The Jefferson County Quorum Court voted Monday night to appropriate an additional $480,335 for the county road department in order to help pay for outstanding bills in addition to providing funds to repair of county roads.
All members of the quorum court voted to pass the appropriation with the lone exception being Justice Alfred Carroll.
Carroll spoke with Deltaplex News about his reasons for voting against the appropriation.
Jefferson County Judge Gerald Robinson said he was glad the Quorum Court passed the appropriation despite the dissent from Carroll.
Justice Brenda Bishop Gaddy made a plea to the quorum court to pass the appropriation due to many of the damaged roads being in her area of the county near Altheimer. Robinson said her plea helped to get the appropriation passed and that the appropriation will not only allow roads to be fixed, but will also allow the county to rehire road department employees that have previously been laid off.
Robinson said 10 positions will be made available in January.
Additional appropriations were approved at the meeting. Those appropriations will be used to fund numerous county government offices through the remainder of the year in addition to funding a school lunch program, and allowing the reappointment of three members to the Jefferson County 911 Administrative Board.
