I ask that you share this, and please be respectful in your comments and responses. Children are seldom considered, but they read a lot.
This concerns a group of imperfect commissioners, specifically the late Steve Joiner (may he rest in peace), Tray Hawkins, Todd Abbott and Alan Bush.
If you read the trash, you hear bad things. I, however, tend to believe facts rather than conjecture, and here is what is factual:
1. County debt has been annihilated in this county while they have been in office. Had it not been for Hurricane Michael, the county would be debt free today. They found debt that was swept under the rug for years.
2. They have reduced the property taxes almost every single year. They are conservatives in action, not by lip service (rising property values camouflage this but the commission has done their duty in lowering the rate, while the school board has raised rates.)
3. They have modernized equipment, and the Road and Bridge Department is in solid shape as a department, with modern inventory. This is largely due in part to Steve Joiner understanding the business end of this, and we benefit from 3 out of these 4 men being self-employed and understanding efficiency.
4. The County departments are properly funded with an astounding 50-60% going to The Washington County Sheriff’s Office, which includes the EMS staff.
5. They have worked with a neighboring county to provide infrastructure on Hwy 79 that will bring commerce and long-term growth potential to that area, previously erased by the State, not the county.
You may not read this far and that is your right. If you are still reading this, Todd Abbott personally scrutinizes every check that comes thru for signing. He considers this his duty and he is a good steward of our money. Many checks are questioned and rejected- Todd does not use a rubber stamp.
The board we have today could always be better.
Roads should be done quicker but remember this- the BOCC awards contracts, they are not on the equipment.
They are not micromanagers- the job of any BOCC in any county is to set policy and make good fiscal decisions. The rest falls on the Administrator and the Department heads.
Do the commissioners get involved when it goes wrong? As best they can.
Hwy 77 & Hwy 79 are state projects, not county. The dirt roads being killed by the City of Chipley spray fields are in the hands of contractors, not the commissioners. They can penalize and file suit on the contractor but at the end of the day they have very little control over private companies.
It’s absurd the way people lie and say horrible things on the internet about others, but when they are confronted face to face, they run and hide.
The fault of our commissioners is that they are human and just because they don’t do it the ways we think it should be done does not make them wrong- it makes them individuals with their own reasoning.
I might add that if you had the total information our/your decisions might look more like theirs.
None of these men are foolish and I can tell you that, by the fact they have helped us, helped the county, and helped the surrounding counties.
Kind regards.
As I write this and post it, I remember an article I once read, “The consequences of unsolicited letters”.
Mark Odom