boss impartially and objectively?

[2:30:30] That's going to be hard to do.

[2:30:32] I tend to agree with the new commissioner, just take it outside, don't be duplicitous.

[2:30:37] If it's an administrative thing, the administrator can handle his administrative, whatever it is

[2:30:42] that he needs to handle.

[2:30:44] Commissioners simply can mention the fact that you all have yet another issue that is the policy

[2:30:48] violation, not to mention the criminal repercussions that may come out of this.

[2:30:55] So likewise, you all mentioned policy because I wanted to know what that policy was, and

[2:31:01] if you have voted on that thing, somebody brought that out.

[2:31:03] I don't think that you all have such a policy.

[2:31:05] You might have desperate procedures or some procedures you follow, but that's not going

[2:31:09] to trump a form of policy that you have nor will it trump what Florida statue say if there's

[2:31:14] some criminal things going on.

[2:31:16] So I think you all would do yourselves a great service if you allowed an outside entity,

[2:31:23] And I, again, agree with the Colonel, too.

[2:31:26] Outside of the Sheriff's Office, because there is that interaction with you all.

[2:31:30] You have to have somebody who's going to conduct an investigation without any partiality whatsoever.

[2:31:37] So the administrator can be given a fair shot, his staff will be given a fair shot.

[2:31:42] Other than that, you all are going to muddy this thing up, cloud it up, and it's going to be all for note.

[2:31:47] Thank you so much.

[2:31:48] I think I'm just trying to have a chair, and this is a public meeting, and what I'm about to say is cannot be disputed.

[2:32:01] If you go from a investigation, non-criminal to allegations of criminal investigation, we have to say it's allegedly criminal behavior.

[2:32:14] We cannot state that it's criminal, so on behalf of the board, I'm making the statement that there has been no statements from the board stating that any criminal activity has occurred, that it was allegedly criminal activity, so that there is no concern or anyone can say that the board had stated that there has actually been criminal activity occurring.

[2:32:38] As we all know in the United States of America,

[2:32:41] you're innocent and temporal and guilty.

[2:32:43] So this statement is on the record,

[2:32:45] so no one can say that this board stated

[2:32:48] that there was actual criminal activity.

[2:32:51] So whatever you want to do beyond that,

[2:32:53] that one, that state.

[2:32:54] Mr. Turner, I really thank you for that too,

[2:32:55] as well, because you're a job to take the board.

[2:32:57] I appreciate you staying there.

[2:33:01] So we have a motion on the floor, right?

[2:33:05] And now, the reason why we couldn't address that concern,

[2:33:11] be specific because we want to make sure we protect.

[2:33:14] You said we want to keep it, because you're still on the investigation, we didn't want to.

[2:33:19] Well, you do have a recommendation and you might want to ask what, if he wants to consider it, you have a recommendation to conduct two investigation simultaneously and keep them separate from each other so that your administrative investigation can occur in the criminal investigation can occur.

[2:33:34] And it was stated that that is a normal process.

[2:33:37] Okay, so you might want to have a discussion about that with the board.

[2:33:42] All right, well, we've got to call a question now.

[2:33:44] So we got the motion in a second, all in favor saw it.

[2:33:50] And we want to pose.

[2:33:53] All right, five of vote.

[2:33:57] All right, next item 12, Mr. Chairman.

[2:34:01] Item 12?

[2:34:03] I've got a quote.

[2:34:05] No updates from clerk.

[2:34:06] All right, number 13, the kind of attorney?

[2:34:15] Microphone, please.

[2:34:17] Thank you, commissions, I have a presentation to make.

[2:34:22] As we've heard, there have been some concerns about the legal billing that has occurred.

[2:34:27] And I've been keeping track of what I've done and why I've done it since I started here.

[2:34:32] So I want to just take a time to tell you what's going on and give you some updates and tell you where we're going.

[2:34:41] I'll be the first to admit that when I came on board, the billing that I'm seeing here is more than what I expected and anticipated.

[2:34:50] And there are reasons why the first thing I can tell you, I've been practicing law for 43 years.

[2:34:58] Uh,

[2:35:00] In Commissioner Wood, I mentioned that I was a state attorney. When I went into the state attorney's office, I got a dual assignment. I had a full felony case load, and I had a juvenile case load. I went into the deputy general council for the business regulation. I managed five lawyers, and I had a case load. I went in to be the FDOT general council. It had an $8 billion budget, had some 20 lawyers working for me, and I had a case load.

[2:35:30] In my 43 years of practicing law, I've never seen a backlog of cases like as I have right

[2:35:36] now that I've been having to work on, it is absolutely unbelievable.

[2:35:43] First of all, I have a marketing agreement that had been sitting out since February

[2:35:48] of this year, and it should have been done before I got here, but it needed to be done so

[2:35:54] I worked on the marketing agreement.

[2:35:55] Now, you would have thought that the marketing agreement would have been in close to complete form,

[2:36:01] but it was practically not done at all.

[2:36:05] So I had to start from scratch to get that done.

[2:36:08] Then, as you noticed tonight, we had a waste pro agreement.

[2:36:12] If that agreement had not been done, you have no garbage collection services for the county.

[2:36:19] So this agreement terminates on December 31st of 2024.

[2:36:24] So, they administrative charge me with going forward, and doing negotiations to get this done, I'm happy that we got some good results for the county, but this was a backlog that should have been done before I got here, and you can see where I'm going here, if these items had been done before I got here, then my buildings would have been lower, but because this work was pending and had to be done for the benefit of the county, my buildings were higher.

[2:36:53] I still have a $3,618,000 agreement that I have to work out for the county for the Boards and Girls Club.

[2:37:02] This item has been pending before I got here, and I haven't been able to get to it because of the work that had to be done before I got to this item.

[2:37:11] I had to work on a county health department fuel agreements that had been pending and got that done.

[2:37:16] We then had a graphic designs contract that had been pending since February, that should have been done before I got here, and this is the theme that is going on over and over and over again, and there's only one result.

[2:37:30] If this work had been done before I got here, then my billings would have been lower.

[2:37:35] But because the work wasn't done, there was no choice.

[2:37:39] I can't not let the county be properly represented legally and have these bills, these buildings, or contracts expire.

[2:37:47] Right now, I've had to go in on the public safety complex that is outstanding.

[2:37:54] We've had a successful lobbying effort for $16,900 and

[2:38:02] we were not able to get the professional services contract out.

[2:38:07] It's been pending since I think March, and that's nine months, February's 10 months, and I've got into that, and I've got that approval, just coming back on the agenda on December 19th, and that agreement should have been done before I got here.

[2:38:25] I just finished up and you approved on the last meeting the auditing services contract. That contract had expired.

[2:38:34] So had I not gotten that one approved, you're not going to be in compliance with state government because you don't have an auditing service in place.

[2:38:47] Regarding economic development, there is an RFP that I have to review that looks at development of the Pat Thomas Land for lease or sale, which is a major economic boost for the county, but I haven't been able to get to it based on all the other backlog work that I have to work on.

[2:39:05] It's my goal to get that one done toward the end of this month.

[2:39:10] There is a grant award for the Tata Huchi Library expansion to construct a telehealth career center.

[2:39:18] And I don't think I've worked on that one yet either, so that's another one that has to be worked on.

[2:39:24] Now you have these items that haven't been done, the ordinances need to be updated.

[2:39:32] right now, if you go into the municode and pull up the ordinances for Lyon for

[2:39:39] Gaston County, and you go to TVC, it's section three, but the numbering for

[2:39:45] TVC is two point this, two point that, two point the other. If you look at the

[2:39:51] ordinances generally, the concern that you all have raised about policies and

[2:39:55] procedures and ordinances, almost all of the ordinances in the county are out of

[2:39:59] day.

[2:40:00] And they need to be updated and hasn't been done.

[2:40:09] Now, the other part is, and this is an awkward conversation for me. Any lawyer that's been in business for a long time at some point doesn't have a client anymore. And when they don't have that client, they orderly transfer files from where they are to the new attorney on board. I have yet to have a

[2:40:30] meeting with the previous county attorney.

[2:40:34] I called him up to have a meeting to talk about what fouls he had and his response to me

[2:40:39] was that if I need something, let him know.

[2:40:44] Now just so you understand on the surface, that sounds perfectly normal, but this is a

[2:40:48] crisis management approach to doing legal work because when I figure out that something's

[2:40:55] a problem, it's a crisis.

[2:40:58] He was supposed to do a hand-off to me and give me all the cases so that I can figure out where we are, give me a status update, and then I can then make an orderly decision about how to handle the workload for the county.

[2:41:11] But since I've gotten nothing from him practically, and Mr. Pittman by the way has tried to assist me in this, and he gave me his files, but it was inadequate for me to be able to understand where we were.

[2:41:22] So I'm in the process of having to rebuild every single legal matter that I'm doing to represent the county.

[2:41:31] So that result in higher billing.

[2:41:37] I have to tell you,

[2:41:42] when I just went through all the different entities that I represented.

[2:41:47] And all of my experience, I have never, ever had a public records lawsuit.

[2:41:53] I can't get into the details of this, but I've never had a public records lawsuit.

[2:41:59] Gatson County right now has a public records lawsuit.

[2:42:04] And it's not because the board has said that they don't want to provide records.

[2:42:08] It's because that it wasn't handled in a way that prevented the lawsuit from occurring without pointing fingers more specifically.

[2:42:17] And so, I have, I'm involved in a hearing that's going to occur in January with a very reputable law firm after the Fin the county on a public records lawsuit.

[2:42:30] I hope you let that sink in, it's a public records lawsuit.

[2:42:34] We'll require to turn over public records.

[2:42:36] You don't have public record lawsuits.

[2:42:40] So in the first time in my life, I'm involved in a public records lawsuit and I have no cooperation from the prior attorney helping me understand what's going on with the lawsuit.

[2:42:50] So of course it's going to result in higher billing.

[2:42:57] I'll tell you a couple more things and then I'm done because there's more, but I'm just be done with this.

[2:43:02] I brief you all as you know, every meeting before you come here so you can be discussed policy and not legal issues.

[2:43:08] I have never billed for conversations with you.

