News 2011

Cannon County is one of more than 70 communities across Tennessee that will receive grants to upgrade technology at rural libraries. These grants, which total more than $1.2 million, are the product of a partnership between the Office of the Secretary of State, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development in a quest to strengthen rural communities by developing libraries.
The county will receive $16,076.
“Libraries in rural areas play an especially important role in connecting citizens with the resources and opportunities that are oftentimes isolated to urban areas,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “These grants will go a long way toward providing vital access to computers and the Internet, which is particularly helpful in some of the areas that were hit the hardest by the recession.”
Grants may be used to cover costs for computer equipment, new training, educational opportunities, Internet access and other enhancements approved by the USDA.
“These grants will help people access information on employment opportunities, job training, small business development and education here in Cannon County,” said state Sen. Mae Beavers. “This will help level the playing field in the job market and eliminate the need for some people to drive to big cities to get Internet access.”
“When people have trouble getting Internet connections or cannot afford a home computer, our public library fills a void,” said state Rep. Mark Pody. “Our community is extremely grateful for the help of the Office of the Secretary of State, ECD and USDA Rural Development.”

Judge Susan Melton presided over Cannon County General Sessions Court on Tuesday. Some of the results from the various cases which appeared on the docket included:Terry Scott Austin was bound over to the May, 2011 term of the Cannon County Grand Jury. He is charged with domestic assault.
Johnny Brian Hollis was bound over to the May, 2011 term of the Cannon County Grand Jury. He is charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated rape, resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Jennie Rawls was bound over to the May, 2011 term of the Cannon County Grand Jury. She is charged with driving on a revoked license and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Ila Kay Smith was bound over to the May, 2011 term of the Cannon County Grand Jury. She is charged with driving under the influence 3rd offense and driving while revoked. In another case, Smith pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. Her probation was revoked and she was ordered to serve her entire sentence.
Phillip Mark Adams pled guilty to the charge of domestic assault. He was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was partially suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, serving 49 days in jail and paying the court costs. In another case, Adams pled guilty to the charge of vandalism under $500.00. He was sentenced to 6 months in jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation and paying the court costs.
Kimberly Ann Besner pled guilty to the charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation and paying the court costs.
Justin Deaton pled guilty to driving without a license. He was sentenced to 30 days in the county jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, paying a $2.00 fine and paying the court costs.
Corey Ferrell pled guilty to driving under the influence. He was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was partially suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, serving 48 hours in jail, paying a $350.00 fine and paying the court costs. His license was also revoked for 1 year.
Roy Michael Foust pled guilty to the charge of two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He was sentenced to 23 months, 28 days in the county jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, paying a $50.00 fine and paying the court costs.
Antonnette Frattallone’s motion for bond reduction was granted. He bond was reduced to $130,900.00 from $158,000.00.
Caden Jones pled guilty to the charge of theft under $500.00. He was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in jail. That sentence was partially suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, serving 25 days in jail and paying the court costs.
Lewis Kronnick pled guilty to two counts of driving without a license. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, paying the court costs and paying a $2.00 fine.
Angela Mathis entered a conditional plea of guilty to the charge of filing a false report. She was placed on probation for 11 months, 29 days and ordered to pay the court costs.
Doyle Mooneyham’s motion for a bond reduction was granted. His bond was reduced from $402,000.00 to $302,000.00.
Maranda Murphy pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. Her probation was extended and she was ordered to pay the court costs.
Allison W. Parton pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. Her probation was revoked and she was ordered to serve her entire sentence. In another case, Parton pled guilty to the charge of criminal attempt to commit the offense of failure to appear. She was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail and ordered to serve her entire sentence. Parton also pled guilty to the charge of theft under $500.00. She received an 11 month, 29 day sentence and was ordered to serve that sentence.
Golden Robertson pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. His probation was extended and he was ordered to serve 40 days in jail.
Kayla Sanders pled guilty to the charge of reckless endangerment. She was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was partially suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, serving 3 days in jail, paying a $500.00 fine and paying the court costs.
Magnolia Stephens pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. Her probation was revoked and she was ordered to serve her entire sentence. In another case, Stephens pled guilty to the charge of driving on suspended. She was sentenced to 6 months in jail and ordered to serve her entire sentence. She also pled guilty to the charge of simple possession of methamphetamine. She was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in jail and ordered to serve her entire sentence.
Joseph M. Taylor pled guilty to the charge of simple possession of marijuana. He was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, paying a $250.00 fine and paying the court costs.

