By GARETT VALCOURT
The Holmes County Board of County Commissioners held its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, December 2, where commissioners discussed potential revisions to the county’s employee political activity policy and agreed to pursue a pay study for county positions.
Commissioner Clint Erickson opened the discussion by raising concerns about the county’s current policy governing political activity by county employees. The provision, outlined in the Holmes County Policy and Procedure Manual under Section 3.04, states that any county employee who takes formal steps to run for a county commission seat — including opening a campaign account, filing qualifying paperwork, or publicly announcing candidacy — is considered to have resigned from county employment as of that date.
Erickson said he believed earlier subsections addressing political activity during work hours were sufficient and questioned whether the resignation requirement placed an unnecessary burden on employees.
“The thing is with that, it’s like, I’m going to fight for a better job in the county, but I need to resign from my current job for another job to better myself,” Erickson said. “It’s sad. No, it’s just a local policy. We came up with it.”
Commissioner Wilmer Stafford noted that other counties, such as Walton County, have similar provisions, but added that he also felt it was “sad” to penalize an employee for wanting to advance professionally.
Erickson said that, to his knowledge, the policy had not directly affected any current employees. Commissioner Earl Stafford clarified that at least one employee had previously resigned with the intention of running for a commission seat in accordance with the policy.
County Attorney Nate Nolin told commissioners he would like time to review the policy in greater detail, noting that additional research would help determine the most appropriate approach for the county. The board agreed to table the matter and revisit it at the next meeting.
Erickson also raised concerns about pay rates for county employees, specifically referencing grader operators who currently earn $15.84 per hour. He compared that rate to wages offered by local businesses and said the county should evaluate whether its pay scale is competitive.
Erickson noted a recent conversation with a Bonifay restaurant employee earning more than $16 per hour while not operating equipment valued at several hundred thousand dollars. County Coordinator David Corbin responded that the county’s pay structure should be examined in the context of all 67 counties in Florida.
“You can look at all the surrounding 67 counties in Florida and see where we compare around the entire county,” Corbin said. “Not just grader operators… all county employees.”
Erickson made a motion to conduct a pay study focusing on Florida counties with populations under 25,000 and asked Corbin to compile comparative data. The board unanimously approved the motion.
The issue of political activity policy revisions will return for discussion at the board’s next regular meeting. County staff will begin gathering data for the pay study, which will be reviewed by commissioners once complete.
Ali Moreland 
Staff Report 