Sole Commissioner Robert Jones signed a resolution this month to make services accessible to limited English proficient persons. The move is a response to legal requirements for any institution receiving federal funding, County Clerk Deborah Watson explained during the October 25th commissioner’s meeting. The requirements are primarily dictated by Title VI mandates for all recipients of federal funding from the Department of Justice. As stated in section one of the resolution, Title VI prohibits discrimination in service provision based on race, color, disability, sex, national origin, age, and/or religion. As such, the county is required to provide access to interpretation services and translated editions of forms and documents in the country offices. The resolution states the county will provide access to interpretation services and translated versions of forms and documents, which includes services for the hearing impaired. According to Pickens County Financial Officer Faye Harvey, though, the implementation of these services should not increase the general fund budget.

During the October commissioner’s meeting, Jones also announced the creation of a new Associate Judge of Probate Court position. The new position, he said, is an effort at consolidation.

“The intent of…(creating the new position is),” he said, “to take the magistrate as well as the probate judge (positions)…and combine them together.”

He went on to explain that the new position will prevent the magistrate judge from hiring an additional staff member, which, he said, will save the county taxpayers money.

The move appears to be a continuing effort to save taxpayers money by the commissioner in the wake of the announcement of the millage increase in August. Due to the Young Life of Texas Lawsuit settlement ($400,000), the increase was 6.9 to collect the $400,000 by a due date of January15, 2013. During the August 23rd public hearing, though, former Financial Officer Mechelle Champion explained that the 6.9 millage rate would raise a necessary $656,694, which goes beyond the settlement amount. Jones confirmed that the additional amount was needed due to an over-estimation of the budget. During the second hearing, a petition was signed for departments to cut their budgets so the taxpayers would not have to pay an excessive millage. Following the backlash, Jones reduced the rate to 6.65, while asking the departments to make deeper cuts. Jones’ request resulted in a September townhall, when department heads reported their cuts to the public. The new associate judge position appears to conform to these efforts.

Reading the resolution, Jones said the associate judge will be paid in a manner consistent with the probate court judge serving as a magistrate.

“The associate judge,”

he continued,

“should also be entitled to an amount one half of the supplement that the probate judge is under.”

The commissioner also announced that he signed on behalf of the county an intergovernmental and interagency agreement with Gilmer and Fannin Counties authorizing the joint submission if an application for funding under the 2012-2013 drug control and system improvement formula Grant Program.