[2:43:12] Because you should have the right to talk to me freely and not have sticker shock at the end of the conversation when you see your bills at the end of that.

[2:43:21] So I have never billed for conversations with you and no real line.

[2:43:24] The only time I will ever bill is if we're involved in, for instance, this public records hearing and you've got to testify and I've got to prep you for that, then I would actually have to bill for that.

[2:43:34] But the other thing you need to be aware of is I don't bill when I talk to the county administrator about what's going on in the county.

[2:43:40] I bill for what advances the legal matters for the county.

[2:43:45] So there's some cleanup that has to be done in this county.

[2:43:50] It's not of my makeup, but it has to be done.

[2:43:54] If I weren't here today at some point, it's going to have to be cleaned up.

[2:43:57] The county's legal work is not improper for it.

[2:44:01] So, I just want to put that on the record for the commission.

[2:44:08] Ms. Commissioner, Simpkins?

[2:44:11] Mr. Attorney.

[2:44:14] Attorney.

[2:44:18] The contracts, and there might be a question for the administrator.

[2:44:23] Were those contracts or these contracts provided to the previous attorney, they just were not

[2:44:30] completed?

[2:44:34] If you could send me those emails where you send all of those emails of those contracts that we're sending so that I can take a look at those.

[2:44:47] And with you just bringing that, that's a conversation and that's not on you but that's a conversation that should have been had.

[2:44:58] We

[2:45:00] The previous attorney was sitting here as it related to contracts, not being completed. So, if I could get all those emails, that would be, that would be great.

[2:45:36] Commissioner, do you hear what I said?

[2:45:37] Do you want a special meet Monday that we can just, you know, because we just have a quick

[2:45:42] meet too, so just for about six, it's okay, okay, cool.

[2:45:46] Mr. Commissioner, hold.

[2:45:48] Yes.

[2:45:48] Thank you.

[2:45:49] As I said before on this item, and I don't know if you were here, Commissioner.

[2:45:56] Seconds, once before I brought in a stack of papers this high, and I said these are some

[2:46:02] concerns that we have with that and that I gave each of the commissioners here a copy

[2:46:09] of that because I was monitoring a lot of these things and that's why I said for

[2:46:18] this

[2:46:20] particular job you have you align more with the state than you are with the cities and

[2:46:27] what you what we have to do we have a lot of contracts we have a housing that for road

[2:46:33] bridge, engineering and all of that. And so what I was saying is, can we just get them

[2:46:39] caught up? And this is previously. So this has been going on for every bit of two years.

[2:46:46] So what I'm saying, I'm not not questioning anything. So I'm just telling you a little bit about

[2:46:51] what went on. I call Mr. Pittman. I talked with Mr. Pittman several times. Okay. So this was not

[2:46:58] That's something where we had to think about this, but the actuals had to be taken and that's

[2:47:05] why they were taken at the end of last year, when people started saying, you made these

[2:47:10] changes, you did this, you did that, it wasn't that automatic, because this stuff had already

[2:47:16] happened.

[2:47:16] Then we had to go out and go after some other legal, I mean some legal team.

[2:47:23] It wasn't, as I said to Mr. Wood, what I came here in 02, the two people that were here

[2:47:34] in those positions, I wanted to make sure that I worked with them long enough so I could

[2:47:38] find out what was going on, and that's what I did, and that's what you always do.

[2:47:44] You learn the system before you get in there and do the things that you think you need to

[2:47:48] be done.

[2:47:49] But see those contracts will not wait.

[2:47:51] When you mention that about the public service out there building, that money, that's $12 million.

[2:47:57] Another one of those, that's I don't enjoy, I'm sorry, that's $12 million.

[2:48:02] The one at Stephen School was 4.6 million.

[2:48:06] The other part was 1.7 million.

[2:48:08] Then you have the other that are coming up, that are 4 million and something.

[2:48:12] You got housing and I serve on a hack.

[2:48:15] I serve on that committee with nine counties.

[2:48:18] And if we don't have that stuff in place in time, we do not get to housing when you see us renovating houses and all that.

[2:48:26] So all of those contracts, even though they're coming from the federal government, they have to be approved.

[2:48:31] They have to be shaped by your attorney, and all of this has to be done.

[2:48:35] So it's not like weather.

[2:48:38] It has to be done. That's our job.

[2:48:41] So it's not a lack of dislike.

[2:48:43] Why, is can you get the product out there in time to get in order to get the money?

[2:48:48] We had to get two extensions on Stephen's school because it was slow walked.

[2:48:56] So those are the things that you lose money and then there were a couple of other things

[2:49:01] that we did not get funding for that we may have been able to get funding for and I still

[2:49:06] say the same thing.

[2:49:08] Even if we had a grant right or right in the grants, you have attorneys checking that to make

[2:49:12] sure that we're getting what we're supposed to get.

[2:49:16] So it's not a thing of being upset or not upset or like a dislike, it's a matter of just

[2:49:22] getting the word done.

[2:49:24] And that's it, Mr. Chairman, thank you.

[2:49:27] Yes, ma'am.

[2:49:28] Commissioner Green.

[2:49:29] Yes, sir.

[2:49:30] Commissioner Green.

[2:49:31] Thank you.

[2:49:32] Again, I just want to make sure that we are being very respectful and not that we're not

[2:49:39] I've been transparent, but I think the attorney for giving his analysis but at the same time it's almost that individual of that firm is not here for representation of the commissioner asks for documentation and think so that she can do some due diligence on those contracts, and I'm just saying that the hope that we can kind of end the

[2:50:00] There's peace of the conversation only because of the fact that the individual or that firm is not here being able to represent themselves. Thank you.

[2:50:30] that hey, the kind of attorneys not bringing these things up front to us, so we won't miss these certain projects.

[2:50:37] That's a question that I guess one may pose.

[2:50:41] So that's a good question, Commissioner Williams, whoever asked that question early.

[2:50:47] Anyone else who got next?

[2:50:51] So the attorney, anyone else having the question for the attorney?

[2:50:54] All right, so we have-

[2:51:01] Mr. Chairman, may I please address some issues that have come up.

[2:51:10] The attorney, let me be very frank, I have addressed both chairmen's over the last two

[2:51:19] years about the attorney.

[2:51:23] And say it, we're not getting these things.

[2:51:28] There's been many nights where you all chastised me and said that attorney worked for you, and you made that very clear.

[2:51:37] So it's not my job to question the attorney, that's your job, and you made it very clear to me that it was your job.

[2:51:44] When I brought you issues, they were not, they were not accepted.

[2:51:50] Now,

[2:51:52] there were many nights when commissioners asked me, why was TJ preparing this package?

[2:51:58] Why was Ms. Kielo preparing this package?

[2:52:03] We couldn't get their attorney to prepare it.

[2:52:05] Again, I'm going to ask.

[2:52:07] I'm going to ask that we don't do this.

[2:52:09] I'm just.

[2:52:09] Mr. Chairman.

[2:52:10] I'll put all fairness.

[2:52:12] I got to be talking to the bus.

[2:52:13] I know it sound fair though, but we got to let him speak because we just made the chairman's

[2:52:18] own view.

[2:52:19] I respect it.

[2:52:20] So no matter how I may agree with Mr. Dixon, we've got to listen to him because it was, you know, the come seats went after him.

[2:52:29] It's all fairness.

[2:52:30] Mr. Chairman, you're literally saying that the administrator has to do the attorney's job, contracts by their very nature are the attorney.

[2:52:42] And if we present them to them in phone calls, emails, however, and my staff is here.

[2:52:48] They will tell you how often we presented things and had timelines and so on and so forth.

[2:52:54] This is not new, this is not too new to this body, this is not new to me and certainly should not be to anybody.

[2:53:06] So to that point, I'll put a pin in that, you had people stand tonight and

[2:53:13] And it offered you political expediency when it comes to some things.

[2:53:19] I was invited to this job and accepted it wholeheartedly, wholeheartedly.

[2:53:25] I accepted it based on what you all offered.

[2:53:30] You offered me a salary of $105,000.

[2:53:35] That same salary was turned down by Mr. Elias two or three times.

[2:53:39] It wasn't enough, but it's still called it.

[2:53:42] Mr. Chairman, he called my name in the public meeting, and I'm addressing the issues that he addressed.

[2:53:49] Okay, let me just issue, I'm going to get with that.

[2:53:51] I agree.

[2:53:52] He called my name, I accepted the salary that he would not accept, because it was too little money.

[2:54:03] I came and did the job, when I got to this county, the county was millions of dollars in debt.

[2:54:08] could find nobody to work here, nobody.

[2:54:12] Nobody wanted to be a part of the Board of County Commissioners.

[2:54:18] No vendors, vendors had publicly stood at that things that will never work with the Board of County Commissioners again.

[2:54:25] I accepted the challenge, I accepted the challenge, but I asked the Board for some understanding.

[2:54:33] Nothing, no gotchas, this is going to be a hard job.

[2:54:39] So if every night you come into the meeting and to attack staff and whether or not we're

[2:54:45] perfect, you know we're not perfect.

[2:54:49] You know the people we bring here are not perfect.

[2:54:51] But if you come and attack us, then how are we going to perform?

[2:54:56] I asked the board and the board agreed.

[2:55:00] No gotchas. That we will do things together, that we will attempt to move this county together, all of us, all the board. And the board agreed to that. First thing,

[2:55:14] secondly, but before I go there, let me say, after three years of doing this job, the board met with my contract end that I'd never asked for a pay increase, a pay adjustment. The top employees made as much money as the board,

[2:55:30] as the administrator because I negotiated the salaries and you couldn't get anybody to come here for cheap why because people got fired from here quickly all the way down the line and no one would come here so I went out looking for people to come here and we found people good people to come here and work after three years the board met and approved a salary increase.

[2:55:59] And then only because when they looked around every city manager of every city and guess and count and make more than the county administrator.

[2:56:08] Some of those managers have five or ten employees.

[2:56:12] This county administrator has nearly 300 employees and a $60 million budget then.

[2:56:22] I accepted the challenge.

[2:56:24] They gave me a raise to $140,000.

