Jasper County commissioners opened the meeting with New Year remarks, approved the evenings agenda and the minutes from the Nov. 13, 2025 meeting, heard a directors report on upcoming elections and voter-registration procedures, and set the budget as the primary item for their next meeting.

The meeting began with the chair offering New Year wishes and urging cooperation "for the citizen of Jasper County," then asking Deputy Director Abra Duncan to present a report on Freedom of Information Act compliance before the invocation. Chaplain Hilda Stevenson Stewart gave the invocation.

A motion to approve the agenda was made and seconded; Vice Chair Cheryl Dobson explicitly identified herself when seconding. The chair announced the motion as moved by "Doctor Parkers" and seconded by Vice Chair Dobson; the ayes were called and the agenda was adopted. A separate motion to approve the board minutes for Nov. 13, 2025, was made and seconded by Hilda Stevenson Stewart and carried without recorded opposition.

Under the directors report, staff reviewed training and conference logistics and the local election schedule. Staff described class hours (reported in the packet as 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and stated the local election would be held on June 9, with a runoff, if needed, on June 23. The director also discussed voter-roll maintenance and reactivation procedures, saying that voters are marked inactive after eight years of nonparticipation and that people can contact the elections office or appear on election day to be reactivated.

A community member requested outreach in the Hardeeville area; staff agreed to provide voter-registration presentations and assistance there. Staff also discussed certification-class formats, saying some sessions could be virtual while others would be in person. The director opened the report with New Year remarks and logistical notes about conference hotel arrangements.

The chair reported a change relating to recusal language and said the wording was inserted into the boards laws and bylaws; the chair thanked Mr. Rawls and the director for that work. Commissioners scheduled the budget as the topic for the next meeting and noted that evaluations are expected in April.

A motion to adjourn was made and seconded; the chair called for the ayes and adjourned the meeting. The transcript records the movers name in different ways: the chair read the mover as "Doctor Parkers," while the final motion was stated in the record as "So move Keanu Parker," creating ambiguity in the spelling and form of the movers name in the meeting record.

Next steps: the board will take up the budget at the next scheduled meeting. No formal disputes, contested votes, or formal policy adoptions (ordinances, resolutions or contracts) were recorded in the transcript.