A local citizens’ group would like to see Clay County vote on whether or not the county commissioners’ salaries should be cut in half.
The Citizens for Term Limits and Accountability Committee, Inc., filed petitions with the Supervisor of Elections to have the issue placed on the next ballot, the Board of Clay County Commissioners were informed Tuesday at its regular meeting. The five county commissioners earn a base salary of $61,875.
“We have today placed in the hands of the Supervisor of Elections a petition that will reduce the salaries of Clay County Commissioners to $37,000 a year,” read Durwood Smith, a representative of the group. “We believe this is a fair salary for a part-time employee.”
Smith also informed the commissioners that the group is also requesting an initiative that would require future amendments of the county charter to receive 60 percent of the vote of the electors in a general election to pass.
The commissioners were also asked to perform an audit of the $100,000 that Clay County budgets for the Clay County Chamber of Commerce.
“Are we receiving adequate economic development for that money?” asked Robert Maehala of Fleming Island. “One hundred thousand dollars is a big hunk of cash, and every tax dollar should be spent for the benefit of Clay County Citizens. I would just like to know if that money is achieving that benefit.”
The commissioners did receive some good news in that the county was able to purchase the property currently owned by the Church of Christ, which sits between the Clay County Administration Building and Courthouse on Orange Avenue in Green Cove Springs. The property will be used to meet the parking requirement for the new courthouse.
Departments are “starting to jockey for position” as the courthouse addition nears completion, according to County Manager Fritz Behring. The commissioners agreed to hire Vertical Integration to perform a space-needs analysis and real estate planning for Clay County for a fee of $189,000.
The Health Department and Supervisor of Elections has approached Behring with office space requests and the county will also need to find a new home for the Emergency Operation Center (EOC). The current EOC has to shut down in the event of a hurricane because it is not structurally sound enough to withstand a hurricane, Behring said.
The county may be eligible for about $2 million in aid for the EOC project, Behring added.
The Clay County Library Department also received some aid in the form of a Northeast Florida Library Information Network (NEFLIN) grant for $9,460.
The funding will be used to install wireless Internet access in all library buildings.
NEFLIN is one of six non-profit library cooperatives committed to serving libraries throughout Florida.
While I don't always agree with the Commissioneers on the things that they do, I do beleive that their pay is correct. Durwood Smith, isn't a Commissioner nor am I but I do know that being a Commissioner is alot more involved than the meetings that are held twice a month. These Commissioners have to study proposed bills and problems of our county, they also get 100's if not more phone calls at both their repective offices, business's and homes at all hours of they day and night. Their salaries should remain the same and not be slashed.
A fine example of Durwood Smith's not knowing what he is doing is the fact that he and his Charter Committee didn't even let the ink dry on the single district election of our Commissioners before he proposed adding 2 At Large seats to our Board and even giving one of them the power to lead the Board without even knowing that that person has the ability to lead, just because a person is elected to an office doesn't mean that they have the ability to lead this county to the proper decissions on matters that effect the people of this county. He wants to cut the salaries of the five commissioners so that he can justify the 2 At Large Commissioners.
Being a County Commissioner is a full time job no matter what Durwood Smith thinks.