KINGWOOD — The Preston County Commission approved a $7,000 request from the Preston County EMS Association.
The funds will be used to pay for training 10 individuals. Once trained the individuals must test and work for the county EMS for a year.
If the individuals don’t test, they must pay the money back. Commissioners took the $7,000 from the county contingency fund, and will be reimbursed out of the EMS salary fund, according to commissioner Hunter Thomas.
In other business commissioners voted to change to the Per Diem Policy. Per Diem is a Latin term that means per day. It is a specific amount of money that an organization gives an employee per day to cover living expenses when traveling on the employer’s business.
The General Services Administration sets the per diem rates for destinations within the United States.
Commissioner Don Smith said the Per Diem Policy would save time and eliminate the receipts that are currently being turned in for reimbursement, and made a motion to pass the policy.
“I’ll second the motion,” Commission President Samantha Stone said. “But I think we need to make some clarifications.”
A discussion about the use of county vehicles, fringe benefits and the Internal Revenue Service resulted in Stone suggesting a work session be set up so all of the department heads would be on the same page.
One of the questions involved transport of prisoners. County Administrator Nate Raybeck said all of the counties he called about vehicle use used deputies instead of utility officers for transport. So the use of vehicles by utility officers didn’t pertain to them.
Thomas said he liked to follow the state and federal guidelines.
“I don’t like all of them.” he said “But we have to follow them.”
Smith agreed. He said not following the guidelines comes back on both the employee and the
commission.
No further action was taken.
The next meeting of the Preston County Commission will be 9:30 a.m. Jan. 2. A special work session has been scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Jan. 4.
