One returning and two newly elected commissioners were sworn into office Tuesday just in time for the first meeting of the Bryan County Board of Commissioners in the new year.
Commission Chairman Jimmy Burnsed, who was re-elected in November to his seat, along with commissioners Steve Myers and Noah Covington were sworn in by Bryan County Probate Judge Sam Davis in the commissioners’ meeting room in Pembroke as their families and friends watched.
In December, Covington was elected to the District 1 seat for the North Bryan area in a runoff against former commissioner Joe Kendrick.
Myers ran unopposed in November for the District 3 seat that serves parts of South Bryan. He takes the place of former commissioner Glen Willard, who vacated the seat due to changes in district lines after the 2010 census.
In the new board’s first item of business, it unanimously approved changing its technology from Toshiba tablets to iPads. Commissioner Jimmy Henderson said the tablets have paid for themselves since the board began using them in February 2012, but the board felt iPads were simpler to use.
County Administrator Ray Pittman said the iPads with WiFi capability would cost $529 each, with a monthly service fee of $37.50 per device for Internet. He said the cost of the technology would be paid for out of the county’s contingency fund.
Myers said he preferred to have an iPad over the Toshiba tablets because he uses Apple products.
“My problem is all of my technology is Apple, everything I do is Apple, and this (Toshiba tablet) is rather archaic to me,” Myers said.
Although Covington voted in favor of the switch, he said he felt the current tablets were “practical” and believed the board should keep them.

Read more in the Jan. 12 edition of the News.