Bath County Employees Will Have To Wait A Little Longer For Bonuses

Warm Springs, VA – Bath County employees will have to wait a while longer for bonuses. At the Bath Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday night the board voted to wait until budget time to make a decision on bonuses or raises. Supervisor Carol Hardbarger said all board members are committed to the process and they all agree they want to do something. But she said the board realizes there are larger issues to deal with beyond just coming up with a figure for a bonus.

She said some employees pay retirement and some don’t and some are paid by the state and some aren’t. Hardbarger said the board has to address everything so that they’re fair to everyone. Supervisor Percy Nowlin said the board will consider all compensation and make a considerable effort to equalize compensation. He said they will consider all the compensation employees receive, such as health insurance and the Virginia Retirement System.

County Attorney Mike Collins reported on the Attorney General’s opinion regarding Bath County’s meals tax. A referendum was passed to impose the meals tax at 4%, but the board of supervisors set the amount at 1% when it passed the ordinance. Some people challenged the amount set by the board, feeling the tax should have been set at 4%.

County Attorney Mike Collins solicited an opinion from the attorney general back in May and a response was received in late December. The Attorney General supported the 1% meals tax, saying with authorization from voters for a 4% tax, the board can change the amount based on the needs of the county.

Director of Parks and Recreation Mark Nelson discussed the newly created policy manual for parks and rec. The board encouraged Nelson to distribute the manual in order to get feedback. Supervisor Stuart Hall had a question about one policy. He asked if children who had been kicked out of school were permitted to participate in parks and rec sports.

Nelson said the department has a policy prohibiting children from participating in sports who didn’t attend school that day or who had been kicked out of school. He said the department tries to enforce it, but the schools can’t release information on those students so parks and rec usually hears about it through word of mouth. Nelson is planning public meetings to discuss the policy manual and to talk with parents about what they want in the sports programs. The board will review the policy manual and take action on it at next month’s meeting.

The board voted to close the Bath courthouse on Friday January 14 and Monday January 17 in observance of Lee Jackson and Martin Luther King Jr days.

Also on Tuesday night, Supervisor Stuart Hall was appointed as Bath’s director of emergency services. Andy Seabolt and Mark Nelson were appointed as co coordinators for emergency services and Seabolt was also appointed as Hazmat Coordinator. Supervisor Richard Byrd was appointed to the regional library board.

For 2011 Supervisor Richard Byrd will serve as chairman of the Bath Board of Supervisors and Supervisor Jon Trees will serve as vice chair.