The county will soon have a new assistant emergency management agency director.

County EMA director Susan Harris made the request Tuesday to help alleviate her current workload, she said.

The county will fund half of the salary for the position, which is expected to pay between $12 and $14 per hour, while the remaining 50 percent will be funded by federal grant dollars, she said. The position will be advertised internally first and applications will be accepted.

Harris said she serves as a host of capacities, including the county’s flood plains manager, Department of Homeland Security contact, National Incident Management System coordinator.

“This job has grown since I started,” Harris said. “The state has changed its guidelines for projects, including the projects’ deadlines. If we don’t finish these, we don’t get (grant) funds. I need help, and I’m asking for assistance.”

Commissioners agreed.

“She’s right,” said Commissioner Bragg Carter. “We’ve added a lot to her job besides EMA, and it seems right to help her.”

Commissioners also agreed to purchase a new Chevrolet Tahoe to use as an EMA vehicle, with 50 percent of the cost funded by an Emergency Management Performance grant.

In other business, the commission:

• adopted rules of procedure for its meetings.

• declared the county’s old phone system as surplus and voted to sell it on govdeals.com.

• appointed Kip Johnson, an engineering department employee, as safety coordinator for the county. By holding safety meetings, the county will receive a discount on its liability insurance.

• appointed Birdie Smith to the county’s personnel review board.

• approved to resubdivide the O’Neal Subdivision on Dunns Bridge Road, pending health department approval.