By Stephen Smoot
Last week, during their regular meeting, the Harrison County Commission honored staff who have served for 30 years or more. In his opening prayer, Commissioner Patsy Trescot shared “what a blessing it has been to have them.”
The commission went through the first section of the agenda quickly, causing Trescot to note “best meeting ever!” Among those items, the county set trick or treat for Oct 31 between 6 and 7:30 PM.
Next came the employee recognition ceremony. Staff present to be honored lined up on either side of the room. As they heard their names, they came forward to receive a plaque. Laura Pysz, county administrator, stated that “I think it is amazing that we have so many people who have served the Harrison County Commission and Harrison County for over 30 years.”
Susan Thomas, Harrison County Commissioner and former county clerk, shared that “I worked with every one of these.”
Singled out for having the longest tenure was Jaqueline McGinnis, who had given 47 years. She started working for the county at the age of 19, working with the prosecutor’s office, serving judges and law enforcement.
“The days are long, but the years are short, and you have persevered.” Trescot noted. He then added, “Everyone says a job at the courthouse is easy until they do it. Thank you all.”
The commission then addressed the request of Geoffrey and Laura Francis to close an unnamed alley in the Terra Alta development. They based their request on the fact that their property bordered the road on every side. Commissioners accepted the request and ordered its closure.
Next, Phil Riley of Bearing Advisors proposed that the commission restore a supplemental health and life insurance plan for county employees. The program had involved a great deal of additional work for county staff. Courtney Flesher, from the county payroll department, explained that problems existed with the deduction system used by the group. “I as a payroll clerk am not comfortable with not being able to explain” the deduction process.
Commissioner David Hinkle spoke positively about the plan, especially the pre tax payments for life insurance. Thomas added that “It’s not a bad program. We just have to make it work.”
