QC adds two new holidays to schedule

PRESCOTT – Nevada County’s Quorum Court added two more holidays county employees will be able to take off.

At its June meeting, Tuesday evening, the court approved employees getting Good Friday and Juneteenth off. This year Juneteenth will be observed Monday, though the actual date for it is June 19. Justice of the Peace Pat Grimes said she had no problem adding these holidays, but all county employees should be required to work the entire day before and after each holiday.

Nevada County Judge Mark Glass said 80 percent of counties in the state are closing for Juneteenth, and it’s a federal holiday, though state employees aren’t off that day.

Aside from  that, most of the discussion revolved around the financial problems at the Nevada County Jail. Grimes said the jail is in the red in two areas, amounting to more than $10,000 in debt.

Glass pointed out the jail receives between $23,000 and $25,000 a month from the quarter-cent sales tax, and the jail is also reimbursed by the state and other counties.

Grimes pointed out the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office is shorthanded, resulting in overtime. Nevada County Clerk Julie Oliver said overtime is cheaper than hiring a new employee, as a new hire would require all the withholding and matching amounts from their checks, along with insurance.

JP Herbert Coleman said the NCSO needs to hire more people, adding he knows someone who’s qualified and has applied in the past.

JP Chris Fore reminded the court it was to look into the jail budget after six months and the six months is about up. JP Bob Cummings agreed saying the budget committee needs to meet and report back at the July meeting.

Coleman told  the court he and Grimes had met with Sheriff Danny Martin, and the NCSO is supposed to provide the court with a financial report every month. “We got it once and we’re in the same situation,” he said. “If we meet with them and make recommendations they don’t follow, then why bother.”

Madison Dillard was approved to work full-time between the assessor and collectors offices through the rest of the year as she’ll be doing student teaching starting in January. Oliver said she was originally hired to work through tax season, but now also works on trash fee collections and stays busy.

Coleman asked how the county could cover the jail shortfall and still hire someone.

Cummings said the jail problem could be bailed out using Covidd-19 money as the county has $66,000 left.

“The jail has to be fixed,” Coleman said. “It’s only going to get worse.”

The budget committee will meet with Martin to address this situation, Tuesday, June 21, at 10 a.m. in the Judge’s office and report to the court at its July meeting.

An update was given on the Nubbin Hill Bridge project. Glass said construction is going as planned, though there was a mishap Monday.

Cummings said the contractor cut the fiber optic line while digging and it would be Wednesday before repairs are completed. He added the road has been built up higher and wider, with plans to remove the bridge next week.

County Agent Stacy Stone said Farm Family judging has been done with the Chance Cummings family and  they should know how they did soon. He added several members of the 4-H Clubs attended the 4-H O’rama in Malvern recently, doing well.

Ben Hale told the court there’s no problem with the Falcon Cemetery Association taking ownership of the Falcon Cemetery. He said he’d examined statutes declaring it a county property, but there’s no deed on file. The county, he continued, will have to pass an ordinance, but it’s straightforward. The association wants to fence it and say it’s their property and there are laws stating if a person uses property as their own for a specified period of time, it’s considered theirs. Hale said he doesn’t expect anyone to contest this claim as the association only wants to fence the cemetery in and take care of it. An ordinance will be presented to the court at its July meeting.

He thanked the court and county officials for their support in the recent primary election, adding his wife, Lizzy, gave birth to a girl, Evelyn, 9 lb., 9 oz. and both are doing all right.