Mayo — The Lafayette County Board of County Commissioners held their reorganization meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 13 after the swearing in of three newly re-elected commissioners; Lance Lamb, Donnie Hamlin and Earnest Jones, and all county employees kept their jobs except for Emergency Management Director Alton Scott.

The board approved the following people to keep their present positions: Scott Sadler, public works director; Bobby Johnson, building and zoning official; Donnie Land, public safety director; Marcus Calhoun, county maintenance; Trevor Hicks, EMS director; Robert Spindell, EMS medical director; Cindy Tysall, county library manager; as well as all the community center directors. All other county positions had no changes.

Commissioner Jack Byrd asked that the Emergency Management Director position, currently held by Alton Scott, be placed temporarily back under the direction of Public Safety Director Donnie Land until budget issues could be worked out. Hamlin seconded the motion.

“We’re going to close that position...for now,” said Byrd. “Until we make sure we’ve got the money to keep on operating this next year or two years.”

Land was in the audience and asked for clarification.

“Are we doing away with his position?” he asked Byrd.

“Yes, sir, that’s what I said,” Byrd replied.

Land explained that he couldn’t take the Emergency Management position and also take care of his duties as Public Safety Director.

“Emergency management must be one person, 40 hours a week, full time,” said Land. “If we don’t, they take away our grant.”

“We’re going to place it back under you for the time being,” said Hamlin. “We’ll make it work.”

With the motion and second on the floor, the board voted 3-1 to remove Scott and assign Land as Emergency Management Director. Commissioner Earnest Jones was the lone vote against and stated he was caught off guard by the action.

Hamlin suggested that Land take over the position of Emergency Management Director immediately, which included taking over the keys, the truck and the building and the board agreed.

Jones interjected that he was not involved in any previous discussion about Scott’s performance or anything else regarding his position.

“I had no discussion about this,” Jones said. “This is brand new.”

Byrd explained the board had not been updated on emergency management activities.

“I have found out some things that we just can’t keep letting go on,” said Byrd.

Land again asked for clarification and was told by Lamb that for today he would be Emergency Management Director.

Byrd explained that the board was still working on certain things and for now they were just cutting back by removing Scott from his position.

“If you can hold on to it for a couple of weeks until we can get everything together as to what we’re going to do,” Byrd told Land. “If you can handle that part.”

Land agreed and the discussion ended.

Additionally, in order to cover Land’s previous other duties, the board temporarily appointed Cathy Musgrave to handle 911 addressing, and the  clerk’s office would serve as liaison to the industrial park and the volunteer fire department.