Commission approves Lanier as Council on Aging director

The Hill County Commission approved a new director of the Hill County Council on Aging at its weekly business meeting Thursday.

After a few months with an interim director the council will now have a permanent director in Bill Lanier.

The commission also approved new streamlined procedures for posting job openings as well as a grant extension for a project to improve the Beaver Creek Dam Spillway.

Hill County Commissioner Diane McLean also provided a brief update on the Bear Paw Run, which has been changed to not include any county land, and thus no longer requires the approval of the commission.

The commission also approved a one-day closure of Hill County Health Department on Friday, Nov. 25, which the department has done for years.

Hill County Public Health Director Kim Berg said they typically close on that day because practically everyone takes a vacation day.

Berg said if a public health emergency were to occur they have a phone tree to alert everyone, but so far they’ve never had to use it.

During the meeting Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson brought up a number of issues not on the agenda during the public comments section of the meeting.

The first was a request to have Hill County Treasurer Sandy Brown supply the commission with a quarterly report on all the county’s investments including money spent and return on investment.

Brown said this morning that she used to do just that, provide quarterly reports to the commission, but at some point she was told to stop turning them over to the commissioners, although she could not recollect the date or specifics of the conversation.

“So I guess they want them again,” she said. “I don’t have a problem sending them over.”

Peterson also said he wanted to have a meeting with Brown regarding an issue he had with how the county handles credit card fees and asked when she would do that.

Brown said her office door is always open and they can come talk to her about that whenever they like.

Peterson also said he wanted to have a discussion about how the county’s credit cards would have their bills paid.

Berg said they were already being paid through the normal claims process, that claims from those cards are on the commissioners’ desk awaiting their approval at that moment.