[2:56:27] dollars. It sounds like a lot, but in comparison, it's not. It's probably still the lowest

[2:56:35] paid county administrator in this area. I accepted the challenge, did the job, so it's

[2:56:45] easy to stand on the sideline and throw bricks when you didn't accept the challenge.

[2:56:59] But

[2:57:00] make decisions based on political expediency.

[2:57:03] This is a hard job any day, any day, that people I work with are good people.

[2:57:09] They don't deserve to come and be blasted every night for the work that they are doing.

[2:57:18] Secondly, let me say,

[2:57:23] I asked the board not for a county car, for a car allowance.

[2:57:28] that allow us to $600 a month for

[2:57:34] the courthouse pruner and for those folks who like to play on Facebook.

[2:57:41] The county did not buy me an $80,000 car.

[2:57:44] I bought me a car.

[2:57:46] The county pays $600 and for those of you who drive, that ain't gas money.

[2:57:51] A month,

[2:57:54] because I didn't want to be involved in this kind of foolishness right here.

[2:57:58] where people are following people, people are peeping behind the curtain, we want to got you.

[2:58:05] And I was very clear, I stood right there at that podium and they said, why don't you want to count the cards because I'm going to make the left into the liquor store, some nights.

[2:58:17] And on Sunday, Derrick and Lyes can find me at Joanne's and he knew it.

[2:58:22] And I don't want to be in a county car.

[2:58:24] I don't want to disrespect this body.

[2:58:27] I would never do anything to disrespect this body.

[2:58:30] I came to this job with my eyes open, open, and we have done nothing but work.

[2:58:38] You want to know $140,000, that's good money.

[2:58:42] Don't misunderstand me, that's good money.

[2:58:45] But let me be very clear, I'm clear about what it is that we have accomplished.

[2:58:50] Because I was doing things before I got here, major work will tell you that he and I were in New York times together.

[2:59:01] Because I had 60 inmates, you talk about economic development, 60 inmates coming from that jail,

[2:59:06] every day going to Florida State Hospital, learning trades for years and coming out being productive citizens.

[2:59:17] If I'm lying, he's sitting right there,

[2:59:21] many before another example, that new bus that we see right in here, that was the last job four years ago, and I kept my hand on it for four years, until it got the gas and county.

[2:59:37] That quarter of a million dollar bus that's now going to service all of gas and county health care needs.

[2:59:44] So I was doing things before I got here.

[2:59:46] I enjoy it coming to the county.

[2:59:48] Since I've been here, let me make it clear.

[2:59:53] We have $50 million in new buildings going up right now.

[2:59:58] $50 million.

[2:59:59] and off.

[3:00:01] New sheriff's office, new economic, I mean emergency operation building, new emergency services building, new shelters.

[3:00:11] We have new buildings going up everywhere. I created a legislative process that invited folk to the table.

[3:00:20] Ask the board to pay an attorney, to pay a lobbyist, and to pay a federal lobbyist.

[3:00:26] And we've not yet not been funded in millions of dollars every year coming out of the legislative session.

[3:00:35] I'm not ashamed of that.

[3:00:37] I brought people here that would not work anywhere else.

[3:00:41] The latest person we hired came from the governor's office.

[3:00:45] They was chief of budget at the governor's office.

[3:00:48] Do I know them absolutely just like I know Derek and Lyson riding them on?

[3:00:52] I helped him get a job to asking, he'll tell you, he knows me, and knows me well.

[3:01:02] But there are some things I don't do, I don't steal.

[3:01:05] I've got no reason to never have, because when you learn to be poor it's all right, you know you ain't going to die.

[3:01:14] So let me be very clear, you may, because I'm a public official, say what you will on Facebook.

[3:01:23] You may say what you will, but those of you who want to turn it into some form of truth are looking for something.

[3:01:32] If something happened with these vehicles, I can promise you, I'm going to be the first one to find out, I'm going to be the first one to deal with it.

[3:01:40] Because I make it clear that everybody who works with me, that is not what we do.

[3:01:45] My integrity means more to me than anything else.

[3:01:50] I've invited lobbyists to come join us, I've asked lobbyists to join us who we didn't pay to work for this county.

[3:02:00] We've recruited people from all over.

[3:02:02] When we didn't have ambulances in this county, you don't even know we didn't have ambulances.

[3:02:07] I got up with the Palm Beach County, met with a friend, a friend since we want to talk about friends, who sent us two ambulances to help this county out.

[3:02:18] So,

[3:02:28] let me close in saying this,

[3:02:32] the first salaries commissioners that you all approve was not mine.

[3:02:37] We came to you and asked you to give the employees of bonus cost.

[3:02:41] We had employees making $10 and fall to send an out.

[3:02:45] We had employees who've been with us 20 years making $12 and fall to send an out.

[3:02:51] And I came to you and said, give them a bonus, and I think that first bonus was $2,000 you all approved.

[3:02:57] the second bonus I think was $1,500.

[3:03:01] And then we came back to you and said, we have a compensation study.

[3:03:07] Those same employees that were making $10 an hour, now make $19 and $20 an hour.

[3:03:15] Nobody at the county qualifies for food stamps, that might not be important to you.

[3:03:19] That's important to me.

[3:03:22] As I recall, there's not an employee that makes less than $31,000 now walking through the door.

[3:03:27] Now, you may not think that's something to be proud of because you are dirty, filthy rich.

[3:03:33] But for folk working in this county, the county ought to be a place to come, change your

[3:03:39] life, move your life, and we've done that.

[3:03:43] I'm not ashamed of that.

[3:03:47] I'm not ashamed of trying to move this county forward.

[3:03:51] That was my job.

[3:03:52] And just as you gave me the opportunity, if you choose to give it to someone else,

[3:03:57] that has been the board's call, every Tuesday night.

[3:04:01] Every Tuesday night.

[3:04:03] But don't do that, do anything because of political expedience.

[3:04:07] And because somebody who's never done anything for anybody is standing up, click in views.

[3:04:17] If that's how you want to make policy, then you probably do need somebody else because it's never going to work.

[3:04:22] We invite professionals to this county to work.

[3:04:29] They've come because they found integrity and promise here.

[3:04:36] I'd admire sitting here on Tuesday night taking whatever bullets that you all have for me, none whatsoever.

[3:04:42] And none on this table can tell me that I've not helped them in every way possible.

[3:04:48] None, we have, that's our job.

[3:04:51] We intended to do it and we did it well

[3:04:55] When there was COVID I ran a group that did the testing

[3:05:00] Any immunization? I didn't see writing them more directly lies.

[3:05:10] So please, this is not the beginning of my work.

[3:05:15] Please don't let folk who try to lead you by misleading you. Have your time. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, thank you, Mr. Kindman. I just wanted him to, you know, somebody says something. It's just, it's just good for them to

[3:05:36] to clarify stuff.

[3:05:40] Next, we have, I'm so used to calling the district one, that's me.

[3:05:45] So now we have commissioners,

[3:05:53] district, Mr. Chairman, two, yes.

[3:05:56] I apologize, I know I took some time.

[3:05:58] It's okay, but we do allow me to address one or two issues, really quickly.

[3:06:04] You, sir?

[3:06:05] Yes, sir, yes, I go ahead.

[3:06:06] There was a mention about the electric bill next door,

[3:06:13] while it is in the Board of

[3:06:15] County Commissioners' name, that bill is being paid by the clerk's office.

[3:06:21] It's been paid by the clerk's office.

[3:06:25] The board had nothing to do with the continual payment of that, absolutely nothing.

[3:06:32] I don't know why they won't say that, they know it's true.

[3:06:37] But that's an issue with other, you'll see I'm well more ready.

[3:06:41] One more, Mr. Chairman.

[3:06:42] Okay, I just want to make sure we're in a little quicker because we want to make sure we move forward.

[3:06:47] And, you know, they drop these words about cars, but we say we want to talk about the cars.

[3:06:55] No, no, no, no, I'm talking about the lease program.

[3:06:57] Don't worry about this, Mr. Chairman.

[3:06:59] No, I want to, Mr. Chairman, I just want to say this one thing, 10 seconds.

[3:07:02] Yeah, 10 seconds.

[3:07:03] The board met January 16th, February 6th, June 11th, July 1st, July 1st, to talk about the lease program in this room.

[3:07:12] You know, it was in this room, directly liars.

[3:07:18] So there's no get-quick scheme going on.

[3:07:21] We were spending $700,000 on cars a year.

[3:07:25] Let me make sure that number.

[3:07:27] 250 plus 350, that's about $600,000 or $700,000 between fixing cars.

[3:07:34] and buying new cars.

[3:07:36] We're now spending $350,000 and that's on just a few cars.

[3:07:41] We're now spending $350,000, $300,000 less on leasing 30 cars.

[3:07:49] That's what we're doing.

[3:07:50] If you come out here to this parking lot at any time,

[3:07:52] a majority of the cars you saw out there didn't run, didn't take anybody anywhere.

[3:07:59] If you look at the vans, the citizens are right, the senior citizens are right and

[3:08:03] and they're broken down.

[3:08:04] The county's responsible for providing cars to a lot of people.

[3:08:08] And as you know, you cannot no longer take a car to a shade tree mechanic.

[3:08:13] You have to take it back.

[3:08:16] So we made a decision to recommend to the board that we move into this new type thing of leasing.

[3:08:25] Sheriff doesn't, two or three cities do it.

[3:08:28] It is nothing new.

[3:08:31] It is nothing new.

[3:08:32] And we are saving the county hundreds of thousands of dollars.

[3:08:36] Now, do people disagree with that?

[3:08:38] Yes, but it was voted on by the board.

[3:08:40] It's not Ed Dixon's plan.

[3:08:43] The compensation study was not Ed Dixon's plan.

[3:08:46] Ed Dixon didn't approve anything.

[3:08:48] Let's make it very clear.

[3:08:50] So when you want to do your little thing, let's make it very clear.

[3:08:53] That the things I did came before the board.

[3:08:56] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[3:08:57] Thank you, thank you.

[3:08:58] You are now next, Commissioner of District 2, Commissioner Simkins.

[3:09:03] I apologize for the delay.

[3:09:08] Thank you.

[3:09:12] And I have a start off.

