Mitchell Jacobson was sworn in as Justice of the Peace, Precinct One at the meeting of the Brown County Commissioners. Jacobson won the Republican Party primary election for the post and has no opponent in the November general election. The Commissioners chose to swear him in now to fill the open job of JP Precinct One for the remainder of this year. After the November general election, Jacobson will have to be sworn in again in January as the permanent Justice of the Peace, Precinct One. [3e91e21b]
In addition to Jacobson's swearing-in, the Commissioners approved a request from Sheriff Vance Hill for the purchase of four new patrol vehicles. The vehicles, four new Chevrolet Tahoes, will be acquired through American Leasing on a lease/purchase arrangement. Each vehicle will cost $81,488, which includes police package equipment, radar, and cameras. [3e91e21b]
During the meeting, the Commissioners also addressed two requests from Sam Goldsmith of Goldsmith Solutions, the County's information technology consultant. The first request was an agreement with AT&T FirstNet for cell phone service for the County. The second request was a Competitive Purchasing Agreement with Sourcewell Cooperative Purchasing, which will facilitate discounts on IT equipment. [3e91e21b]
The Commissioners did not take any action on a burn ban, leaving the current No Burn Ban in place. [3e91e21b]
Bob Gholson has been sworn in as the Forrest County District 1 Justice Court Judge. The swearing-in took place during the Forrest County Board of Supervisors meeting on June 17, 2024. Gholson, who has 43 years of experience as a lawyer and previous judicial experience as a special master, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity and his excitement to serve the people of Forrest County. The election commission will conduct a special election in November to fill the unexpired term of office for District 1 Justice Court Judge. Gholson will serve until the certification of the results of the special election. [685fc60e]