By Ray King
Five Jefferson County residents, survivors of loved ones who died as a result of COVID-19 were presented checks by members of the Quorum Court Monday during the regular meeting of the county’s legislatives body.
County Judge Gerald Robinson set aside some of the money the county received from the American Rescue Act to pass out the checks and talked about it at the end of the meeting.
Those receiving the checks and the amount they received were as follows:
Claudia Morris, $25,000; Marcie Johnson, $7.562.39; Yameka Davis, $1,264.55; Dwana Johnson, $8.841.43 and Demetria Walker, $1.661.83.
In other business, ordinances allowing Jefferson County Clerk Shawandra Taggart to fill two positions in her office were approved. During committee meetings last week, Taggart sought permission to hire a deputy clerk to be trained in voter registration since the current deputy clerk in that position is retiring Dec. 31.
She has since had a resignation in her office of the accounts payable clerk who is responsible but not limited to processing payroll claims, paying county bills, balancing the end of the month report with the treasurer’s office, compiling various reports and other duties.
Because of the county hiring freeze, Taggart had to get permission to fill those two positions.
The county’s legislative body also approved a request from District Judge Kim Bridgforth to eliminate one payroll slot and divide part of the money designated for that slot with the remaining seven clerks in her office. That salary slot calls for an annual salary of $27,550. Under Bridgforth’s plan, each clerk would receive an additional $100 a month which would total $8,400 annually. The remaining $19,160 in the slot would be eliminated.