[3:09:19] Commissioner,

[3:09:28] you were very, that was very, very disrespectful earlier.

[3:09:37] And I would have never, ever, disrespected you like that on the diets.

[3:09:46] We

[3:09:52] said a whole lot of things here tonight, we're dealing with a whole lot of things here in this county.

[3:10:01] And when I decided to seek office, it wasn't to deal with this kind of stuff. It was to move

[3:10:12] gas and county from being, from just being known as the majority black county,

[3:10:21] but being

[3:10:22] a county that

[3:10:26] was making a difference that people wanted to come to, where we had growth

[3:10:34] and development taking place.

[3:10:40] In order for that to take place,

[3:10:44] we are going to have to

[3:10:47] put our personal

[3:10:52] agendas to the side

[3:10:56] and let it be about

[3:10:58] gassing county.

[3:11:02] There are a lot of things

[3:11:04] that's out there, there are a lot of things that's being said, and I mean we can be upset.

[3:11:11] People have the right to a lot of people don't know.

[3:11:17] As the attorney said, we shouldn't have a public records lawsuit because citizens have

[3:11:25] have the right to public information.

[3:11:31] People also have a right to their opinion.

[3:11:39] There are some things that as a commissioner, I feel that we could do better as a county.

[3:11:56] And

[3:12:01] there's some cost that we incurred and Ms. Administrator, I think that we beat up on the staff.

[3:12:14] I don't think we beat up on the staff, and I might beat up on you,

[3:12:21] but I don't beat up on your staff.

[3:12:27] There may be questions that I ask as it relates to, because we are always talking about we need this position in that position.

[3:12:37] And my question is, we don't have anybody in house that's capable of doing that particular work.

[3:12:47] With the staff, and I stick on that with the staff, because we do have our administrative staff.

[3:12:53] We have we quite a bit for administrative staff. So some things that we are outsourcing. We shouldn't have to

[3:13:02] outsource

[3:13:03] I

[3:13:08] Had a whole lot of stuff. I don't want to say it

[3:13:12] I'm going to I'm done. I want to say the wild game. I don't think we've had a means since the wild game

[3:13:20] the wild game

[3:13:23] there

[3:13:24] were

[3:13:25] It probably was over 1,000 people that went through there more more more

[3:13:33] That is actually we talk about

[3:13:37] tours

[3:13:39] development, right

[3:13:42] That's one that we actually don't take a look at

[3:13:48] And those guys pretty much find that out of their pockets and

[3:13:53] You have people coming from all over to

[3:13:58] participate in that event, and so I say hats off to the organization of what is it across the tracks, hats off to across the tracks, for always putting on an awesome event.

[3:14:23] I set with them a couple of the guys and talk to them about becoming part of our echo tourism package.

[3:14:33] So you're absolutely correct, that is the most fantastic.

[3:14:41] That's all right, that's all right here, thank you.

[3:14:48] So, Mr. Woods,

[3:14:52] thank you.

[3:14:56] Well, a thing about politics and for this job.

[3:15:00] I was in Mr. Bradwell's dad's church in Greensboro, and everybody came up and said, we entrust y'all,

[3:15:09] but we don't trust y'all.

[3:15:13] And everything that I have seen going here tonight echoes loudly.

[3:15:22] When I ran, I ran to prove a point to Gaston County, I ran as a Democrat.

[3:15:33] I knew good and well that they'd put somebody in the block to vote, and so they'd keep a

[3:15:38] lot of white people from voting.

[3:15:41] And I knew that it would be probably 70, 30, 80, 20.

[3:15:45] But guess what?

[3:15:46] But I have more confidence in black people than a lot of other people, because I have too

[3:15:54] many friends and family that don't look like me.

[3:16:00] And if we don't figure out how to work this out, to where we can all get along, we're

[3:16:06] all going to fail.

[3:16:10] And I am shaming the P patch, Pastor, I'm not afraid to stand when the Philistines come.

[3:16:19] I'm not afraid to talk about the things they had to be talked about.

[3:16:22] I'm going to stand on what's right.

[3:16:25] And every church I went into, regardless of what color they were, they said,

[3:16:29] Major Wood, we expect you to do right.

[3:16:34] And I haven't been happy, and I'm going to tell you, I'm not going to say anything

[3:16:40] about it about Mr. Dixon, I appreciate everything you just said.

[3:16:45] But for me, I also think about my friends with integrity.

[3:16:51] Those two guys I have known there for many, many years and I did not like what they went through.

[3:16:57] I did not like it.

[3:17:00] I did not like when through my years when there's a commission change that commissioners will wait on the new commissioner, Mr. Williams, before they appoint somebody.

[3:17:12] I did not think that was right.

[3:17:14] I express my concerns to other commissioners, they're my friends.

[3:17:20] I didn't agree with them.

[3:17:22] Everybody knows I'm very close to the Commissioner Green.

[3:17:27] I did not like it, because when Mr. Williams came in,

[3:17:34] they gave him a three year contract, which basically bound Major Wood from having a choice

[3:17:41] who he would represent and in my opinion Mr. Williams I thank you sharp guy I

[3:17:48] really do but I don't thank you my lawyer I thank you there lawyer and that's

[3:17:54] just being if you could have waited another month a month I would have been

[3:18:00] part of the process I

[3:18:04] wanted to be part of putting the program back together but

[3:18:08] But instead, they put the program together for me, and I did not like it.

[3:18:15] The things that I've heard that are going on, not good.

[3:18:22] We can be mad at whoever said it, but this is representing what the community is telling

[3:18:28] people.

[3:18:29] It's what I hear.

[3:18:31] And it's a problem.

[3:18:34] Everybody kind of wondering what old Major Wu was going to do when he got on the board.

[3:18:38] And I'm going to do just what their old ladies in the church said because I'm rolling

[3:18:42] with the church ladies guys y'all don't fool yourself.

[3:18:45] If I can't stand in front of them church ladies and tell them what we're doing in this county,

[3:18:51] I don't need to be here.

[3:18:53] This while they voted for me, I ain't going to have a drinking party in the county paying

[3:18:58] for it.

[3:18:58] I'm not into it.

[3:18:59] If you ain't got strollers, children, teenagers, adults, grown folks, and seniors, it's nothing

[3:19:08] that we should be spending our money on.

[3:19:11] And we have not spent our money on the faith base that my personal reflection and most

[3:19:17] everybody on this diet is the same.

[3:19:21] So not to be long-winded, I will tell you that I am not very happy.

[3:19:27] I'm not.

[3:19:29] I'm not happy with how we look, who's the blame?

[3:19:35] There's always the question.

[3:19:38] And right now we're fishing together.

[3:19:39] The capital must hold.

[3:19:40] It's you like to go and ask for a lot of money.

[3:19:43] But we ain't spending the money.

[3:19:44] They already don't give us.

[3:19:47] And so here we are going to go over there and say, hey,

[3:19:50] give us millions of dollars.

[3:19:55] But we ain't spent what they don't give us.

[3:19:58] The

[3:20:00] They're not going to give us money if we don't spend them. Now, I know I'm a county commissioner,

[3:20:05] but I'm going to tell you the number one priority in Gaston County. At this point, I don't

[3:20:10] know if there's any of me here or not, is the schools.

[3:20:15] This money that we spend, we have

[3:20:17] to figure out a way. I know you were a school board member and I know Ms. Holt, you were a teacher.

[3:20:23] We have to figure out a way to work without high school to make them successful.

[3:20:30] This one that we have these parties that I don't agree with, if you tell me we're doing

[3:20:34] things for the high school, I'm with you.

[3:20:38] If you tell me we're going to do things for the same citizens, I'm with you.

[3:20:42] But we're not having a clue about that in the field, it may just be with it.

[3:20:46] I'm just telling you how we're up front.

[3:20:49] So the last thing that I'm going to say is, I ain't happy, and that's all I got to say about that.

[3:21:03] Major, thank you so, then I like that because we need to make sure that regardless of the differences that we have with school systems, whatever, there's still a lot of kids, and we need to make sure, we've been sent forever, we got funds that go directly to the school board.

[3:21:20] that we change the policy so that those tickets go to the school board so they can use them as drivers education, everything else.

[3:21:28] So, we need to do more as an individual to as well, and as a community, because they have a children.

[3:21:35] I would challenge chair, vice chair, you all go have that conversation on our behalf, I definitely do that.

[3:21:45] And Mr. Chairman, I just say we went to the legislature for the money for the school.

[3:21:54] It was the board of county commissioners who went out there knocked on the doors on their lobbyist for the new school.

[3:22:01] So we're not uninvolved.

[3:22:03] All right, we always want to have the kids and also to share the department everybody else too as well.

[3:22:09] That was a collective effort, I want to thank, like you said,

[3:22:12] But sometimes they forget about the kind of commission, so everybody forget about us.

[3:22:16] But I think you said that, I mean, it was a collective effort throughout the whole country.

[3:22:20] But I would love to see the schools, we can make an development.

[3:22:24] See, they can put that school in remote location so that we can be able to get some,

[3:22:30] get some flow of traffic going there so everybody can make some money out of that deal.

[3:22:36] That's how you grow the county by putting them in an area where everybody can be up from that school.

[3:22:43] Commissioner Ho, your next.

[3:22:45] Yes, thank

[3:22:48] you so much.

[3:22:51] There have been some very powerful things said today, and I think that when everyone's watching and

[3:22:58] they say at the end of it are they trying to fix some things.

[3:23:03] At the end of all of this, are we trying to fix something?

[3:23:07] But there's a problem, how are we going to fix it?

[3:23:10] The good thing is that we bring everything to the forefront.

[3:23:14] So no matter what we say, it's been said, it's recorded.

[3:23:18] So we all know that there are things that work on.

[3:23:21] Several of them are, excuse me, we're looking at, as I said,

[3:23:29] those contracts have to be out.

[3:23:32] These months have to be spent in a timely manner.

[3:23:36] The federal lobbyist are the ones that got the extension twice for us on the 4.6 million.

[3:23:43] So these things have to be done and so if we're going to fix something but let me say this.

[3:23:49] I want to address this to the people in here that say look at Bainbridge.

[3:23:54] I have had five brothers to work up there.

[3:23:56] I've been up there.

