Citizens chide board for $600 a day man
By Dwight Otwell Editor

Citizens Monday peppered the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners with questions about why they agreed to pay the interim health director $600 a day.

Board Chairman Jonathan Dickey said Bob Wood is still the interim director and making $600 for each day he works. However, he said the county is advertising the position and hopes to soon get a full-time director.

When asked why the board of commissioners approved that amount of money, Dickey said the county badly needed a director as the county was still severely behind in granting septic permits. Wood was the health director of Cherokee County from 1983 through 1996.

Two county commissioners contacted Wood about taking the job even before previous Health Director Elaine Russell tendered her resignation, Mary Miller said.

Dickey explained that Wood signed a six month contract with started in August.

"If you look at a full-time health director, he won't make that much," Dickey said.

A full-time health director would make around $70,000 a year, less than half the rate Wood is making.

"You are basically looking at $150,000 a year (for the interim health director). We can't afford it," a citizen said.

Dickey said that when a full-time director is hired, Wood's position will be null and void.

"If you (commissioners) are this frivolous on all matters as you are on this one, this county is in big trouble," a woman said.

Some of the crowd at the meeting also questioned the commissioners about why they haven't put minutes of the county commission meeting on the county website since March of this year.

"Are we dealing with a time management problem or a manpower problem?" Miller questioned.

County Attorney Scott Lindsay said there is no requirement that the county post the meetings on the website. It has been done simply as a public convenience.

County Manager David Badger said the reason the minutes haven't been posed on the website has more to do with manpower. However, the county is working on website design and in the near future, the minutes should be posted in a more timely manner, he said.

In another matter, the board approved using GovDeals, a governmental website likened to an e-bay for governments. The county will use it as a third option for disposal of surplus property. Fifty three counties and a couple hundred municipalities use GovDeals, said Badger. Using GovDeals opens up the market to more bidders when the county wants to sell surplus items, Badger said.

Commissioner Dana Jones was absent from the meeting. The board has three members.

The board held a closed meeting for personnel purposes.