Bottom line- Somebody needs to pay the bill

There's a different kind of feud brewing in Scott County, but it certainly will be as heated as the school tussle in Cairo.

In August, Scott County Sheriff Bill Ferrell replaced the broken air conditioning in his jail without consulting the county commission. His friend, Kenny Bridger, did the work.

Now the commission won't pay Bridger even the $5,800 cost of the unit, never mind the extra $3,000-plus in labor. Commissioners say Ferrell didn't follow proper procedure in collecting bids.

Ferrell says it was an emergency, he didn't have to collect three bids and the issue is personal on the part of commissioners, not professional.

Bridger says he will take the matter all the way to court if necessary, and he has paperwork to prove the commission has done the same thing as Ferrell did in the name of an emergency.

Meanwhile, Bridger is out an air-conditioning unit and banned from the jail property, ostensibly so he can't repossess the unit.

It's hardly his fault that this dispute is going on. Somebody needs to pay the man. It probably will be less expensive for taxpayers than fighting the matter in court.