ARCHIVE

  • Last modified 3430 days ago (Nov. 6, 2014)

MORE

Pumpkin ruling too much pressure for commission to bear

Staff writer

Faced with a difficult decision at their Halloween meeting, County Commissioners Dan Holub, Roger Fleming, and Randy Dallke were unable to choose between various decorative pumpkins and deferred declaration of a winner to a democratic vote of county employees.

It came in the midst of a three-hour commission meeting Friday, providing for some good fun for county offices and a reprieve from more serious business for the commissioners.

Entries from the county appraiser’s office, the county clerk’s office, the county treasurer’s office, and the courthouse custodial staff stumped the commissioners with their originality and flair. The decision was simply too difficult to make.

“Every group’s submission was creative and unique,” Chairman Roger Fleming told the entrants eagerly awaiting judgment in the courthouse hallway.

After discussion, an idea to conduct the contest next year using democratic voting methods was fast-tracked and implemented immediately. This was done via paper ballot with no one monitoring, so contestants could vote for themselves, and more than once.

Fleming at one point conceded that his favorite was the appraiser’s office, but the idea to crown them a winner never gained traction with Holub and Dallke, who had already complimented all groups.

The appraiser’s office’s entry appealed directly to the commission, decorating and carving three pumpkins to look like houses, with “Dallke’s Den,” “Holub’s Hollow,” and “Fleming’s Flat.”

The treasurer’s office submitted a yellow-painted pumpkin, made to look like a golden egg, and sat it atop a pile of mock cash, with a big green bow on top.

The clerk’s office had three pumpkins, two of which were painted in the stars and stripes pattern of the American flag, and another one painted white with a string of blinking lights arranged to spell out the word “vote.”

The custodial staff had two pumpkins, one wearing goggles and another wearing a health mask, made to look like Siamese twins sporting a Harley Davidson T-shirt, with cleaning supplies and tools at its sides.

“The point of this was to work together and have fun,” Fleming said. “And it looks like that’s what happened.”

After the ballots were tallied, the appraiser’s office was declared the winner of the contest. No prize was to be awarded.

In other business:

  • EMS Director Brandy McCarty told commissioners she is getting well acclimated to her position. She and Medical Director Paige Dodson are still deciding who will comprise the EMS board.
  • Health Department Administrator Diedre Serene reported a greater number of flu shots were administered at the county’s drive-thru flu shot event than expected. She said 22 shots were administered.
  • Commissioners approved the purchase of new software for a computer in the county appraiser’s office, which will cost $1,350 for the first year and $400 per year after that.
  • The county will consider leasing a front loader, with payments available to go toward a loader purchase after a given amount of time.

Last modified Nov. 6, 2014

 

X

BACK TO TOP