CELINA-Commissioners came up one vote shy in appointing a school board member for the fifth district at their July meeting, and then voted to carry over the appointment until August. 

Jerry Eads and Nathan Sherrell are the two candidates seeking the appointment, and Eads came within one vote of getting the nod. Voting for Sherrell were commissioners Scott, Lee, Cherry and Gray. Voting for Eads were Coons, Forney, Young, Young and Langford.  Commissioner Boles was absent. The appointment will take a majority (6 votes) of the full commission, and commissioners then voted to carry over the matter to the August meeting. 

In other action at the meeting, commissioners:

• voted to have county mayor Dale Reagan submit an application to the USDA Rural Development to request a $546,350 grant to construct a new county health department,

• voted to issue capital outlay notes not to exceed $62,879 for the purchase of an ambulance and for the construction of water lines on Clifton Rich Road,

• voted to increase the instructor rate for the general sessions court driver education courses to $200 per month/per course,

• appointed by unanimous voice vote Jerry (Dino) York as constable in the 2nd district to serve out the rest of the four-year term. Douglas Billingsly was the other candidate for the job,

• congratulated T.J. Cody on his appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, 

• approved a budget amendment of $63,987, transferred from “community development” to “other construction,”

• failed to pass a resolution abolishing the office of constable in Clay County.  State law allows the county legislative body to abolish the office with a two-thirds vote, effective at the end of current terms. Voting for the resolution were Scott, Lee, Cherry, Forney and B. Young. Voting against it were Coons, W. Young, Gray and Langford, and

• appointed James D. White, Jr., Angela Collins, Donna R. Watson, Connie Gravins and Donna Brown Hamilton as public notaries.