The Braxton County Commission held a special meeting on Wednesday, May 29. The 9:00 a.m. session was called to order by President Lisa Godwin with all commissioners in attendance. A total of nine items were listed on the agenda for possible action.
First item up for discussion was consideration of the county joining the class action law suit against the pharmacy benefits managers (PBM). Webb Law, who is coordinating the action, says the gourp contributed to the opioid epidemic.
If Braxton County wanted to be a participant in the action, they had to let the law firm know on Wednesday, which was one of the reasons for the extraordinary session.
Following a discussion and outline of the case from Prosecuting Attorney Dwayne Vandevender, Larry Clifton made a motion to join class action suit.
Items 2 and 3 on the agenda were tabled due to the absence of OES Director John Hoffman who could not attend due to an out-of-town commitment.
The Braxton County Sheriff’s Department requested the reinstatement of Levi Cochran as a Deputy Sheriff. His rate of pay will be $34,500 per year with full county benefits. The request was tabled at the previous regular meeting to allow for review of the criteria for reinstatement by the Prosecuting Attorney. The request before the Commission on Wednesday was granted. According to the letter from Sheriff Lou DellaMea Cochran began work the previous day.
The Commission reviewed and approved as presented by County Clerk Sue Rutherford, the results of the recently concluded Primary Election. A complete copy of the official totals is available through the County Clerk’s office.
The Commission reviewed and accepted the resignation letter as Melinda Randall from her administrative position in the 9-1-1 Mapping Department. The Commissioners subsequently reviewed a request from Tiffany Prior, EMS Director, to change Randall’s status from part-time EMS Driver to full-time effective June 1. Randall will continue to receive full county benefits and be paid an annual salary of $32,200. That request was also approved.
The Commission reviewed a list of additional equipment needed to bring the new county ladder truck into OSHA compliance. OES Director Hoffman submitted a detailed list of equipment costing $63,068.10. Hoffman’s letter explained that $17,324.19 remained from the FEMA Grant and county match. He further explained that the county fire departments had agreed to allow $20,592.50 pervious allocated to the agencies to go toward the equipment. Hoffman requested that the Commission approve $25,151.35 from the ARP Lost Revenue Fund to complete the funding. That request was approved.
The final item on the agenda was consideration of a new transmission for a Chevrolet Colorado Truck for the Sheriff’s Department at Mid-State Chevy costing $5,548.74. The purchase order was approved as presented.
Being no further action on the agenda that could be considered, the meeting was adjourned at 9:24 a.m. The next regular meeting of the Braxton County Commission will convene at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, June 7.