Confusing ordinance tabled

PRESCOTT – An ordinance giving the county judge authority to give county employees time off during emergencies was tabled at the September meeting of the Nevada County Quorum Court Tuesday evening.

The reason the ordinance was tabled was due to confusing wording. One section stated the employees wouldn’t be paid while another stated they would. In addition, the term holiday was used instead of emergency. The overall idea, though, was to make sure employees sent home during severe weather or told to remain home in emergency situations get paid as it’s not their fault for missing work.

The ordinance, as it was written, also didn’t state which employees can be given time off in such circumstances. It was pointed out the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office must remain open regardless, and the road and bridge crew has to be available to clear roads.

In other business, the court voted to replace Eric Jackson as the county’s representative on the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Board of Directors with Pat Grimes.

Judge Mike Otwell suggested the court think about making those doing construction on and around county roads to get a permit. He said while working out in the county he found a gas line running through a culvert, and not buried.

Jamie Hillery, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Chamber of Commerce, reminded everyone this is fair week. She said the fair and homecoming parades were combined and a lot of people showed up, with several organizations and churches involved.

Mary Godwin, EDO director, gave everyone an schedule for the fair events. She said the new sales tax will go into effect Jan. 1, 2024, after being approved by voters on Aug. 8 in a special election.

She pointed out the broadband committee has been meeting and Danny Steward developed a website for it. The site, she said, includes providers in the county and a bit about the services offered. Godwin urged the court to visit the site and look at the state’s broadband map to make sure their districts are properly marked and covered. Areas without broadband need to be brought to Godwin’s attention to be corrected. She added the goal is to make sure everyone in the county has access to broadband internet. The map shows where fiber optic internet is in the county.

Love’s 2, she continued, plans to have a ribbon cutting for the new location on Sept. 21, though no time has been set yet. She informed the court eight people in the county were affected by the closing of the Husqvarna plant in Nashville, with Hempstead and Howard counties being the ones most affected by the closing.

Flint O’Neal, director of the Arkansas Economic Development Corporation (AEDC), and Godwin met with officials at Holcim about the recent layoffs. They were told some people are bring brought back already. The regional economic development group is working on an event for eighth graders that will be at Hempstead Hall. The event will be to get them to start thinking about what they want to do after high school. It will focus primarily on manufacturing jobs. No date has been set for this event yet, though it should occur this fall.