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TOP STORY OF THE DAY - Jail expansion, commissioner’s duties, and more: State of the County
On Tuesday, the Clay County Commissioners presented the State of the County during the monthly Clay County Chamber of Commerce Luncheon, a crucial platform for community updates.
The Clay County Commissioners dedicated themselves to clearing the air and took time to address the crowd. Topics included misconceptions regarding the commissioner's duties, commissioners and county council elections, the new jail expansion, and more.
"There still remains a great deal of confusion; I found out from citizens of the county how commissioners and council members are elected," began Sinders.
As Sinders explains, the three commissioners must live in their district but are voted in by the entire county. There are seven council members. Four are elected from a district and must live in that district, with only residents living in that district able to vote for those individuals.
"This year, we have three at-large positions up for election. Those people can live in any place in the county, and the entire county then will vote on these people," explained Sinders.
Sinders said the county works closely with other governmental agencies to ensure each dollar is spent effectively.
"The Commissioners are very fortunate in Clay County to have a positive working relationship with our county council members, other members in the courthouse, and the city of Brazil. We try to work closely with the mayor and the city of Brazil on projects that will benefit both the county and the city."
He also mentioned common misconceptions regarding the basics of commissioner duties.
"Many people think the commissioners control the spending and develop the budget in the county. That is incorrect. The council is in charge of all monetary issues."
Sinders said that, like other elected officials, commissioners must get approval from the council for money used to operate the highway department, the justice center, and other departments.
"People think all the commissioners do is take care of roads. That is not correct. That is only a small part of our responsibility. We are responsible for the courthouse, the health department, the extension office, and the jail."
The commissioners are known as the county's executives. The position is not full-time, but as Sinders explains, commissioners spend more than part-time serving the county.
"There are very few weeks that we work hours that you would call part-time because doing the job right takes many hours, and we spend much, much more time than what you consider half-time."
He stressed that the commissioners have responsibility only in the unincorporated areas.
"We do not have any control over the incorporated areas such as Carbon, Center Point, Clay City, Harmony, Knightsville, and Brazil. They have their own town or city councils and are responsible for everything that takes place in their town or city, including streets."
If laid out end to end, the 686 miles of roads in Clay County could reach Washington, D.C., and ditches could reach Flordia.
"It takes a long time to do adequate ditching," said Sinders. "We firmly believe that in order to have good roads, you must have good ditches."
The commissioners continue to replace culverts and bridges.
"Bridges are a big problem for us. We have several deficient bridges in the county, and with the price of bridges going up each year, we cannot replace very many."
The Community Crossing Grants and ARPA funds have helped complete numerous projects across the county. Sinders said the county is doing well, even with high inflation.
"I'm happy to report, I think things are going very well in Clay County. We continue to make good progress in several different areas as we stay within our budget. We are not Washington, D.C."
Marty Heffner spoke about the new addition to the Clay County Justice Center.
"We had a feasibility study done. When you look at our book-ins in the jail in 2012, we had 1,143 book-ins; by 2019, that was up to 3,956, so we saw we had a problem."
Construction began in September 2022, and, with good weather and luck, the project was completed on time in March 2024. The total project cost was $27.7 million, with over $2 million for repairs and renovations in the existing justice center.
The sheriff's department was absent from the luncheon, as this week's training is in the new building.
"They've got training every day this week on how to operate the new equipment and those sorts of things," said Heffner.
Heffner expressed that Clay County Sheriff Brison Swearingen, Chief Deputy Eric Oberholtzer, and Jail Commander Brandon Crowley have done a fantastic job.