[3:23:57] I'm from Georgia.

[3:23:59] So I understand the methodology there.

[3:24:02] are also in the school system.

[3:24:04] You see the type of schools they build

[3:24:06] and where they build them at,

[3:24:07] totally different, mindsets different.

[3:24:10] Mindset's different.

[3:24:11] So when we're looking at that,

[3:24:13] with the change, I will mindset.

[3:24:15] And when you hear from these people

[3:24:18] that went on that trip,

[3:24:19] the reason they're so into this

[3:24:21] is because if you look on your phone

[3:24:23] and look up Joe Max Higgins,

[3:24:25] Mr. Anthony Baker's not back there,

[3:24:28] but he went the first time that we went.

[3:24:29] You look him up and you see 60 minutes, and he will show you exactly what he had to do to get those three counties in line.

[3:24:40] Now get this, they had to meet seven days a week, you had a half day off for Sunday in order to go to church.

[3:24:48] Three county commissions, the city commissions, the school boards, economic development teams, and the chambers.

[3:24:57] And they were raising so much sand up there you would have.

[3:25:00] You would have thought it was World War III, but it took them seven days a week, half day off on Sunday for almost three months. He said we must change your mindset. They hired him out of Arkansas, paid him $600,000. You go to 60 minutes, you'll see what we're talking about. You do not need a college degree for these jobs. You do not need a college degree.

[3:25:29] But if you see the tech that they're using, high tech, AI, robotics, they had all of it.

[3:25:37] They recruit from the school system.

[3:25:40] When we went out there and this Thomas said you could not, we could not visit on Thursday

[3:25:45] was because they had about 3,000 eighth graders out there.

[3:25:50] They start recruiting from middle school.

[3:25:52] When the fresh companies they brought in, they were killing cows, slaughtering cows and

[3:25:57] hogs.

[3:25:57] on a plant, almost 2500 people got laid off when it closed.

[3:26:02] Those three counties got the galley, can't say because we're black, we can't do it.

[3:26:07] Columbus County's predominantly black.

[3:26:09] To a surrounding county's word, not low income.

[3:26:13] When you see this black lady on that's talking about, she was on welfare, not she owns

[3:26:17] her own home and everything.

[3:26:19] And they went from nothing to something.

[3:26:22] So that's why we have to look at these things.

[3:26:25] Now we can do labor jobs.

[3:26:27] We can do labor jobs, it's not going to pay anything, but we can do it.

[3:26:31] But when you see that, they bought 10,000 acres starting out of cross-row in the middle

[3:26:36] of the woods.

[3:26:38] And when the guy said, I need water, sewer, electricity, commission, the handsome, and

[3:26:43] that infrastructure in there, and that was almost 20 years ago.

[3:26:48] They cut the food, they did everything.

[3:26:51] while color county went up there we went the first time I went Liberty County

[3:26:56] Franklin County Jackson County all those counties we got on the bus and we

[3:27:00] went north up to Mississippi and when you see the mindset is totally different

[3:27:06] he told them if I bring in someone into this county for to bring their business

[3:27:12] here we need a hairdresser to know what the county's plan is we need to

[3:27:18] a hairdresser to know what it's gonna take to be helpful.

[3:27:22] What if he brings someone in and they want a haircut?

[3:27:26] He said, a barber needs to know, the grocery store.

[3:27:29] But I'm gonna tell you this, this was something.

[3:27:32] They went from killing cows to building toyotas.

[3:27:37] And I asked them at what they called them,

[3:27:38] during that time they called it community diversity.

[3:27:40] They took the junior college and

[3:27:42] changed it into a training facility for those businesses.

[3:27:47] And I asked the instructor Dean there, I said, how did you, how did you train them from slaughterhouse to building cars?

[3:27:56] He said, commission the whole, they didn't have to know how to build a car.

[3:27:59] You said all they had to do was work their station, their car is going to come back.

[3:28:04] You have people that are at pack car, that plan is so large, when you see it, three to one, three to four, three to one, I'm sorry, four people, three to one.

[3:28:15] Black people and poor people, white people, and some expense, building cars, putting those

[3:28:22] motors together.

[3:28:23] Didn't have the robots in the department with the big robots.

[3:28:27] You still only needed a high school diploma or a GED.

[3:28:32] So all we're asking is give us an opportunity to get some of our people, some of those jobs.

[3:28:37] That's all we're asking for.

[3:28:38] Now, they have FedEx there, they have a steel mill there that's so large it takes five and

[3:28:44] four and a half hours just to walk it. They're building an aluminum plant. The building by

[3:28:49] South Sean is a quarter of a mile long. These are working people and they started from a cross

[3:28:58] road and it gave them the devil because you know what he said they said.

[3:29:05] He said I need an

[3:29:06] airstrip beside that intersection and they said well why does he need an airstrip? He's

[3:29:12] because the people I deal with, they do not drive, they fly.

[3:29:16] See, his mindset was different.

[3:29:18] But what we have is saying that, now you can get in a car,

[3:29:22] you can go to a bandage, you go to work.

[3:29:24] You can get in a car and catch a bus and go to a car.

[3:29:27] We payin' for it.

[3:29:29] The citizens payin' for that bus every day.

[3:29:31] You can go to Amazon and go to work until I ask it.

[3:29:35] But what you cannot do is bring those tech jobs here

[3:29:38] unless you go after them.

[3:29:42] So that's the difference.

[3:29:43] If you're 17 years old and you graduate from high school,

[3:29:47] the drug dealers pay better than we do.

[3:29:49] They just do.

[3:29:52] So you got teenagers out there trying to sell drugs

[3:29:55] when we could be getting them into these training programs

[3:29:58] and have them make them...

[3:30:00] I want to be some living because the minimum wage would not get you a house. So that's how we're asking for. That's why we didn't take the trip because we want to spend the money. I don't like riding six hours on the bus.

[3:30:14] It's not fun. But I tried this. I went 10 years ago. Guess what he told me when I walked in the door? What did he do? Miss Thomas? What did Joe Maizoo? Hey, Brian, that hug. Why? I told him, he said it's been 10 years. I said, we move a little slower and gas than counting. We should have been up there.

[3:30:31] training, sending four and five people, but we didn't do it.

[3:30:35] So now we have to do it.

[3:30:37] That's all I'm asking for.

[3:30:38] Give our kids an opportunity, so thank you much.

[3:30:43] Thank you, Mr. County Commissioner Cream.

[3:30:49] Thank you, sir.

[3:30:50] All right, let me start off with a positive note.

[3:30:53] Let's start off by saying congratulations to our mighty jaguars of gas and

[3:30:57] and high for going to the next level of the playoffs.

[3:31:02] So we definitely want to congratulate that,

[3:31:05] and we want to not just congratulate it,

[3:31:08] but to support it if we can.

[3:31:09] I had the opportunity to go to the game on last week,

[3:31:11] and it was a little cold, but I enjoy fellowship

[3:31:14] and with our kids and encouraging them

[3:31:16] and had the opportunity to even go on the field.

[3:31:18] So seeing our faces, it does bring a sense of community

[3:31:23] here for our county.

[3:31:24] And I'm glad that you're talking about that trip or some of you made mention of that trip

[3:31:29] Because I don't know why we continue to have the same issues from across the street. I don't get it

[3:31:34] I'm sick of it

[3:31:36] But we need to make an official motion so that they can pay the bill from that trip

[3:31:40] So I like to make a motion that that bill is paid for the trip that we took that we already have approved of taking so I need to make that motion

[3:31:48] I'll second. Thank you

[3:31:50] The endboards, the endboards hadn't been paid to say that it hadn't properly came to the board for payment

[3:31:55] So I just want to make sure that we properly get that endboards paid. I believe it's $7,800.

[3:32:01] Okay, yes sir, but there's a bill that needs to be paid.

[3:32:05] We have a motion to second all in favor, sir.

[3:32:07] Aye.

[3:32:08] You don't want to pose?

[3:32:09] No.

[3:32:10] I don't have it, so I'm not going to vote for what I don't know.

[3:32:13] No problem.

[3:32:14] Okay, I'll tell you what, what we would do then, we'll just hold out to get all the information

[3:32:19] Okay, we got a motion to second, okay, against any parents anyway, but we got a motion to second, but it's, I guess you guys, we can go vote on if you want to.

[3:32:30] We already voted.

[3:32:32] You voted yes, it was so it's 31.

[3:32:34] Okay, well, let's go.

[3:32:36] Thank you.

[3:32:37] Motion approved.

[3:32:38] Thank you.

[3:32:40] Thank you.

[3:32:42] Okay, so, thank you.

[3:32:46] Update on the Boys and Girls Club, and that may come from the attorney, I'm not sure, but we've been asking for some information for Boys and Girls Club, and we've been talking about funding spending money that has already been given to us on to make sure that we are moving as quick as we can, and the people can know that we're moving as quick as we can so that you can give some updates on that contract or what we're going as it relates to the Boys and Girls Club, and that can come from that administrator or the attorney, Mr. Chairman.

[3:33:16] Mr. Chairman, as the attorney said, we're just waiting on that contract to get back.

[3:33:25] We have been moving in the meantime with some other pieces but we need that to get back

[3:33:29] to us.

[3:33:30] Okay.

[3:33:31] Just an additional clarification, I've had a conversation with the City Attorney and we've

[3:33:37] agreed and this county administrator, we've agreed on concepts and now we're in the drafting

[3:33:45] Thank you so much, and I've had a conversation with you as it relates to it, but I also had a few questions from people that were asking as well, so I wanted to make sure that that was publicly noted.

[3:33:56] I also like to, I know that we're getting ready for the holidays, which is next Thursday, will be Thanksgiving, and I know that the governor has already granted, I think, the state wins the off.

[3:34:08] So I would like to make a motion that we are granted grant a wins the off of the 27th of November for our employees as well

[3:34:17] That's my motion

[3:34:21] What about what about the public work center for everybody but what about let me just ask them just pose a question here because

[3:34:29] No, sometimes we're gonna make sure I see the look and still look nice

[3:34:32] You know doing hurricane season when when they go out doing this time

[3:34:35] I'm just throwing some out, just an idea when they go out, if they choose to get overtime or whatever it is.

