Jones County approves four water-department supervisory positions; department reports progress on Graham Road and new water tower

Jones County commissioners on May 20 approved creating four supervisory positions in the county water department and received progress updates on ongoing water projects.

A water department staff member presented the request for two crew leaders, one operations supervisor and one office supervisor, saying the roles will provide leadership in the field, formalize responsibilities that have been handled informally and improve customer-service coordination. The board approved the positions after staff told commissioners the job descriptions had been placed on the county pay scale following review by Dr. Long (salary administrator).

The meeting also included project updates from the water department: Phase 2 of the Graham Road construction was described as about 80–85% complete, with water service lines being installed and meters scheduled for immediate installation in areas already reachable. The county reported Phoenix Fabricators, the contractor for an Oberlin Way water tower, expected to be on site within days.

The water director (staff) credited staff training and cross-training for a rise in industry certifications: the department reported growth from a single licensed employee three and a half years ago to five licensed employees holding 14 different licenses and additional certifications among other staff.

Commissioners approved the new positions and thanked staff for training and recruitment progress. Staff said the office supervisor role will continue to handle finance-side communication and that pay-scale placement had been coordinated with county salary staff.

Ending: staff will proceed with hiring and implementation under the adopted pay scales and continue to report construction milestones to the board.