Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Probate judge asks for a replacement election vehicle; commission discusses salary alignment and office relocation
Summary
Probate Judge JC Love briefed the commission on a request to replace an aging election center vehicle and discussed plans to budget the purchase in next fiscal year. Commissioners also discussed a proposal to align the probate judge's salary with circuit judges and the ongoing search for a temporary probate office relocation.
Probate Judge JC Love briefed Montgomery County commissioners on a request to replace a 2006 Dodge minivan used by the county’s election center and outlined planning for the county’s probate office relocation. Commissioners also discussed a proposal to adjust the probate judge’s salary to parity with circuit judges, subject to eligibility rules.
Judge Love said the election center’s older minivan is in need of replacement and that staff currently use a 2020 vehicle and personal cars for travel to conferences and outreach. He asked the commission to consider budgeting for a utility-style vehicle that could carry staff and equipment; both he and county leaders agreed the purchase should be included in next year’s budget hearings and, if approved, would be effective in October.
On compensation, staff noted that a local constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2022 ties probate judge pay to a higher benchmark and that the proposed adjustment would align the probate judge’s salary with circuit judges’ pay practices. Commissioners and the judge discussed the amendment’s eligibility requirement; staff said the increase would only begin after the judge had served six years in office.
Commissioners and staff also discussed the probate office relocation necessitated by planned construction. County leaders said they are narrowing site options and expect to present a plan within about 30 days; they preferred identifying a temporary location so public service is not interrupted while construction occurs. The mayor of Pike Road has formally expressed interest in hosting a county office in that municipality and county staff said they will provide the commission a formal letter for consideration.
Ending: Commissioners asked staff to include the election vehicle request in the next budget cycle, to return a timeline on the probate office relocation and to advance the salary-adjustment proposal through the appropriate channels for final review.
