The Greenwood County Commission met on Monday, June 16, for a routine business meeting.
Greenwood County resident Frank McCollum addressed the commission regarding extending the dates of fireworks sales in Greenwood County. He noted legislation had extended the dates for temporary retailers from June 27-July 5 to June 20-July 7. McCollum noted that other counties in the area have extended their sales dates to match and wanted Greenwood County to do the same. County Counselor Paul Dean noted the county would follow those dates, but additional motions weren’t necessary.
Road and Bridge Supervisor Allen Greenwood presented the commission with a weekly report, as well as a pay scale for employees. Greenwood expressed appreciation to the county for their patience as crews have been repairing roads following the recent flooding. He also noted the forecasted weather for Tuesday of this week.
Greenwood County Attorney Jill Gillett addressed the commission regarding closing the attorney’s office on Friday for staff members to attend a funeral. Gillett would like her two full-time employees to be paid for bereavement for the day. The county policy notes that bereavement is paid for family members. In this instance, the staff would be attending the funeral of a former co-worker, for whom one has served as her power of attorney. The commission noted that this would need to be handled as a case-by-case basis, and told Gillett, for this instance, to use her discretion. Gillett also provided a breakdown of cases filed over the years from 1985-2024.
Greenwood County resident Tammy Talkington asked the commission if a payment plan could be put in place regarding past due property taxes. Talkington explained she had sold property (an older pontoon boat and some outbuildings) in 2023 and early 2024 and failed to share that with the county appraiser. Talkington wasn’t disputing the fees, but rather wanted to see if a payment plan could be utilized, as a hold had been put on her acquiring tags and taxes. The commission was going to look into the options and communicate those back with her.
The commission held a 15-minute executive session with Greenwood and County Counselor Dean for legal matters. No action was taken.
Following a five-minute executive session with Dean and County Clerk Deann McCaffree for personnel: personnel policy, the commission approved a 90-day evaluation moving McKenzi Butler to Deputy Clerk and increasing her hourly rate by $2, to $17/ hour.
Levi Vinson, with Greenwood County Emergency Management, shared updated figures regarding the threshold limits that must be met to qualify for federal funds. Vinson noted that the county threshold increased approximately $3-4,000 and is now at $28,395. The state minimum is now at $5.5 million.
Following adjournment, the commission heard budget proposals from County Court, Greenwood County Conservation District, Clerk and Election, Register of Deeds, Historical Society, Road & Bridge, Landfill, Recycle, Treasurer, CASA and Household Hazardous Waste (HHW). Dawn Rouse, Court Administrator, noted that she would like the commission’s approval to raise the jury reimbursement from $10 to $15/day. Commission discussed raising it more as Butler County is currently at $20 and Elk County is at $30; however, Rouse noted they would first like to do the $5 increase to insure they can indeed absorb the increase without requesting additional funds.
A CMB license for Eureka Lakeside Treasures, a new business set to open soon at the former Eureka Lake Bait Shop, was approved.
Scott Day, with Day Insurance, shared health insurance projections for the 2026 budget, during a work session after the meeting.
The commission approved the June 9 meeting minutes and special payables, totaling $112,751.10; as presented.
Commissioner Roy Ballard was absent from the meeting.
The next meeting for the Greenwood County Commission is Monday, June 23, at 9 a.m.
