Fayette County

commissioners will go forward with plans to re-configure their conference

room.

Commission

Chairman Greg Dunn's motion to reverse an earlier decision in the matter

failed 3-2 last week following a brief discussion.

Commissioner

Linda Wells, who voted in favor of Dunn's motion to reconsider the earlier

vote, joined commissioners Herb Frady and A.G. VanLandingham when it came

to the vote to reverse. Dunn and Peter Pfeifer voted in favor of the motion

to reverse.

"I believe

very strongly we're supposed to determine policy" and support staff's

recommendations on everyday matters, said Wells after asking County Administrator

Chris Cofty for his recommendation on the matter.

Cofty said

the additional conference room space is needed not only for some commission

meetings, but also for daily staff use. "We have quite a few meetings

that go on here on a daily basis," he said.

Dunn had argued

that on the rare occasions that the conference room is too small for commissioners,

they can move to a larger room elsewhere in the County Administrative

Complex.

He also said

the project will result in some commissioners' offices being enlarged.

"That all seems a little bit unnecessary to me," he said. "This

area is for part time employees."

VanLandingham,

who originally presented the project to commissioners, said the idea came

from staff, not from him.

"It was

their desire to do it. I said I would bring it to the commission,"

VanLandingham said, adding he resented what he considered to be an implication

that larger commission offices was an ulterior motive.

"If it

would be a better way to serve the community, I would vote for it again,"

he said.

Dunn said commissioners

earlier had set a priority of making more room for the county's Human

Resources Department, and that project should take priority. "We

have in this building full-time employees that have unsatisfactory working

conditions," he said. "Some of our people never see the light

of day."

But Cofty said

staff members hope to accomplish both projects. "It's our goal to

complete [both] projects in the current budget cycle," he said.