Sheriff and council
Getting off on the right foot
By Debbie Lowe

The early morning of January 12 was a morning of firsts in the commissioners' meeting room at the Carroll County Courthouse. The mood and atmosphere were positive and upbeat as the Carroll County Council met for the first time in the new year.

It was the first meeting newly elected Ron Slavens attended as a voting member. It was the first meeting Carroll County Sheriff Tony Burns attended as the official representative of his department. And although she was not on the agenda, new county prosecutor Trish Thompson made an appearance to make a first-hand observation of how the council performed the business of the county.

The meeting was not the regularly scheduled monthly meeting. Council members were called to a special meeting to hear a request, which was granted, by Burns to hire a fulltime jailer to fill a position vacated at the end of December. In other business, Burns received clarification from the council about the hiring protocol and budget amounts for part-time employees.

He also took the opportunity to report about jail meals. He said the meal program seems to be working well with a few substitutions.

"The menu calls for us to serve powdered milk," he said. "But I mixed some up and I didn't want to drink it, so I am serving two percent milk."

He said he found he could save money by purchasing bread at the bread store rather than purchasing it from the vendor used for the other jail food.

Council member Steve Ashby reported he visited the jail during mealtime last week.

"The meals program seems to be going well," Ashby said. "Out of 40 meals served, only one came back," he said.

Burns said he also addressed building and electrical needs in the past week.

"Good work," council president Rob Baker said. "Keep us informed."

The next meeting is Jan. 26 at 8 a.m.