Fiscal Court Meeting Explained

Controversy surrounds the Fiscal Court meeting scheduled for Tuesday, November 6th at 9:30 a.m. due to the fact that all three commissioners were absent. The public hearing was scheduled at the October 2nd Fiscal Court meeting.

Commissioner Bob Gold was able to call in from Utah where he is currently visiting his family. He was able to participate via speakerphone with the parts of the meeting that did take place.

During the Fiscal Court meeting Judge Executive Kevin Neal stated “Commissioner Bowlin stated late yesterday afternoon that he was not going to attend today. I was very disappointed in that. Commissioner Cocke, I have not been advised why he’s not here. As far as Commissioner Bowlin, he stated that he was campaigning and got behind on work and had to put in a hot water heater today. We’ve got a lot of items on the agenda. I think professionally this is the most embarrassing fiscal court meeting I have attended.”

According to Commissioner Johnny Bowlin, Neal was asked to reschedule the meeting. “He was notified at 8:05 yesterday morning that we weren’t going to be available. He made it sound like we just didn’t give him a notice that we weren’t going to be there, that we just didn’t show up.” Bowlin said. He also added that he had concern about Treasurer Emily Martin not being there that day, “It’s hard to do the budget appropriation transfers unless she is there to explain what they are.”

The assistant treasurer, Brenda Edwards, was in attendance at the meeting to perform the duties of the treasurer as Treasurer Martin was working the election polls.

Commissioner Rick Cocke put out a statement saying “Commissioner Bowlin and I went to the Judge’s office Monday morning at 8:05 to let him know that since Commissioner Gold and Treasurer Martin were not going to attend, that we thought it best to reschedule so that all could attend. We reschedule at the Judges request when he wants to go on vacation or has a conflict so this is not uncommon.”

Deputy Judge Executive Brad Warning says that because of the absence of the commissioners today, all of the checks that had already been printed and are now due to pay utilities, contractors, employee reimbursements, etc will all have to be voided, postponed and redone after the next fiscal court meeting so they can be approved.

Warning disputes the statements issued by the commissioners. “When I came in, Karen said that Rick and Johnny showed up and Rick said Johnny can’t be here and Bob’s out of town so we need to reschedule. That was communicated to Karen who then communicated that to us.” Karen, he explained, is an employee of the treasurer’s office who has been temporarily relocated to the Judge Executive’s office due to renovations in the building.

Neal says that he attempted to both call and text message Commissioner Rick Cocke on Monday but received no response.

“Any time there is a regularly scheduled meeting on the first or third Tuesday, that’s when we meet, when we change those it’s in Fiscal Court so we give the public notice and it’s coordinated for everybody” Neal added.

Warning says that he sent Cocke a message from the meeting asking if he was coming to court, he says that Jeff Edwards attempted to contact Cocke as well.

“I’ve never been in this situation in my entire 30 years of practicing law” County Attorney Jeff Edwards said in court regarding the whole situation and how deciding how to proceed with the meeting.

“To throw this back on to me is a testament to what I have been putting up with for the last three years. I hope people see that because it is so unprofessional.” said Judge Executive Kevin Neal.