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Commissioners reappoint planning-member, appoint new health-board member and adopt workplace-child policy
Summary
The board reappointed Jerry Medell to the planning commission, appointed Kim Emery to the Board of Health, adopted a children-in-the-workplace policy for the employee handbook and approved a sole-source purchase of used golf equipment.
Columbia County commissioners on Dec. 15 made several personnel and administrative decisions affecting county boards and operations.
The board reappointed Jerry Medell to a full term on the planning commission effective Jan. 1. Staff said Medell has served actively as a cochairs and on local steering committees, and no public letters of interest were received prior to reappointment.
During the Board of Health portion of the meeting, the board interviewed candidate Kim Emery, a family-practice physician assistant who described experience in rural medicine and committee work. After the interview, commissioners moved to appoint Emery to the healthcare-provider seat on the Board of Health and the motion carried.
The board voted to adopt a new "children in the workplace" policy and to include it in the 2026 employee handbook. Staff explained they had taken feedback from other counties and refined language to emphasize safety, legal compliance and reasonable accommodation; commissioners said the policy will be circulated with handbook revisions.
Separately, commissioners approved resolution 2025-36 authorizing a sole-source (or limited-competition) purchase of used golf-course equipment (two units valued around $40,000 from a local dealer) to replace older mowers, noting procurement counsel had reviewed the proposal.
