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The Coffee County Commission covered a lot of ground at the March 14 meeting, with agenda items ranging from a handbook policy changes to a change in the way the volunteer fire department assets are transferred under a new state law.

But the one thing nary a commissioner did at the March meeting was vote no.

Each vote from the approval of the agenda to the motion to adjourn came to a uniform 17-0 approval with once commissioner, Lynn Sebourn absent.

Contrast that to the March 2022 meeting with one agenda item coming to a 14-7 vote to consolidate the operation of the Coffee County Health Department into one facility back to the Capital Outlay Committee.

Or another vote a year ago postponed a vote to use ARP Funds for employees performing essential work during the COVID-19 Pandemic that was approved with 16 yes votes and 5 no votes.

The difference, aside from the makeup of the members of the commission, could how available committee meetings minutes are. Within days after a given committee meeting, the minutes of those meetings are posted on the county website and emailed to each commissioner. This presumably allows each commissioner to come to the meeting ready for an informed discussion.

At the March meeting, discussion was scant, but giving the agenda items, more housekeeping than controversial, not a lot of debate was needed. The February Meeting items were passed with similar votes.

Roads approved, budgets amended

At the March meeting the commission approved the county list of roads that it maintains. This list comes from the Rural Roads and Bridges Committee, to which Commissioner Rose Anne Carden Smith was added to at the meeting.

Approved were amendments to the county school budget, a library grant application and armaments to Solid Waste, Ambulance, Drug Control Fund, the General Fund and General Capital Outlay.

The General Capital Outlay uses $17,800 for the purchase of office equipment for the committee room. The amendment to the general fund transfers a total of $16,716 from the fund balance for a variety of department line items. The Drug Fund amendment adds funds received from the sale of military equipment donated from the military.

Also approved at the March 2023 meeting was an amendment to the planning code as required by a recent audit.