Judge James K. Clayton, Jr. was honored prior to the beginning of Cannon County Circuit Court this morning. Judge Don Ash led the courtroom in a moment of silence after praising the late Circuit Judge who passed away earlier this week in the Courthouse while on his way to a hearing. Ash said Judge Clayton was a wonderful man who served the Sixteenth Judicial District with dignity for many years. He also recognized Circuit Court Clerk Lynne Foster, Assistant District Attorney David Puckett, General Sessions Judge Susan Melton, Assistant Public Defender Ken McKnight, Murfreesboro Attorney Darwin Colston and former Circuit Court Clerk Hoppy Davenport, all of whom went to the hospital after Clayton was transported to wait for his wife. Judge Ash said the group honored Clayton with their actions.
Some of the results from the various cases which appeared on the docket included:
Gregory Jason Porter pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. His probation was revoked and a suspended sentence hearing was scheduled for June 10th. In another case, Porter pled guilty to driving under the influence. He was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail, fined $350.00 and ordered to pay the court costs. His suspended sentence hearing for that case will also take place on June 10th.
Adam McClure pled guilty to three counts of TennCare fraud. He was sentenced to 1 year on community corrections. He was ordered to pay the court costs and placed on probation for 1 year.
Timothy Lawson was appointed an attorney and reset for plea day on June 10th.
Elijah Murphy pled guilty to the charge of theft over $1,000.00. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison as a Range 1, 30 percent offender. A suspended sentence hearing was set for June 10th.
Francisco Bustamante was appointed an attorney and reset for a revocation hearing on June 10th.
Haley K. Schwartz entered a conditional plea of guilty to the charge of promotion of methamphetamine manufacture. She was placed on probation for 1 year, fined $2,000.00 and ordered to pay the court costs. Schwartz was due to be released today, but was held in contempt of court for talking during the proceedings and ordered to serve 5 more days in jail.
Jennie Rawls was reset for plea day on June 10th.
Brandon Brown entered a conditional plea of guilty to the charge of three counts of TennCare fraud. He was placed on probation for 3 years and ordered to pay the court costs.
Robert Lee was reset for plea day on June 10th.
Tonya Greer was reset for plea day on June 10th.
Ronica Arnold pled guilty to manufacture of methamphetamine. She was sentenced to 6 years in prison as a Range 1, 30 percent offender, fined $2,500.00 and ordered to pay the court costs. A suspended sentence hearing was set for June 10th.
Johnny Brian Hollis was reset for plea day on June 10th.
John McPeak’s application for suspended sentence was denied. In another case, McPeak pled guilty to the charge of failure to appear. He was sentenced to 1 year in prison as a Range 1, 30 percent offender and was ordered to serve his entire sentence.
Stephanie Mooneyham was reset for plea day on June 10th.
Melissa Archey pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. Her probation was extended and she was ordered to serve 30 days in jail.
Tony McPeak was reset for motions on July 7th and a jury trial on August 4th.
Christina Kelley pled guilty to the charge of failure to appear. She was sentenced to 1 year in prison as a Range 1, 30 percent offender and ordered to serve her entire sentence.
Barry Lee Spurlock was reset for a motion hearing on July 7th and a jury trial on August 4th.
Joshua Dishman pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. His probation was revoked and he was ordered to serve his entire sentence.
Johnny E. Lyons was reset for plea day on July 7th.
Ashley Davidson was reset for plea day on July 7th.
William Scott Lewis pled guilty to the charge of simple possession of schedule II drugs. He was sentenced to 6 months in jail and ordered to serve his entire sentence.
Vickie Marsh was reset for plea day on June 7th.
Haskel Carmack was appointed an attorney and reset for a violation of probation hearing on June 10th.
Jared Ian Smith was reset for a violation of probation hearing on June 10th.
Randall Council was appointed an attorney and reset for plea day on June 10th.

