DOBSON — Two county commissioners will take the oath of office Monday, and the board will select its officers for the coming year.
East District Commissioner Van Tucker and Mount Airy District Commissioner Larry Johnson will be sworn into their first full terms in office on the Surry County Board of Commissioners on Monday. Both commissioners are currently filling the unexpired terms of their predecessors.
Tucker filed to run against long-time Commissioner Paul Johnson in the 2016 GOP primary. He was appointed to the East District seat after Johnson pleaded guilty to felony charges related to his county mileage reimbursement and resigned from office.
Tucker won the full term in the seat when he defeated Democrat challenger Ronald Bowman in the November general election.
Johnson won the Republican nomination for his seat in March, defeating then-Commissioner Jimmy Miller and three others. Miller stepped down shortly after the primary, and Johnson was appointed to fill the unexpired term.
Johnson ran unopposed in November’s general election.
The board will also consider the election of officers on Monday. Commissioners Buck Golding and Eddie Harris serve as chairman and vice chairman, respectively, on the board.
A light agenda awaits commissioners after they choose their new leaders. The board will consider placing a lien on property at 158 Toast Road. In October the board voted to fix a resident’s failing septic system at that location.
Additionally, the board will consider a request from Stokes County to use Surry County’s 9-1-1 center as a back-up communications center.
Commissioners will also consider a number of matters as part of the board’s consent agenda. Facilities Director Don Mitchell is asking the board to consider a change order for the renovation project at the former courthouse building in Dobson.
According to a quote provided by Mitchell, a change order of about $560 is needed to replace some granite steps and a granite landing at the aging structure.
Mitchell is also asking commissioners to approve a facilities assessment for the Surry County Sheriff’s Office and the jail. The $38,500 for the assessment has already been budgeted.
If approved, another $10,000 will go to Brite Engineering Consultants Inc. “to investigate and inspect the Historic Courthouse to ascertain whether converting the second floor to a Board of Commissioners meeting room and offices for county administration will be a viable project,” according to the correspondence included in agenda packets of commissioners.
Also included in the consent agenda is a tax refund to the owner of 410 Crossingham Road. About $25,000 is to be returned to the H. Lindsay Holcomb Trust for billing errors throughout the past five years.