By NICOLE CARTRETTE
Staff Writer

Months after the Columbus County Board of Commissioners agreed to cut their own pay, the board members have not seen the reduction in their paychecks.

Commissioner Bill Memory and Clerk June Hall are requesting discussion on a vote that was taken June 4.

Commissioner Ronald Gore had made a motion that all commissioners take a 10 percent salary reduction but that motion didn’t have enough support to pass.

Memory made a motion that each salary be reduced by $1,500 to be given to the department of the commissioner’s choice.

Commissioner McKenzie seconded the motion that he, Chairman Sammie Jacobs, Memory and Commissioner Lynwood Norris supported.

Vice Chairman James Prevatte, Commissioners Ricky Bullard and Gore were opposed.

Prevatte argued that the move was only diverting money, not saving taxpayers any money.
Memory’s motion passed with a 4-3 vote of the board but no discussion has emerged in any subsequent meetings regarding the measure.

It is unclear if the reduction will be retroactive to July 1, as Memory’s written motion does not specify an effective date.

The agenda request states that discussion is needed to determine “the process to be used in designating these funds to the location of each commissioner’s choice.”

The commissioners will meet in a recessed meeting today (Thursday), at 6:30 p.m. at the Dempsey Herring Court Annex.

Agenda items continued from Monday’s session include: approval of a contract with Southern Health Partners for inmate healthcare at a base price of roughly $200,000, a public housing update, a building inspections update, adoption of a new solid waste user fee refund policy of five years, Medicaid relief update, fluoridation of county water, and a lease agreement involving Water District II and the Town of Boardman.