Votes canvassed in special session

By Melinda L. Lucas

A quorum of the seven-member Shackelford County Hospital District’s board of directors met in a special session on Wednesday evening, May 5 to canvass votes from the May 1 election within the allotted time period, but also acted on one other item on the agenda.

The vote tallies posted on Election Day were upheld by the board, retaining incumbents Mike Folsom, Jo Ann Estridge, and Leslie Belcher.

By law, the canvass had to be completed by May 12, which would have fallen prior to the next regular board meeting on May 17.

Job Description

The directors utilized the time to finalize details in a job description for the SCHD administrator’s position, which they have been working on for several months.

Board president Jo Ann Estridge stated that the job description is intended for current and all future administrators. Jera Fairley, who was hired several years ago as SCHD administrator, has never had a formal job description or contract, she said.

Along with a list of responsibilities for that employee, the document identifies specific work hours, and frames vacation and sick leave policies.

The original work hours were 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, but the board amended the Friday leave time to 3:00 p.m. before adopting the job description on a motion by Myra Hise, seconded by Mike Folsom. 

Included in the motion was wording that the document be emailed to Fairley in the form of a contract, and that it should be signed and returned by May 13.

Also adopted was a recommendation that will serve as an incentive for employees to give two-weeks notice before leaving the district.