Judge orders spending freeze

By KAREN JONES CODY

In response to the serious financial state of the county outlined in this month’s fiscal court meeting, Knott Judge-Executive Randy Thompson informed magistrates on Tuesday that he is, by executive order, putting in place a spending freeze.

The order e-mailed to magistrates states that “no purchases are to be made on the county’s behalf with the exception of food to be prepared and served by the Senior Citizens program or that purchased for re-sale by the Sportsplex.

“Services and/or materials funded by grant receipts which have been allocated for specific projects are also exempt from this order, as are payment of utility bills, rent and other pre-arranged monthly obligations etc. If fuel is not available at the County Garage, any purchase from another source must be pre-approved by Judge’s Office.”

Judge Thompson told the Times it became apparent in the last few days that a drastic measure would be necessary. “Kevin and I have been trying to budget our funds month by month,” he explained. “We were told to expect a severance check around the same amount as our last one. When it came, it was…

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