The Nevada County Quorum Court met this evening with quite the crowd in attendance. After prayer, pledge, and roll call, members of the Court voted and approved last month’s minutes and the financial statement. Judge Glass said that, after the addition of the tax money, the county general budget is $430,887.25 with road and bridge at $38,904. Glass reminded attendees that state aid funds have not been received yet.
In Committee Reports, Chamber Director Jamie Hillery provided her monthly service report and informed the Court of two recent ribbon cuttings. She also shared with them tonight’s Jingle and Mingle, an event with multiple businesses and vendors participating in an effort to get people out shopping at their local businesses. Hillery also explained that the upcoming Giving Tree will adopt 25 families in the community in order to provide school-age children essential items like jackets, shoes, etc. Next, Stacey Stone from the Nevada County UA Extension Office reported growth with the program and an improvement in participant numbers, as well as sales at the livestock show.
In old business, Judge Glass reiterated last month’s statement about the Nubbin Hill Bridge project. The county has finished with its part, and the state highway department has plans for the bids to begin in January. If approved, it will probably be mid to late March when construction begins.
In new business, citizen Joyce Banks addressed the court with a complaint about the sheriff's office. Banks said she’s had problems with trespassing and theft at her property many times by someone she had previously hired to work for her. She says she told this person to not come back to her property anymore. Banks said she called the sheriff’s office multiple times about the theft and trespassing, and she claimed they have done nothing about the problem. Banks also said she was told by the sheriff’s office that reports had been filed with the prosecuting attorney’s office, but that the prosecuting attorney told her they had never received such reports. Judge Glass, JP Coleman, and JP Cummings said they would look into the situation.
Citizen Walter Cox, from Falcon, also addressed the court and asked for consideration of an issue. Cox said he is member of the cemetery association that maintains upkeep on two cemeteries in Falcon. The cemetery association does not have ownership nor authority over the older cemetery, and Cox said they still maintain the upkeep. Cox said this comes with difficulty when people want to leave items at headstones and on the plots. Cox appealed to the Court to provide the cemetery association with the authority to institute guidelines on the property, citing a law he found during research. The Court said they would refer to the legal department and then consider the issue.
In other business, the Quorum Court was presented with this year’s city mills to be collected by the county, in addition to the new JP districts made after the latest Census. Both motions were approved. Also, Judge Glass selected a few Court members to be a part of the Budget Committee. They will meet on November 22nd.
A resolution was brought to the Quorum Court tonight which asked for all certified law enforcement officers to receive a $3000 state income tax break. This resolution was presented for consideration by the Governor to every county in the state. The resolution was approved.
To round up the meeting tonight, JP Cummings asked to be heard on two issues. First, he asked if the Quorum Court meetings were being audio recorded in order to comply with state law. County Clerk Julie Oliver said she would check to see if the video camera which records the courtroom is also recording audio. The second, and most popular with the crowd, item Cummings asked the Court to consider was a premium pay raise for all Nevada County Employees. He says the funds received from ARF have many limitations and restrictions, but one avenue those funds do allow is a premium pay raise for employees. Cummings even referenced Hempstead County’s recent premium pay raise approved for their employees. He proposed giving county employees a premium pay $1.05 raise for a 17 month time period, which ends up being $3024 for a full time employee. It will be given all at once, but still with taxes and deductions taken out since the ARF fund guidelines do not allow a straight bonus. The rest of the JP’s agreed and many commented that they believe the county employees are well-deserving. Judge Glass stated that he wants to add part-time employees and elected officials to that list, as well; those amounts will be different and rated by hours worked or meetings attended, etc. Glass and court members agreed to begin the steps to make this happen as soon as possible so it can be approved by Thanksgiving, just in time for Christmas shopping. The crowd who had gathered in the courtroom to watch tonight’s meeting gave a hearty round of applause as the meeting was adjourned.