[3:34:42] So they decide that they want to agree with that, then they can come out.

[3:34:46] We keep a skeleton.

[3:34:47] You got to work, yes sir.

[3:34:48] Because you may get kind of messed up sometimes.

[3:34:50] Yes sir.

[3:34:50] We want to make sure to keep the kind of clean, but they just get paid extra pay for coming out there.

[3:34:55] Yes sir, all right, cool.

[3:34:57] All right, okay, we have motion to say.

[3:35:00] Second, all the people, sir? And one of the polls? All right. We have five of both. Thank you. Finally, I would like to make sure that we're making the appropriate recognition for Mr. Dill Summerford, who is a tax collector for many years.

[3:35:20] Well, we need to have some conversation on which direction, because what we want to do, and we don't have to do it tonight, but we also have Miss Shirley Green Knight, who we need to make sure

[3:35:29] I'm sure that we're honoring at some point and I would also like to have conversation on the legalities and I'll talk to the attorney about it or the process of even possible against some buildings names change because these people have served for a long time in this county and they have served consistently and they have been honest in their serving hood in this county but I do want to make sure that we start giving that some attention real soon I believe that those jobs may take effect or changes officially in January so we have a

[3:35:59] a little time for some conversation to have that.

[3:36:01] So that's all I have for tonight.

[3:36:03] Thank you again, welcome aboard.

[3:36:05] Commissioner Wood.

[3:36:06] Are you putting that in form of a motion?

[3:36:08] Well, I want to have a discussion at a later time

[3:36:12] on how, because I don't want it just to be a motion

[3:36:14] or just something that we do.

[3:36:16] These people have served for a long time.

[3:36:17] And we did to make sure that they go down in history

[3:36:19] as great servants of this county.

[3:36:22] So we can definitely have a more detailed conversation.

[3:36:26] Again, I want to make sure that I offer my congratulations

[3:36:28] relations again to Major Wood who I am looking forward to continuing to work with even if there are disagreements it as well as it has always been on this board also congratulations to our new chairman of the board and I will discuss my reasons for my note but with him personally but thank you.

[3:36:47] Okay.

[3:36:49] I didn't realize you voted no.

[3:36:51] I did.

[3:36:51] I'm not a little bit scared.

[3:36:55] Are we good, though?

[3:36:56] We're good.

[3:36:56] I'm not motivated, do you?

[3:36:58] So I wrote a non-lubian, in a way, somebody else.

[3:37:01] Yeah, I had to get you in the right quit.

[3:37:02] Well, thank you, though.

[3:37:04] For God's good, man.

[3:37:07] Commissioner, you finished?

[3:37:08] I'm done. Yes.

[3:37:09] You know, sometime you got to be nice regardless.

[3:37:13] You will, my grandmother always told me,

[3:37:15] you could get more flies with honey than with vinegar.

[3:37:19] And so I always try to be nice regardless, and through

[3:37:24] precious situations, you still got to be nice.

[3:37:30] You got something to go home and cry sometimes.

[3:37:31] I'm a grown man.

[3:37:32] I play at cry sometimes.

[3:37:33] I'm happy we treat sometimes.

[3:37:35] But you still got to treat people with kindness.

[3:37:37] And because we're happy we represent kids.

[3:37:40] These folks, probably look at these, look at this stuff, man.

[3:37:43] They look at us.

[3:37:44] They don't need to see us.

[3:37:50] going out to each other, we got too much stuff going on with community, making the sheriff

[3:37:55] and his deputies and colonels doing a difficult job, because they see us acting that way,

[3:38:00] then they don't think they can do the same thing.

[3:38:06] So, I kind of brushed things off.

[3:38:09] I'm a quick, I'm a quick, he will commission a whole set early for some people.

[3:38:14] They'll probably start crying a little tonight, right?

[3:38:16] But for me personally, I was prepared for this moment.

[3:38:24] I went through hell and back to the gas, take my bag.

[3:38:26] I'm a coach, though, I was playing football at an infigene.

[3:38:30] He said all the time, when I was younger, then God put me through so

[3:38:36] many tests during that time to commission the whole.

[3:38:39] So what people said, I tell kids all the time, you just can't worry about it.

[3:38:44] You got a lot of kids, commit suicide, I mean.

[3:38:46] Yeah, we got to be careful about Facebook bullying and going to send those in your windows and stuff because I you know

[3:38:53] I had some challenges myself when I was young

[3:38:57] But God blessed me he put me the opportunity to grow through that group and meet with great people

[3:39:02] So I can overcome those things

[3:39:04] That's why I love kids so much because I remember me when I was a little boy

[3:39:08] So I moved a motion that we fired Mr. Dixon right now and

[3:39:13] And move in a different direction.

[3:39:17] Do I have a second on the floor?

[3:39:19] Second.

[3:39:21] Okay, we have a motion and a second.

[3:39:24] I will have a discussion.

[3:39:28] As I said before, when I got on the board, I didn't worry about who that administrator was nor the attorney.

[3:39:36] And I said in that audience almost a year and watched.

[3:39:41] So I did not have a problem with that.

[3:39:44] because I knew once I got in the seat, I learned a seat and what the process was

[3:39:50] in order to do things. So I do not feel that that's a good idea. I do not feel

[3:40:00] Good idea. And there's a reason why. We need to look at how you're going to make any type of transition if you're going to do that. How would that transition transition look like? What would it look like? Another thing also is that we had a lot of problems before. With two or three of our administrators. And so it was nothing

[3:40:29] that we could remedy. And that's why I have a problem with this going on, as I said before.

[3:40:38] The last time we advertised, the young lady out of Atlanta should have had their job.

[3:40:43] She should have been that administrator. The one from Doaton that was living in Lauderdale,

[3:40:49] he was a second choice. They were the most qualified people for this job. But that boy would

[3:40:55] not choose either one of the qualified people they did so what we did we went after some

[3:41:06] of us Mr. Dixon because we did not we did not do what we should have done the first

[3:41:12] time people chose their friend there's no friends in this Mr. Dixon to tell you I tell

[3:41:20] tell him about himself.

[3:41:24] Mr. James, you know I cuss, I don't care if I cuss. So the things

[3:41:28] that I get on him about, I get on people about. And I want them to be frank with me and

[3:41:33] tell me what they think about me. But what I am saying is this, you need to know what's

[3:41:41] going on in the county. Come in and sit down and go through there. Don't listen to a commissioner.

[3:41:46] don't listen to me. Come and sit down and go through and see what's going on because

[3:41:54] we have commissioners right now that think they can call the housing department and tell

[3:41:59] them to build someone's house and fix someone's house on state and federal money when that's

[3:42:05] illegal. They do it almost every other week, but they've done it before and I tell people

[3:42:11] all the time. And my aide can tell you the same thing I tell him. Do not do that because

[3:42:18] this is illegal. You don't do that. We're not supposed to decide which person gets

[3:42:23] something of which one does not. So I don't think we're doing bad. I do think that we

[3:42:30] can use some improvements. Now I believe that. I believe that with my heart because I can

[3:42:35] make some improvements myself.

[3:42:38] But I do not believe that's a good decision

[3:42:40] for this boy.

[3:42:42] It's simply because of that.

[3:42:43] When I hear people talking about parties,

[3:42:45] that was your bicentennial.

[3:42:48] That's why you were having all those activities last year.

[3:42:51] I don't remember a party, but Leon County's

[3:42:54] doing that right now because it's their bicentennial.

[3:42:57] All the other counties will be doing the same thing,

[3:43:00] simply because they want tourists to come.

[3:43:03] They want people to come and visit their county because it's been money.

[3:43:08] But as I said before, I do not believe that's a good idea.

[3:43:12] Not because of friendship, because we have to keep the county running.

[3:43:20] Not unintelligently, but you have to have a process in place.

[3:43:26] That's what we need in place.

[3:43:29] So I do not believe that's a good idea.

[3:43:31] Yeah, thank you, Mr. Jim.

[3:43:32] I thank you very much, Mr. Krueger.

[3:43:35] Yes, thank you, and she pretty much stated the last thing that she stated is in reference to a process.

[3:43:41] I do believe in that, and the two, especially one commission in particular, always talk about process.

[3:43:46] And I would like for us to come up with the process and find out what the, whichever issues are.

[3:43:53] And what's next, like if you make this call, what is next?

[3:43:58] who's going to take this position come tomorrow, what's the plan?

[3:44:03] I mean, and that's a question that needs to be answered tonight.

[3:44:07] If for the ones who make the motion in seconded, what's the plan?

[3:44:11] Like, I do believe in the next go around when the contract is up,

[3:44:15] or six months prior to the contract being up,

[3:44:17] I hope I don't even agree that we should publicly advertise the position.

[3:44:21] And we should do a nationwide search.

[3:44:23] We should have community input on it as it relates to the selection of a county administrator because again, we did not do that

[3:44:31] prior to to to having Mr. Dixon and I think that Mr. Dixon should be given an opportunity to apply

[3:44:37] whomever wants to apply should be given an opportunity to apply but changing hands all of the time

[3:44:44] We're never going to get anywhere and it is so disheartening that we continue to just change hands

[3:44:51] every time we see a new face on the board.

[3:44:54] That's it, and we talk about growth,

[3:44:56] we talk about development,

[3:44:57] we're talking about moving forward.

[3:44:59] And yeah.

[3:45:00] I'm sorry, I just cannot passionately, and it has nothing to do with Mr. Dixon. I don't, you know, I don't know him on the level outside of this board. I just want things to be done the right and the best of our ability of it being done the right way. Come on, guys, we keep talking about moving forward. But then we're going to be stopped. Let's be realistic. And again, if there's a process in place, I'm going to hold her and support that process. I would love to have to see what else is out there.

[3:45:29] as they're not nothing, no disrespect to him, but I would like to see what other opportunities

[3:45:33] that we may have, that we did not look for it, we know prior to this, talking about

[3:45:39] being fair, loving people, supporting people and having processes, let's just take that

[3:45:47] into consideration and I already have an idea to where this is going, but I just want to

[3:45:51] let that get that out of my spirit, so I'm done.

