A white ribbon adorned longtime Carroll County Commissioner Larry Spencer’s seat on Monday, November 10, during the Commission’s relatively quick meeting.
Spencer passed away on Wednesday, November 5, which was also his 87th birthday.
County Mayor Joseph Butler made a few remarks about Spencer, as well as former longtime Commissioner John Mann, who had also passed away, recently.
“There’s a million good things we can say about those two guys,” Butler said. “Between the two of them, they had more than 100 years of experience on the County Commission.”
“Just good, faithful, God-based servants,” he added. “They loved Carroll County. They loved the County Commission. We just wanted to acknowledge, thank their families and other for their service.”
“Carroll County is better off because of the service of those two guys,” Butler concluded.
Business
The Commission moved quickly through their agenda.
They acknowledged receiving the required debt-obligation report for the Carroll County Electric Department, which just finalized nearly $10 million in bonds for the construction of the Leach substation.
Commissioners then approved a resolution to submit an application for the Historic Development Grant Program, which includes a $25,000 local match already set aside in the county’s capital improvement budget. The project seeks funding for courthouse steps, railings, and ADA-compliant access improvements.
Two additional resolutions passed without opposition, each adding a $12.50 court cost on state misdemeanors and felonies.
One fee is for the District Attorney’s Office and the other is for the Public Defender’s Office.
Butler noted that other counties have passed similar resolutions.
The remainder of the agenda consisted of grant-fund budget amendments.
Commissioners voted to consider them as a single group and approved them together.
Most required no local match, with the exception of three airport-related grants that each include a 2.5 percent contribution the county had already budgeted.
Before adjourning, Butler formally declared a vacancy in District 3 following Spencer’s passing.
The Commission will appoint someone to serve the remainder of the term at its January meeting.
Because 2026 is an election year, anyone appointed, as well as anyone intending to run, will need to be aware that candidate petitions for the May primary can be picked up beginning in mid-December.
The Commission also elected the following notaries: Brooke E. Cary, Brett D. Huss, Laverne Jackson, Fred Morris, Raven Trevathan, and Deborah A. Welbon.
The County Commission’s next meeting is at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 5 inside the conference room of the Carroll County Office Complex.
