Claiborne County supervisors approve 90-day probation for staff, review road priorities and tally library renovation bids

Claiborne County supervisors on a regular meeting day approved a 90‑day probationary period for county employees, reviewed a draft county road and bridge plan and discussed buying a larger excavator, received bid amounts for the Harriet Carson Memorial Library renovation and approved several small payments and grant‑administration changes.

The board’s action to place county employees on a 90‑day probationary status came after multiple supervisors identified missed follow‑through on motions previously made by the board, including unpaid claims and delayed projects. The board voted to implement the county‑wide probationary period as a corrective step; debate centered on whether targeted corrective action or broader probation was the appropriate remedy.

The probation motion drew extended discussion from supervisors who said some departments had unaddressed tasks and that individual supervisors had raised repeated concerns about execution. County Attorney Stingley advised the board on legal limits and that employees are “at will” and may be terminated, but cautioned about personnel policies and supervisory lines of authority. Following discussion the motion to place county staff on a 90‑day probationary schedule carried.

Supervisors also spent significant time on roads and bridges after county road manager remarks and a draft road plan. County staff reported completion of an MDOT reimbursement project on Passenger Road and asked the board to approve a final reimbursement request of $131,006.58 for that project. The board received a longer draft county road plan that lists several bridges and local road segments proposed for state‑aid funding; supervisors and staff highlighted Woodbine Road Bridge and Hankerson Road Bridge as needing near‑term attention because of structural problems and rising repair estimates.

Board members debated equipment needs for county road work and suggested purchasing (rather than repeatedly renting) a larger excavator that could handle bridge and headwall repairs. Supervisors asked staff to produce detailed procurement specifications and cost estimates for a transportable excavator so the county can follow procurement rules and advertise properly.

On capital projects, procurement staff read six bids submitted for the Harriet Carson Memorial Library renovation. The board recorded bid amounts on the public record (bidders and bid totals listed below) and voted to accept and tally the bids; staff said a formal recommendation and verification of surety documents would follow before any contract award.

On grants and county administration, the board voted to centralize VOCA (Victim of Crime Act) grant correspondence through the county administrator’s office so the county administrator will receive state emails and coordinate responses; supervisors said the change is intended to streamline grant compliance and reimbursements. County administration also detailed ongoing work to update grant tracking, audit backlogs and an inventory of surplus vehicles.

During public comment, a resident identified as John Page urged the board to address emergency medical service coverage after an injured person at a recent art festival experienced a delayed ambulance response; he asked the board to consider additional ambulance capacity for large events and for law‑enforcement and event planning to limit hazards such as horses and four‑wheelers in heavy crowds.

Votes at a glance: the board recorded and carried motions on multiple operational items, listed below. Several motions included named movers and seconders; where not explicitly named in the meeting record, the minutes show the motions were made and passed.

Quotes: “We just can’t sit there and twiddle our phone and wait on it to happen to us,” resident John Page said during public comment describing a slow ambulance response to a head injury at a recent festival. County Administrator Dr. Reed told the board the administration is compiling budgets, updated grant tracking and building assessments to support the board’s decisions.

The board ended the meeting with direction to staff to return with precise procurement specifications for the excavator; a recommendation on which library bidder should receive a contract award after staff review of bid documents and surety; and a plan to operationalize the probation process, including personnel‑policy steps and reporting requirements so supervisors can track whether the corrective measures lead to faster execution of prior motions. The board scheduled follow‑up items for its next meeting.