Commissioners Clash With Post Office
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
HOUSTON COUNTY – The Houston County Commissioners Court met Tuesday, Mar. 12 to try and work out a solution in the ongoing conflict with the U.S. Post Office and delivering county mail.
The problems arise from a new Postmaster General informing the county the post office in unable to deliver mail to individuals within the county offices, but only to a general location or two specific suite numbers. Since most of the county offices do not have designated suite numbers, mail is now being delivered to a central location and then distributed between county departments.
The issue is complicated by the fact some of this mail consists of official documents, sent by registered mail and people will not receive a signed notice of receipt if the letter is not delivered directly to the correct department.
Houston County Judge Jim Lovell told the court he had a meeting with the local postmaster general to try and come to some agreement and had tried to contact others within the postal service with no luck.
Houston County Attorney Daphne Session asked Crockett City Administrator John Angerstein about the process to designate suite within county offices, but was told the city does not assign suites, freeing the county to do so. The court also approved $6,095 for two free-standing mail delivery units to central places for mail carriers to deliver mail to individual county offices, where the mail can then be collected, much like in many apartment complexes or big office buildings. The new mail stations should be delivered within five to six weeks.
Session agreed the situation was getting out of hand, saying for 15 years the county had no issues, whatsoever, until the new administration took over at the post office. County Auditor Melissa Jeter told the court she had been unable to find any written policies of any kind to explain what the post office’s official protocol was on delivering to individual offices in county governments.
There was some debate over how to brand a new van for the sheriff’s department used to transfer inmates from other areas. Houston County Sheriff Randy Hargrove requested the vans say, “Sheriff,” without naming the county, to avoid letting people know where the van was going, in order to ensure the safety of the prisoners and officers selected to transport them.
The commissioners mostly disagreed, saying the vans should list Houston County, or be blank, altogether. Session agreed and the commissioners voted to remove all the markings.
Hargrove is serving the last year of his term as sheriff after the recent elections and, in standard procedure, his budget for the remaining months of his term will be limited to a monthly average of the previous 12 months. The commissioners told Hargrove he should come to them if he needs anything beyond that, but the measure is designed to curb excesses in a public servant’s last year on the job and applies to everyone.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
