Commissioners meet, discuss budget

Camp County Commissioners met in open session Monday, July 13, to discuss the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Camp County Judge Thomas Cravey said the budget is a fluid document and is changing almost daily. The final budget isn’t expected to be approved until late August.

One of the proposed changes is adding $6,000 in order to fund a part-time justice of the peace. Harold Kennington, Camp County JP is on call 24/7. A part-time JP would allow him to take vacation days, sick days, holidays or simply go out of town. “It would be a great benefit to me and my family,” Mr. Kennington said. “It is pretty demanding.”

Another item discussed was a five percent pay raise for all elected officials. Regular pay raises for hourly employees are not in the budget, but a longevity pay measure was introduced by Judge Cravey.

The proposed longevity bonus would be an amount paid yearly in February based on how many years an employee has been with the county. “I’ve beat this thing to death and it’s the best I could come up with,” he said. “It’s the easiest way to do something good for the people who stay.”

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Story by Tori Lyle, news@campcountynow.com