Members of the Cannon County legal community were shocked Tuesday following the death of former Circuit Court Judge James K. Clayton, Jr. Clayton. Clayton was on his way up to the courtroom to represent a client in General Sessions Court when he collapsed. He was transported to the Stones River Hospital Emergency Room where he was pronounced dead. The cause of his death has not yet been released.Following the incident outside of the courtroom, Judge Susan Melton reset all the cases which were scheduled to be heard that day. Most defendants were reset for June or July but anyone incarcerated was reset for next Tuesday.
Judge Melton did hear cases later in the day during Juvenile Court. Following Juvenile Court, Judge Melton appointed attorneys for defendants who had been arrested over the weekend. Those defendants appointed attorneys Tuesday afternoon included:
John McPeak who is charged with failure to appear. His court date is set for June 7th.
Gregory Alexander Clark who is charged with violation of probation. His court date is set for May 24th.
Judge Clayton served as a Circuit Court Judge for many years until he retired in 2008. Clayton also served as General Sessions Judge in Rutherford County prior to becoming a Circuit Judge.

Local citizens are working together to help others with Project Cannon Cares. A drop off donation site has been established to help those affected by the deadly tornadoes in Alabama. Items are being accepted today through Thursday from 9:00am – 7:00pm at the Community Center on Lehman Street.Plans call for a packed semi trailer to depart Friday morning for Tanner, Alabama (near Huntsville and Athens). The goal is to help all in those surrounding towns. A list of requested items are listed below.
List of things needed for donations
1. Baby items: diapers, wipes, formula, baby food, clothes, etc.
2. Kids toy: new or used
3. Water
4. Non-perishable food items
5. Coolers: new or used
6. Paper plates, cups, towels, napkins, etc.
7. Soap, shampoo, lotion, powder, deodorant, tooth brush & paste, etc.
8. Flashlights
9. Batteries
10. Candles
11. Lighters & lighter fluid
12. Tarps
13. Many animals displaced: dog & cat food, used carriers, etc.
Anything you can give will be greatly appreciated.

The full Senate voted 31 to 0 on Thursday to approve major legislation I sponsored to stiffen penalties for making methamphetamines in the presence of a child and implement a statewide electronic tracking system to curb meth production in the state. The system, called NPLEx (National Precursor Log Exchange), would monitor and block illegal purchases of over-the-counter cold and allergy medicines containing pseudoephedrine (PSE), a key ingredient in methamphetamine production.There is currently no mechanism in place in Tennessee to block illegal PSE sales in real time, as many pharmacies and retailers rely on handwritten, paper logbooks to track purchases. As a result, criminals have learned to circumvent the current system.
Senate Bill 1265 requires that as of January 1, 2012, all pharmacies must use NPLEx, which would export the data to law enforcement. The NPLEx system will be at no cost to pharmacies or the state. NPLEx must have a stop sale mechanism in place by that time for potential purchasers over the allowable purchase limit and anyone on the meth offender registry. The bill also sets amounts of pseudoephedrine that can be purchased. A buyer cannot purchase more than 3.6 grams of a pseudoephedrine product per day or more than 9 grams per 30-day period unless they have a valid prescription or face a Class A misdemeanor penalty.
Doctor or pharmacy shopping to obtain more than that limit, often referred to as “smurfing,” would become a Class A misdemeanor subject to a fine of $1,000 for the first offense and $2,000 for second and subsequent offenses. The bill also changes the amount of pseudoephedrine in a person’s possession necessary to establish intent to manufacture meth from 20 grams to 15 grams. Fines assessed under the proposal will be used for cleanup of meth labs.
The provision stiffening penalties against making meth in the presence of a child would take place on July 1, 2011. The bill would make the crime aggravated child endangerment which is punishable as a Class A felony if the child is eight years old or younger and a Class B felony if the child is over the age of eight.
Anti-terrorism – The Senate Judiciary Committee, which I chair, voted 6 to 3 this week to approve an anti-terrorism bill aimed at curbing the incidence of homegrown terrorist acts in the state before they occur. The proposal, called the “Material Support to Designated Entities Act of 2011,” was amended to ensure an even-handed and non-discriminatory approach in defining how an entity is designated a terrorist organization.
After investigation and recommendation from the Commissioner of Safety and the Director of the Tennessee Department of Homeland Security, the legislation allows the Attorney General and the Governor to jointly “designate” a domestic terrorist entity. Once designated, the bill forbids that material support or resources be provided to the designated entity. It creates a Class B felony offense for knowingly providing material support or resources once that designation has been made.
The purpose of the bill is to criminalize the knowing provision of material support to known designated domestic and foreign terrorist entities. The idea is to cut off the support for those who are planning to commit terrorist acts in Tennessee since it is the support that typically makes the acts more likely to occur.
The legislation prescribes procedures to challenge, revoke, or amend a designation. This includes multiple internal checks and balances to protect against potential abuse. The proposal is closely modeled after the federal anti-terrorism material support statutes which have been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Drug felons / welfare benefits – The Tennessee Senate has approved legislation that prohibits an individual convicted of a felony for possession, use, or distribution of a controlled substance from being eligible to receive Families First program benefits. Senate Bill 96 would apply to welfare recipients convicted on or after July 1, 2011 and would extend for a period of three years unless the individual receives treatment for substance abuse.
Families First is Tennessee’s welfare reform program, which began in September 1996 under a federal waiver, and which replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. Benefits to children would not be affected under provisions of the bill.

