Watson will lead board of supervisors this coming year

District 5 Supervisor Steve Watson will preside over the Union County Board of Supervisors for the coming year. District 2 Supervisor Chad Coffey will be vice-president.

The change came Monday at the board’s first meeting of the year.

The board traditionally elected a president for the full four-year term for many years but when this board was elected they decided to make a change.

They agreed to elect a new board president each year, thereby rotating the office among the entire board eventually. The idea was that too much authority would not be invested in any one supervisor and this would provide a diversified background and opportunity for all the supervisors.

District 4 Supervisor Randy Owen has served as board president the past year.

In another brief, low-key meeting, the board members authorized transferring funds from the general fund to the Martintown North Utilities Fund to pay Eubanks Construction Company and to transfer other funds in anticipation of a TVA grant. The grant will pay for signage at the industrial park. The first payment will be reimbursed by the Delta Regional Authority for utilities in the new industrial park.

Supervisors again met in the circuit courtroom in a continuing effort to maintain social distancing because of the coronavirus pandemic.

They approved the consent agenda as a whole in routine business. That includes December budget matters, the jail meal log, the claims docket, board minutes, road department work schedule, solid waster schedule and medical examiner-investigator fees.

In personnel, supervisors approved changing Kim Benson from part-time to full-time jailer and James Michael Martin hired as part-time jailer for the sheriff’s department.

In more general business, the board approved a yearly contract with ChemPro for roadside spraying as neded and held a public hearing to close County Road 272.

The road closing had been agreed on earlier because there are only two property owners on the dead-end road and both are in favor of closure. The delay in finalizing the closing was to give the property owners time to erect a fence and gate to prevent trespassers from entering and causing damage with ATVs.

The next scheduled meeting of the board of supervisors will be Tuesday, Jan. 19, at 10 a.m.