What Putnam Commissioner Neal’s Resignation Means For His District 9 Seat With Upcoming Election
County Commissioner Jimmy Neal has issued his letter of resignation, but what does that mean for his seat in District 9? County Attorney Jeff Jones talked through the mechanics of what that would look like, especially in the face of an election. He said that the first step is for the county commission to accept […]
Overton Commission Passes Budget, No Tax Increases For 7th Consecutive Year
Overton County Commission passed its budget Monday night with one of the healthiest fund balances the county has ever had. That’s according to County Executive Ben Danner. He said that since he’s gone into office eight years ago, the county has doubled its general fund balance. “And what that means is that if things go […]
Van Buren Takes Next Step In Daycare Project At Masonic Building
Van Buren County accepting bids to renovate its Old Masonic Building to house a daycare facility. The County Commission moved forward with the project Tuesday night. Three private parties have expressed interest in leasing the building. Mayor Greg Wilson said he estimates the work to cost about $30,000. Wilson said using American Rescue Plan money […]
White Commission Approves Funding For Recycling Building At Landfill
A new recycling center will be coming to the White County landfill. The county commission approved the $150,000 for the project Monday. County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson said finding companies to take the county’s recyclables has been an issue. “We have tried for years to basically partner with somebody, get a vendor, somebody to come […]
Clay To Make Changes In Hopes Of Bettering County Employee Wages
Clay County Commission adopted several resolutions to better employee pay Monday night. The resolutions include an increase in new employees’ starting salaries, a two percent increase for current employees, and a two-cent annual longevity raise. District 1 Commissioner Bryan Coons said that it’s important for county employees to have living wages. “The current situation with […]
Control Of Van Buren Ag Learning Center Given To Extension Office
Van Buren County has given administrative control of the Agriculture Learning Center to the UT-Extension Office. When asked why change control, Commissioner Brian Simmons said everything in the Ag Learning Center was bought by UT. “Because of renting that stuff out, something getting tore up in there, that type of thing,” Simmons said. “So any […]
Van Buren Approves 15-Month Bonus For County Employees
The majority of Van Buren County Employees will receive a 15-month bonus after Commissioners approved the use of COVID money Tuesday night. The county plans to issue a single check to employees in November. Commissioner Bill Mosley said these men and women showed up and keep the county going through the pandemic. “I hope all […]
Putnam Redistricting Eliminates 9 District Commission Plan
The Putnam County Redistricting Committee will not consider a nine district option for the county commission. CTAS Consultant Ben Rodgers said that the committee believes a nine district committee was not feasible for the commission. “Basically the nine district plan brought the Monterey district all the way to the Cookeville city limits,” Rodgers said. “It […]
Putnam Commissioners To Return To Meetings In Cookeville Community Center
Putnam County Commissioners will move their county commission meetings back to the Cookeville Community Center. Mayor Randy Porter said that after conversations with Chair Mike Atwood, they made the decision citing concern over rising COVID numbers. “I know our hospital is feeling the effects and having a lot of COVID cases and is kind of […]
DeKalb Commission To Consider Redistricting Proposal Affecting Four Districts
DeKalb County residents should expect slight changes to districts based on the county redistricting committee’s recommendation to the commission. Mayor Tim Stribling said a small increase in total population caused changes in four districts, moving 264 people. “We moved 158 people from District Three to District Two, and we moved 106 residents to District Five […]