[3:45:58] But you know what, just for sort of, so everyone will notice,

[3:46:08] we, two months ago, before you got here,

[3:46:11] let's do two months ago, maybe about four to five days ago, I'm not sure how many days go,

[3:46:16] I can't get the second number, this board fired the attorney immediately.

[3:46:22] In fact, just like that, they got rid of them.

[3:46:26] So they did that.

[3:46:28] I'm not trying to argue with the situation.

[3:46:30] I don't have no personal things.

[3:46:32] Sometimes it'd be a philosophical differences

[3:46:34] or whatever it'd become, right?

[3:46:36] I'm in the person, but my direct and his direct is not going

[3:46:38] to direct ways.

[3:46:39] I don't have to explain anything.

[3:46:41] It's great for us not to explain to explain anything

[3:46:45] because of situations that may occur.

[3:46:52] I mean, I think the thing you said that kind of struck me the most is you said transition.

[3:46:58] And that's what I said in mind I was not allowed to transition.

[3:47:01] I did it for me.

[3:47:03] There was none of this.

[3:47:05] It was like this is what we're doing.

[3:47:08] I felt like it put me out of place.

[3:47:12] I would say we're headed a long time.

[3:47:14] But the same lawyer that we're talking about is the same one that you introduced me to

[3:47:20] and said, he's one of the sharpest young lawyers around, and you, him, and I, and Dr. Cooksy,

[3:47:27] worked through COVID in a minority county that was a total disaster and we figured out

[3:47:32] how to get it done.

[3:47:34] But over the last few months, as we've really started looking at this, I told you I had

[3:47:41] concern.

[3:47:43] And I think you're good do I really do and I realize I am the third vote

[3:47:49] And I wanted to say that publicly. I'm not afraid of it. I am going to speak my piece

[3:47:55] And I am the third vote convention as much as I love y'all I'm telling you

[3:48:00] But I will listen to whatever y'all can say to convince me

[3:48:05] All right, we have okay. We got a motion one called a question real quick

[3:48:10] she said called the question, she's on person here, so we have a vote on the question.

[3:48:14] A commission that we have hands up still, you still have to recognize us.

[3:48:19] Okay, go ahead, which one you guys want to speak.

[3:48:22] All right, he's going to go pretty good.

[3:48:24] No, no, no, no, I mean, I just want to bring clarity on the-

[3:48:27] I'm just trying to move the meeting, that's all right, I know you ain't doing that.

[3:48:30] All right, commission, now I've been where you are, my point is as it relates to the attorney process,

[3:48:37] I just want that transparency to also be out there, that we know that that was a contract that was ended in February, that we was on a month to month contract.

[3:48:48] We didn't just fire a firm, and it wasn't the attorney, it was a firm that did not, are you speaking to Mr. Knows?

[3:48:57] I know.

[3:48:59] Let me know.

[3:49:00] Please.

[3:49:00] Only because of the fact that it wasn't that it was a firm that did not reapply for the

[3:49:07] job.

[3:49:08] Let's be clear.

[3:49:09] The people in front did not reapply for the job.

[3:49:13] So in my opinion, we didn't fire the firm.

[3:49:17] The firm did not reapply.

[3:49:18] And I just wanted to bring that clarity.

[3:49:20] That's all.

[3:49:20] I mean, that's all I think.

[3:49:22] I think we should.

[3:49:23] Thank you.

[3:49:24] Appreciate you, Commissioner.

[3:49:27] Yes, you said clarify one thing on the attorney, that contract was already up and that happened

[3:49:34] at the beginning of the year.

[3:49:36] So that's what we did and that's why even in that transition period, there was plenty

[3:49:41] of time to turn those contracts over the information over, to look at it, at least get some

[3:49:48] some of those contracts done in the interim before we looked at anyone else.

[3:49:54] As I said, when I spoke to the federal lobbyist and he said, you know, this...

[3:50:00] This date's coming up on the congressman, former congressman now, only $4.6 million. They said that that has to be done. If not, you're going to lose the money. So I spoke with the federal lobbyist. I said, would you please see if you can save it. So those are the things that I look at. Waiting on, like I said, I'm going to you and I spoke. I said that these are some things that we need to look at.

[3:50:29] But I cannot say that someone doesn't deserve to get some help and their neighborhood because we failed on a grant or on a contract.

[3:50:41] I can't say that. That's why I call Mr. Pittman. And I said, Mr. Pittman, can you look at these things? Okay. So that's what I did. But what I wanted to say is this, if you have three votes, you're going to have your vote.

[3:50:55] That's not the issue.

[3:50:57] The issue with me is that even though Mr. Dixon and I have had several disagreements,

[3:51:06] he did more than the last two administrators we had.

[3:51:10] And that's true.

[3:51:12] That's true.

[3:51:13] I look at the evidence.

[3:51:15] I'm a mathematician.

[3:51:15] I'm going to look at what does the evidence say when we can get those employees to make

[3:51:21] sure money.

[3:51:23] They started figuring out how to get them a bonus, how do we get them some money?

[3:51:27] What do we need to do?

[3:51:29] We had to go back and get money for the deputies, because there was no money there, and

[3:51:34] the government said, you're going to have to raise that salary.

[3:51:36] We did that, but we had to make sure we had money to pay them after that year.

[3:51:42] So there have been several things that we've done.

[3:51:45] Some of them that we could have done better, but let me tell you this much.

[3:51:50] It was a lot worse when I came.

[3:51:56] It was a lot worse, but everyone seemed happy.

[3:52:00] Can we have quiet, it's important, I'd like to hear what you say.

[3:52:04] Oh, it's whoever talking, please give me some respect.

[3:52:10] No, but the reason I'm saying that is because you had to know how things were going when

[3:52:18] when you came in, we couldn't even get to the podium

[3:52:21] and speak like you're doing now, okay?

[3:52:25] You couldn't go up there and speak on issues,

[3:52:26] got to say this is a board issue, they stopped you,

[3:52:28] you couldn't speak, and so we had to try,

[3:52:31] did you get work hard to get that change?

[3:52:34] You could not come to this commission

[3:52:37] and say I want to get this on the agenda, wouldn't happen.

[3:52:41] And if you were new like, you're new,

[3:52:44] they wouldn't even let you add anything to their agenda.

[3:52:48] So when you're looking at those things and if you were like you say you've been to a lot of black churches

[3:52:54] Those black communities couldn't get anything. It couldn't get roles paved

[3:52:58] They couldn't get them it wasn't gonna happen and I had to go along with to Orlando and

[3:53:06] And in a workshop and ask for bond money. How did we bond money? How do we get it kind of came back said we don't bond money

[3:53:14] How do we pay even those neighborhoods where the people can't even get out?

[3:53:18] It's so murder to go to work.

[3:53:20] It had not been for Bill McGill on this board and Ed Dixon,

[3:53:25] we would not, those neighborhoods still wouldn't have paid them.

[3:53:30] So that's the kind of stuff that I'm talking about.

[3:53:33] And to say that, okay, we're just going to do this and

[3:53:37] certain people can be disrespectful and the others don't have to be, you know,

[3:53:41] That doesn't make any sense.

[3:53:44] It makes sense if the county is moving like it should.

[3:53:48] And if it doesn't, then once you get the seat and sit down and go do these things and

[3:53:53] see what's going on.

[3:53:55] And then say, hey, look, we no longer need your services.

[3:53:58] That's all I'm saying.

[3:53:59] Even with Mr. Moore, he'll tell you I called him when all this stuff first happened.

[3:54:04] That's me.

[3:54:05] I'm a call.

[3:54:06] Two different times in this meeting, I said, if you have any questions about gas and

[3:54:09] or Commissioner, call 850-510-9162, same thing I put on Facebook because I don't want

[3:54:18] to talk about you in public, I want to talk to you to your face or at least on the phone.

[3:54:24] So that's why you'll see I don't ask about particulars, I say particulars, because we all do it.

[3:54:32] But anyway, as I said, I know the things that we have accomplished and we would not have

[3:54:37] But those things are accomplished if we had not had Mr. Dickson.

[3:54:41] Now, Mr. Dickson did pretty good too, you know, on some of the things she was doing.

[3:54:47] But if you did not have these people in place, we're part time commissioners.

[3:54:51] We're not done here every day.

[3:54:53] Somebody has to make this wheelchair turn.

[3:54:55] But as I said before, if you have three votes, you know what you're going to do.

[3:55:00] Let's do it.

[3:55:03] Okay. So what's the what's the next like what plan do y'all have? Like I will tell you that as soon as as soon as as soon as we make the motion because there's no reason to talk about anything. No, we need to know what direction. When we get the direction, what's got this right here? They want to say the plan. We are most of them make the motion. The commission digs themselves. We got to move forward. It's almost 11 o'clock.

[3:55:30] I'm just saying I let him talk throughout the whole time but not the board the board talking now

[3:55:35] That's why I allow Mr. Dixon to speak earlier because I want him to talk about the he talked for a while about that

[3:55:43] And I want to be fair about that. That's what I did before right now. It's the board now. I want to make sure the board

[3:55:49] Okay, we have most on the floor

[3:55:52] Most we got a motion to move forward with this right here

[3:55:58] all in favor, so I want to pose a 3-2 vote to

[3:56:06] determine the mistakes in the country and while we hear this is what I suggest,

[3:56:12] I had an opportunity to talk to several people they didn't realize what I was talking about,

[3:56:16] but this is what I was talking to about and one of the things that I was,

[3:56:20] they didn't realize what I was talking to, I was talking to three or four people

[3:56:24] And in general, because I heard Rommel is what was going on and really I started about a business.

[3:56:30] No I do, I don't hang out, but I would like to now make the motion to reason bringing this guy to this guy to be the interim.

[3:56:44] Because of his experience and a lot of different things in transportation.

[3:56:49] work with the airport, work with the school system, work with a lot of different things that this person worked with.

[3:56:57] I just like to make a motion to bring Roger Milton as kind of just the interim for about four or five months.

[3:57:05] We can just have somebody just for right now, you can go with it or whoever you want to bring in.

[3:57:13] That's an idea that I have.

[3:57:14] We don't have to go with that motion, that's just ideal, then I'll prove the motion whoever y'all want to prove.

