Jackson County Trustee Anthony “Mudcat” Flatt has been named the Trustee of the Year for Middle Tennessee.
Flatt said the recognition represents a significant achievement for the local office and highlights the work performed by trustees across the region’s smaller counties. Flatt said he has valued the position as an opportunity to seflessly serve members in his community, specifically Jackson’s older residents.
“I feel honored,” Flatt said. “There’s a lot of trustees through Middle Tennessee that probably deserved it a whole lot more than I did. And me being selected, I feel like it was a big accomplishment. Especially for a little county like ours.”
Flatt said the role of a trustee is to serve as the primary banker for the county government. Flatt said the office is responsible for receiving and managing all funds that enter the county to ensure they are placed in the correct accounts.
“It means everything to me,” Flatt said. “It takes a lot to do this job and it’s, you know, you got to cross your T’s and dot your I’s and make sure everything’s accounted for.”
Flatt said his daily responsibilities often extend beyond the courthouse to assist residents who cannot easily travel. Flatt said he personally visits the homes of elderly or disabled citizens who lack the resources to reach a mailbox or the office to collect property tax payments and deliver receipts.
“I work for the people and I try to be there for the people and help them where they need the best I can, to the best of my ability,” Flatt said. “I don’t mind going to their house and picking up their property taxes and making sure that they get paid in a timely manner and mail them a receipt back or take them a receipt back. Or mail them their information they need if they’re on tax relief and try to get them help where they can get property tax relief through the state.”
Flatt said he uses his position within the Trustee’s Association to advocate for the continuation of state-level property tax relief programs. Flatt said Jackson County currently has approximately 594 applicants receiving some form of benefit through these programs.
“The property tax relief is important because there is a lot of people in Jackson County that are, don’t draw a lot with income,” Flatt said. “They’re retired or they’re disabled or elderly. And the state only pays 125 dollars. And 125 dollars don’t seem like a lot of money, but it is a lot of money to a lot of people.”
Flatt said the 95 trustees across Tennessee operate as a supportive network to help one another improve their job performance.
