The new Long County Board of Commission on Wednesday held its first meeting.
In the first order of business, the group elected District 2 Commissioner Robert Long as its chairman and District 4 Commissioner Kent Hall as its vice chairman. The panel re-hired current County Attorney Jay Swindell and passed its first legal document in the county-banking resolution.
Long said the resolution would establish a changing of banking accounts so that the new commission could continue the normal operating procedures in regard to finances. He explained that each check issued by the county would require two signatures — the county clerk’s and his, or the vice chairman’s in Long’s absence.
Long said that the commissioners are considering having two meetings every month, but that for now only one would be scheduled. However, he said that the meetings would be at a later time, and that their location would be changed. Long said that the time was being pushed back to give citizens time to attend the meeting. He also said that because the commissioners’ room did not have enough space, future meetings would be in the courtroom.
Long said that people wanting to go before the commissioners should call the courthouse to be placed on the agenda. The deadline for the tentative agenda is the Tuesday before the regularly scheduled meeting. Agendas will be posted on the window in the commissioners’ office the Friday before a scheduled meeting. A notice of the scheduled meeting will run in the county’s legal organ, the Coastal Courier, prior to every meeting.
After the formal work was conducted, Long gave those present an idea of the direction that the county will be going in during the next four years. He said that Long County is beginning a new era as a community, and that the people who were elected with him are good people who want to do a good job.
“If you have a problem, call Mary Ann (Odum) at the commissioners’ office, and she will get with me and I will point you in the right direction to get with the commissioner for your district,” he said. “We’re going to do all we can to move Long County forward, but we can’t do it alone. It’s going to take teamwork, and we need your input. We have a great opportunity, and we don’t want to let it slip by ... and I want everyone to know as long as I’m the chairman, I will always put God first.”
After Long was finished, District 5 Commissioner Dwight Gordon said that he also is open to any dialogue from the community.
Also attending the meeting were District 1 Commissioner Gerald Blocker and District 3 Commissioner Willie Thompson.
The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. June 4 in the courthouse courtroom.