Noting he earlier voted to prohibit non-road department Lowndes county employees from taking county vehicles home at night based on “erroneous information,” District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks Friday motioned five employees be allowed to take their vehicles home, if they chose to do so.
But the motion failed with Board President and District 1 Supervisor Harry Sanders, District 2 Supervisor Bill Brigham and District 3 Supervisor John Holliman voting in opposition; Brooks and District 4 Supervisor Jeff Smith voted in favor of Brooks’ motion.
Previously, E911 Director Sheri Fancher, Lowndes Emergency Management Agency Director Cindy Lawrence, Fire Coordinator Sammy Fondren, Juvenile Detention Center Administrator Anthony Nelson and Youth Court Bailiff Joe Richardson took their county vehicles home at night, presumably because the vehicles were needed should they have been required to respond to emergency situations.
But on April 13, the supervisors voted to prohibit the employees from taking their county vehicles home after County Administrator Ralph Billingsley suggested administrators be limited in using county vehicles, citing Internal Revenue Service regulations governing the use of such vehicles.
In the previous vote, Brooks noted the board of supervisors lacks authority to give tax exemptions and voted for Sanders’ motion to prohibit after-hours use of county vehicles by those administrators.
“I voted based on erroneous information,” he said Friday. “Jeff (Smith, who previously voted to table the matter pending further investigation) probably had it right to delay it. I voted because I thought we were following IRS regulations.
“I don’t feel good about casting a vote on erroneous information,” Brooks continued, noting he mistakenly believed the issue solely was about the IRS, but it actually was just as much about the county paying fuel costs for the administrators taking home the vehicles.
“I’ve never known Sammy (Fondren) to respond to any fires,” Holliman said, upholding the earlier vote to prohibit personal use of county vehicles. “The firemen say he doesn’t respond to any fires, what so ever. Therefore, I don’t see it would be a need.”
“This doesn’t have anything to do with the IRS,” said Sanders. “We (ordered) five department heads, who are in administrative positions, to park their cars. They do not go out on any emergencies.”
Sanders noted Lawrence and Fondren report to the site “after the fact” of any emergencies, Nelson’s office is in the Juvenile Detention Center and Fancher’s office is in the E911 offices.
“These five positions are not emergency responders,” he said. “The road department (employees) respond outside of their office.
“There’s a tremendous difference,” Sanders continued. “Those five vehicles were asked to be parked, because it’s necessary for the county to pay gas bills for those who drive home and drive their cars back to work.”
“It’s not just gas, it’s the wear and tear of the vehicles (for which we pay),” Brigham said. “I still feel the same way (as when I voted to prohibit the after-hours use of county vehicles.)”
“We need to talk about this more,” Smith said. “I’m not for making decisions, without the facts and discussion. I don’t feel comfortable with 911 or five vehicles parked at the courthouse when, at any moment, a situation may occur when they may need those vehicles. It becomes an issue of safety.”
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