No mention made by commission about additional cost of election commission defense this month.

CELINA-No mention was made at this month’s county commission meeting about whether or not the county would be liable for paying additional attorney fees for the Clay County Election Commission in defense of lawsuits filed by former election administrator Frances Donaldson, according to the minutes from the December meeting.

Commissioners voted to pay over $10,000 in legal fees in November–which minutes from that meeting said was “required by state law,” but no decision was made about the additional invoices from attorneys at that time and no action was taken on the matter this month either.

The commission did address six resolutions this month, including one they approved to declare four highway department vehicles as “surplus property” in order to be able to trade them for “more efficient” ones, the minutes from the meeting said.  They included a 2008 F150 pickup, a 1998 F800 dump truck, a 2002 Sterling L750 dump truck with snow plow, and a 416D Cat backhoe.

The second resolution approved was a general fund budget amendment in the amount of $4,125 “for the sole purpose of purchasing pews for the new courtroom addition and a haul bill for Harold Hix,” the minutes said.

Commissioners then voted to approve another budget amendment “for the sole purpose of receiving grant money” in the amount of $14,656.10 for the “EDI building and for the library receiving an award from the History Channel,” meeting minutes said.

They then amended the UT Extension/4H department budget by $4,500 before voting to “remove restrictions on property conveyed to Canton Lodge #481 “for the sole purpose of expanding their building and to obtain financing to pay for construction,” minutes said.

In other business, commissioners:

• voted to re-elect Ken Miller, Joann S. Hestand, Judy McLerran, and Cheryl A. Gentry as notaries public;

• heard a library report presented by Judith Cutright reporting there “would be a new Spanish class given beginning January 2011” and that “UCHRA had contacted her about providing a computer class,” both for which she encouraged those interested to contact her at the library; and

• decided to schedule an ambulance committee meeting for December 20 at 6 p.m. at the community center with City of Celina officials present.