County Commissioners Meeting

Not very many people attend County Commissioners meetings in Bayboro. That's too bad, because it's possible to learn a great deal about county issues and how county government deals with them.

In an earlier post, I noted Mr. Himbry's economic development proposal for a center for internet-based businesses.

There were two other items on the Feb 15 agenda that caught my interest.

County Sheriff Bill Sawyer presented a proposal to lower the speed limit on Hwy 306N near the Head Start School. During the ensuing discussion, he disclosed that the Sheriff's Department does not have either a certified radar system or certified operators. The implications for Oriental are that if we want enforcement for our speed limits, we will have to use our own certified equipment and operators.

In another matter, the county's auditor, Mr. Greg Adams, revealed that there had been several budget violations during the budget year. The audit also recalculated the County's unrestricted fund balance. During the previous budget year, the County's fund balance was reported as 38 per cent. This was apparently erroneous. For the most recent audit, the fund balance was recalculated as 22 per cent. The auditor also restated some fixed asset accounts.

Next Monday (Mar 1), County Commissioners will address whether to authorize solicitation of proposals for auditing services for the coming year.