Commissioners press sheriff on bond, undersheriff, training and case submissions

During a personnel-focused portion of the meeting, commissioners asked Sheriff Conaway about the required bond; Conaway said he was working with Fouts Insurance. Commissioners asked whether an undersheriff had been named; Conaway said he preferred further discussion in executive session and no undersheriff was named at the meeting.

The board asked whether the sheriff's office had completed National Incident Management System (NIMS) training; the minutes state the department had not completed any such training even though Smith County passed a resolution in 2005 to follow incident command. Chairman Gwennap also raised concern that numerous case files had not been completed and submitted to the county attorney; Conaway declined to discuss details with the board and said he would meet with Tabitha Owen (present) to address the cases. Commissioners emphasized the need for background checks in hiring and announced a policy that late timesheets will result in pay being delayed until the next pay period. Several short executive sessions on non-elected personnel and attorney-client privilege were convened; minutes record no action taken during those sessions.