Resident praises deputies, urges sale of surplus buildings and presses commissioners on roads and water

At a public hearing Aug. 19, the county Board of Commissioners heard from one resident who urged officials to sell surplus county buildings, praised public safety and water crews, and pressed the board on road and bridge repairs and taxpayer value.

Alan Whitmire, a resident of 99 Diamond Head Drive, told the commissioners he supports adding deputies and praised the county sheriff’s office and the 911 center as “efficient, professional,” and he thanked county water crews for responding to recent line breaks. “I’ll support more deputies on their staff,” Whitmire said. “They are hard workers.”

Whitmire also urged the board to sell surplus county properties and stop spending on maintenance he deemed unnecessary. “I don’t think it’s smart to maintain landscaping and whatnot at this courthouse,” he said, and questioned taxpayer benefit from the Squirrel Bluff Campground and certain recreational facilities.

The resident raised infrastructure concerns, saying…