[3:57:19] That's just my little idea, but we can go whatever y'all want to go with, from that point.

[3:57:23] We just need some American to come from about three or four months until we find somebody else, who understand administrative things, that way then we can get the right person to come here and lead guests kind of forward.

[3:57:34] Do y'all have anybody else on mind?

[3:57:36] I have a comment.

[3:57:38] We can make a motion for anyone coming up.

[3:57:41] But I want to, I want to make a comment.

[3:57:43] Okay, my coming is at least get someone that's a familiar with county government he is very familiar

[3:57:49] I'm not county government. That's cool. That's different. No, he's no Roger's more than school Roger Roger was Roger

[3:57:57] No, no, no, no, no, can't can I?

[3:57:59] Can I hold on say that's not school? It's not school. This man's a business guy. This guy developed this guy's contract

[3:58:05] This guy worked with

[3:58:08] for almost 30 years.

[3:58:10] Roger Milton, that's like he was making $130,000 there.

[3:58:13] Yeah, traffic control.

[3:58:14] Right, we need to pardon with their report

[3:58:16] and make sure we get this.

[3:58:18] I saw a far-fetched Jew there.

[3:58:20] They're just my well-ficked.

[3:58:21] I like to think big.

[3:58:22] I like to think outside the box so we can

[3:58:26] build this infrastructure straight.

[3:58:29] Now that was just an idea.

[3:58:30] Can we get quiet?

[3:58:31] No, we have questions.

[3:58:33] Can we get quiet?

[3:58:34] I want to hear it.

[3:58:34] Yeah, yeah, can we be quiet?

[3:58:35] I want to hear it.

[3:58:36] We can be quiet real quick so we can be able to move forward.

[3:58:40] That was just an idea for me.

[3:58:41] Somebody just may have another motion.

[3:58:43] We got to pick a motion and flow for an interim person.

[3:58:46] So, who do you want, Mr. Green?

[3:58:51] You can pick a person.

[3:58:53] No, I'm not about picking because I wasn't, again, I wasn't expecting.

[3:58:58] Although I was hearing the rumbles in the community as well.

[3:59:01] But I was definitely hoping that we would have another plan or another go through another process

[3:59:06] But I do and no offense to Mr. Milton because I think much more than is a great guy by all means and I'm not even sure if you had

[3:59:13] Conversation with him or not about this

[3:59:15] But I if we hear I don't know

[3:59:19] What how we get through this part from the legal piece of it from point A to point B to see a D

[3:59:23] But I think that we should at least give opportunity for someone who have been here before and

[3:59:29] And, um, I mean, this has caught me off guard, but I, I, I'm going to her to name call early

[3:59:35] and then I'm, she's probably going to say no, but I will like to us to consider Ms.

[3:59:40] D. Jackson for interim, I mean, just, interim, I'm just, I'm caught off guard with this.

[3:59:46] I'm just trying to think of what, what, what do we go with this?

[3:59:48] What do we do with this?

[3:59:49] Because I just would like to have somebody that has been involved in this government at

[3:59:55] some point.

[3:59:56] So I am just lost, honestly.

[4:00:00] Do you have a person? So my thought is it's not to be too quick to jump here. And where you find someone who is inside, it works here, that will get you through the next two weeks. So the two commissioners that voted a different way that they have the opportunity to vet somebody. I don't want to do anything to them that's not fair. And I think that whoever you have as a senior member,

[4:00:29] that's in here, that you feel is capable, I think them until we have the next meeting and then we've had the names.

[4:00:38] Now a person that probably, normally what we did last time, we brought in Mr.

[4:00:44] Raul Pressnell, he was the public worst director, right?

[4:00:50] And you know, you have a public director, whatever y'all want to do, you guys can,

[4:00:55] I mean, we just need to pick an interim that can be able to sustain this until we get there.

[4:01:01] Yeah.

[4:01:04] Yes, ma'am.

[4:01:05] I think Roosevelt Mars, we could hold down things for a couple of months.

[4:01:11] Which are, whatever y'all want to go with, it's just that we need to have somebody on board that can hold on the phone for about three months.

[4:01:20] That's emotional.

[4:01:22] That's emotional.

[4:01:23] No, that's not well-known.

[4:01:24] Well, we need to go through, I'm sorry, just for the temporary, I thank you for your way.

[4:01:31] Now, the reason why I think Roosevelt is a great person for one, the reason why what I was looking at somebody who

[4:01:38] have administrative experience too is when Roosevelt got that he has all of that, what I'm just saying,

[4:01:43] that's the reason why I was saying during that time, so we got to have someone who understands

[4:01:49] legislatures too as well.

[4:01:50] Let me say this. The reason I said Roosevelt, and I'm going to be very honest with you.

[4:01:55] If you're going to do this, you need to go and start advertised.

[4:01:59] He's an awesome guy.

[4:01:59] Let me finish. Let go ahead and you need to start advertising because this position takes

[4:02:05] time. Even if you're going to do something else later, but you need to go ahead and get

[4:02:11] that advertisement out there. Because even if you say we're only going to do this for a month,

[4:02:16] People do not change their jobs that quickly, and so they have to have an idea about this stuff.

[4:02:25] The other thing is, as I said, he's on Roosevelt's already here.

[4:02:29] He stepped in from Mr. Dixon a few times, so that's the only thing I can think of.

[4:02:35] So we have Roosevelt, do we have another person, our commission's symptoms, you got to, I have my hand up.

[4:02:43] I mean, I was just going to the time frame, if we were stating two weeks, 30 days, I think that it needs to be at least 90 days minimum so that we can do a due diligence on advertising and for the position so I just want to make sure that we give enough time for us to come back to have a workshop on the process and the things that go over our process.

[4:03:13] We got to make sure it's just commuter symptoms first, then we'll come back.

[4:03:19] Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair.

[4:03:21] The reason I said the 30 days was because we know that it may take a while.

[4:03:29] So, Mr. Morris, until we determine, until we can do a special meeting to the,

[4:03:40] for us to come together and decide who we could have for a long-term

[4:03:47] interim until we're able to get a permanent administrator.

[4:03:52] So that was the reason I gave that time frame.

[4:03:58] One other comment, one other suggestion.

[4:04:03] The Florida Association of Counties provide range riders.

[4:04:06] The range riders, the range riders are former administrators that now retired out and they

[4:04:15] have a program that, and we've used that program before, so we could contact the Florida

[4:04:20] Association of Counties in the morning and find out if they have anyone available.

[4:04:28] And who's going to do that?

[4:04:30] I guess we have to be rosy there.

[4:04:34] I just want to make sure that there's direction given so we don't say what somebody do and it doesn't get done well

[4:04:44] I move that we

[4:04:46] We're roles are here right now right there

[4:04:49] Roseville fully qualified. He's been a city manager everything else to as well. He has all this unbelievers

[4:04:55] Yeah, he was a city manager back in the days. He else he else

[4:05:00] We have nothing experienced in telling that a lot of folks don't have, so I- That's my motion. So we got a motion on the floor with- So for Roosevelt- We didn't- Okay, four. Clear it up. Get the time plan and- Okay. We're doing- Oh, we- We may take them a minute now to get a range rider, but right now I put in the motion for two months. We're going to give them some time if they get someone up until two months, if they get somebody before them.

[4:05:29] And look at that candidate.

[4:05:30] And also to how do we keep Roosevelt at the same pay now or how I know something won't

[4:05:37] be fair.

[4:05:39] We got to make sure we are just as paid to as well to have the other responsibility.

[4:05:46] So I guess we're talking all the things are in on the polls.

[4:05:52] All right.

[4:05:55] So that's it.

[4:05:56] Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, you say you won't have any.

[4:05:58] Sorry, go ahead, go ahead, Ms. Cadamins, right?

[4:06:00] Mr. Chairman, commissioners, let me thank you for the opportunity to serve you.

[4:06:06] It truly has been my pleasure.

[4:06:09] We did some great things together.

[4:06:12] As you know, I'll go away, but I won't go far.

[4:06:16] We've taken the budget from 50 million to almost 70 million.

[4:06:21] So you're on your way, and it is a great job, whoever gets it.

[4:06:26] We'll be doing a great thing to those folk who work with me

[4:06:31] Y'all stay strong now

[4:06:34] You're what I say

[4:06:36] This is politics that happens

[4:06:39] There were four there were there were

[4:06:42] Seven administrators in ten years before I came

[4:06:46] seven

[4:06:47] In ten years it happens

[4:06:51] They offered it to me they're often they'll offer it to someone else

[4:06:55] Okay

[4:06:56] Maybe they'll take their job as seriously as I did, hopefully they will, and this county will take another leap.

[4:07:02] So, thank you commissioners for the opportunity to serve.

[4:07:05] It truly has been my pleasure.

[4:07:09] Okay, thank you Mr. County administrative for your service.

[4:07:12] Also too, do you want to sketch another meeting to talk about the next process before we leave?

[4:07:17] Because so everybody can be on the same page, the

[4:07:26] way to next meeting, okay, meeting adjourned.

[4:07:34] Don't get it. Don't get it twisted. Don't twist it up. Don't twist it up.

[4:07:43] Yeah. Don't twist it up.

[4:07:46] Mr. Chairman. Yeah. There's going to be a problem if I show up tomorrow and clean the desk out.

[4:07:51] Oh you, yeah. Yeah. I'm cool. Okay. Get the person down. Thank you.

[4:07:55] Bill and Chulis, nothing personal.

[4:07:59] My pleasure. You're seeing me. Okay.

[4:08:02] We'll be waiting for you, OK?

[4:08:03] Yes, sir?

[4:08:04] Permission to sign.

[4:08:05] All right.

[4:08:06] I'll land in line.

[4:08:07] I know we're here.

[4:08:09] Where are we?

[4:08:10] That's how it is.

[4:08:11] All right.

[4:08:12] It's time.

[4:08:15] Good job.

[4:08:16] I'll be on the man I do.

[4:08:18] I'll be on the man I do.

[4:08:21] You have to get my child.

[4:08:24] All right.

[4:08:25] That way.

[4:08:26] I'll be on the man I do.

Board of County Commissioners

Transcript