Council Rejects Preston Offer following Executive Session

     Anderson County Council rejected a settlement offer by Joey Preston through his representatives to put an end to all legal action between the former administrator and the county. After a brief executive session held near the end of Tuesday night’s meeting, Anderson council reconvened and voted 5-1 to reject Preston’s offer.
     “Mr. Preston made an offer that we did not think was a good deal for the county,” County Councilman Tom Allen said after the meeting. “We felt it was all in his favor, it was too one-sided.”
     When contacted by phone after the council meeting, Preston said he was not at liberty to discuss the details of the offer.
     The offer and the vote come after 10th Circuit Solicitor Chrissy Adams released a statement earlier indicating that she had not received sufficient information to move on the case, passing it along to the State Attorney General’s Office.
     Council ended the meeting with no discussion of the case, though Anderson County Councilwoman Gracie Floyd and Allen suggested council at least offer some explanation of their vote before adjourning.
     “Let’s try to work something out on behalf of the taxpayers of Anderson County” Floyd said.  “I think the public has had enough, we need to come to some terms so we can settle this.”
      After the meeting Allen offered the information that the county had seen Preston’s offer as something that was “all in his (Preston’s) favor.”
      Earlier, Council tabled a plan to revise the county’s vehicle policy regarding county employees taking vehicles home at the end of the workday. Currently 24 county employees drive county vehicles home at night. County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn said the move to table was to allow time to gather information and to discuss with county supervisors who needs a vehicle available outside of business hours.

     On Tuesday night council also:
       Approved two bids for county paving; a $1,847,498 bid for the 2010 countywide paving contract and a    $606,642 Stevenson Road Culvert Replacement Project. Both bids went to Pickens Construction Company of Anderson.
       Passed a resolution to support the Cellphones for Soldiers Program.
       Approved on first reading a resolution to reduce the speed limit on Cox Road to 35 mph, and approved an amendment to the resolution to dissolve the turn lane.
       Discussed details of the $3.8 FAA grant to accelerate improvement at the Anderson County Airport to the platform and part of the taxiway. The lighting situation at the airport, which Anderson County Transportation Director Holt Hopkins called “antiquated,” is still a concern.
       “It is hurting us, and we are trying to address it as fast as we can,” Hopkins said. “We’re trying to get another funding stream to take care of the lighting. There is another pot of money they are supposed to be getting back to us in two weeks on it.”
       The cost to repair the lights at the airport is approximately $1.8 million.