2023 brings changes
County Commission leadership chosen, as well as new Clerk.
The new year brings changes to Gordon County’s government.
This week’s regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Commissioners was the first of the new year, and the first for newly-elected Commissioner Kurt Sutherland who was officially sworn in late last week. He replaces outgoing Commission Chair Becky Hood who did not run for re-election in
November.
“I feel honored to be sitting up here with these other gentlemen,” Sutherland said. “I’ve known them all my life, and I’ve always looked up to them, and respected them, and I’m thankful to be here. I would also like to thank the citizens of Gordon County for putting their trust in me in getting me elected to serve for the next four years.”
The first order of business for commissioners in 2023 was the election of a new board leadership
Tuesday night. Previous Commission Vice Chair Chad Steward nominated Bud Owens as Commission Chair and Kevin Cunningham as Vice Chair. Both were approved by unanimous vote of their peers.
“I just want to say that it is an honor to be chosen to serve as chair of this board,” Owens said. “I’m more excited about this opportunity than anything I’ve done in the past, and I want to tell you why. Because I have the privilege to work with the people that are sitting at this table who I know and understand their desire to do what is right for this community, and the concerns that they have that every decision that is made by this board is thought about, and is considered how the effects are going to be on future generations to come, and that those decisions are made with a lot of fortitude and thought.”
Cunningham echoed Owens’
sentiments about his service to the county.
“I would also like to thank the board in their confidence,” Cunningham said. “This a good board. A good group of fellow servants, and they make this job easy, and I would also like to repeat what Commissioner Owens said — we’re here to serve Gordon County, and we don’t take decisions lightly.”
Outgoing Vice Chair Steward was thanked for his service by Owens, and offered some words of his own.
“This Board of Commissioners is one of the best boards I’ve been on,” Steward said. “We’ve got a really good team together here that works really well. I have a lot of respect for all the men sitting here at this table, and I know that Kevin and Bud will do a terrific job. I’m very very excited about the next four years on this board.”
Continuing with changes affecting county government, a new County Clerk was unanimously approved Monday night following a recent vacancy.
“Miss Annette Berry retired at the end of the year after 27 years of dedicated service to us,” County Administrator Jim Ledbetter said. “We did some recognitions of her in a little inhouse ceremony with all
department heads, and so forth, back in December. She’s a private person and didn’t want a big public todo about it.”
After over a dozen applicants for the position were recently submitted, an interview process saw current Assistant Floyd County Clerk Hollis Barton as the leading candidate. Commissioners unanimously approved the hire Tuesday night, giving Barton the green light to begin the job on Jan. 30 after working a notice in Floyd County.
“We got 13 or 14 good applications — a couple of them rose to the top and we conducted interviews, and after the interviews we extended an invitation to Hollis Barton,” Ledbetter said.
In other business, commissioners unanimously approved an Account Correction Order, delegating authority from county government to the Board of Assessors “when correcting obvious clerical errors and or removing property on the tax digest.”
“Generally, to remove something from the digest would take board action,” Ledbetter said. “This resolution reaffirms the authority of assessors to correct clerical errors, and it would give them the authority to — say there’s been a mobile home on a property and it’s been demolished and properly removed and so forth ... and no longer exists. That would be kind of open and obvious correction
where the Board of Assessors could document that, and then remove it from the digest. It just makes things easier.”
Also approved was a Malt Beverage, Wine, and Liquor license for Citgo Food Mart, 788 Belwood Road. The measure was approved by a vote of 4-1, with Commissioner Cunningham voting “NO.”
Finally, Ken Dinning was approved for a term on the Planning and Zoning Commission as recommended by Commissioner Sutherland.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the board is set for Tuesday, Jan. 17, in the Gordon County Judicial Building Assembly Room, 101 S Piedmont St. All regular meetings are open to the public.