The Selma Times-Journal

With July 4 being on a Wednesday, it’s hard to schedule vacation time, but the Dallas County Commission has made it easy for its employees.

“I would like to give them Christmas in July,” Commissioner Curtis Williams said at Monday’s meeting. “I would like to see us go on record as letting them have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off so that they can have a full week and they come back Monday morning raring and willing to go to work.”

The commission approved the motion made by Williams saying they’ve had many inquiries from county workers.

Commissioner Roy Moore presided over the meeting in the absence of Chairman Kim Ballard, who was at a conference.

Commissioner Connell Towns was also absent due to illness, according to Moore.

Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Pam Cook gave a report on the “Dallas County CERT Lifesavers,” the Community Emergency Response Team, which completed its training on Saturday, June 16 at Westwood Baptist Church, located on Highway 80 W.

“I want to let you know that we have trained 33 citizens in Dallas County to be part of the Community Emergency Response Team,” Cook said. “We have a class coming up July 14 and July 21. It’s two full Saturdays.”

Cook said anyone interested in the training should contact the EMA office “and fill out an application and we’ll get them trained.”

With the drought covering most of the state, any drop of rain is welcomed.

“We finally got some of that rain you ordered,” Larry Friday, environmental service director, said jokingly to Moore.

Every cloud has a silver lining. According to Friday,

the drought is the cause of the decreasing mosquito population.

“Once that puddle dries up, they (mosquito eggs) dehydrate and die,” he said.

Moore, as many others, is constantly saying he wishes it would rain.

“I don’t want to wish you any bad luck, but I hope they (mosquitoes) hatch,” Moore said. “We need to fill up some mudholes here now.”

Moore and Commissioner Clifford Hunter complimented County Engineer George E. Jones Jr. on the work he and his department have been doing.

“You’re making the commission look really good,” Hunter said. “We’re really proud.”

In other business:

Personnel action in the commission office was tabled until the next meeting.

Commission approved action for Ballard to enter into a contract to use Shelby County Regional Juvenile Detention Facility should the county need its services.

Engineer contracts for a traffic study and access road design for the Dixie Pellet facility were deferred until the next meeting.

A proposal to enter into a contract with B&H Bridge Inspection was approved.

The invoice for $2,506.38 in overages for work done by Volkert CE&I was approved.