Judge Susan Melton presided over Cannon County General Sessions Court on Tuesday. Some of the results from the various cases which appeared on the docket included:Noe Campos pled guilty to the charge of driving on a suspended license. He was sentenced to 6 months in the county jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, paying a $50.00 fine and paying the court costs.
Jessica Davis pled guilty to the charge of public intoxication. She was sentenced to 25 days in jail and ordered to serve her entire sentence.
Michael Foster pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. His probation was revoked and he was ordered to serve his entire sentence.
Gregory W. Hale pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. His probation was extended and he was ordered to serve 60 days in jail. Hale also pled guilty to the charge of failure to give immediate notice of an accident. He was ordered to serve 30 days in jail.
David J. Miller pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. His probation was extended and he was ordered to serve 30 days in jail.
Raine M. Patterson pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. Her probation was extended and she was ordered to serve 40 days in jail.
Rachel Ragan pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. Her probation was extended and she was ordered to serve 25 days in jail.
Randall Smotherman pled guilty to the charge of violation of probation. His probation was revoked and he was ordered to serve his entire sentence. In another case, Smotherman pled guilty to the charge of driving under the influence 2nd offense. He received an 11 month, 29 day jail sentence and was ordered to serve his entire sentence. He also pled guilty to the charge of driving on a revoked license and was ordered to serve 6 months in jail.
Taylor Fults pled guilty to the charge of failure to appear. He was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail. That sentence was partially suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, serving 8 days in jail, paying the court costs and paying restitution. Fults also pled guilty to the charge of driving on a revoked license. He was sentenced to 6 months in jail. That sentence was suspended upon an equal amount of time on probation, paying the court costs and paying a $50.00 fine. His license was also revoked for 1 year.

A Woodbury Man has been bound over to the grand jury in Warren County on charges of leading police on a high speed chase and evading authorities for over a month after he wrecked his 1995 Chevy Blazer and fled the scene.Jamie Roller waved his right to a preliminary hearing in Warren County General Sessions Court last week and was bound over to the grand jury on charges of reckless endangerment, evading arrest, resisting arrest and driving on a suspended license. Roller led the police on the chase after being pulled over because the Blazers license tag was covered in mud and was unreadable.

The Tennessee Sports Writers Association All-State Basketball Teams were announced over the weekend.Cannon County’s Justin Davenport, a 5 ft 6 in point guard was named to the team. Davenport, who signed to play college basketball was one of three basketball players in District 8-AA to make the team. The others being Mason and Logan Ramsey out of Livingston Academy. Other area players making the team was future UNC-Wilmington signee and Siegel basketball player Cedrick Williams
The state’s all time 3 point shooter, Emily Sissom was named to the women’s team. The Union University signee is joined on the team by fellow District 8-AA members Kayla Biles and Mackenzie Sells as well as McMinn Central’s Jenna Adams. Tyshia Petty, Shacobia Barbee of Riverdale, and Shanice Cason of Siegel were other area players making the team.
The Cannon County Lions baseball and softball teams will get their share of Wildcats today as each team has Livingston on the schedule today. The girls softball team travel to Livingston for a 5:00 game while the Boys baseball team will host Livingston in a home and away two day series starting at 5:00 at the Dixie Youth Baseball Fields in Woodbury. The Cannon County Soccer team is also in action today traveling to Marshall County for a 5:00 start.

Voting on whether to allow constables in Cannon County to continue to have law enforcement powers was one of the major topics of the Cannon County Commissioners meeting. The quarterly meeting was held Saturday morning with all commissioners present. The commissioners approved by majority vote budget amendment requests by the Board of Education, Sheriff’s Department, and Solid Waste.The next item the commissioners discussed was the second reading of resolution
2011-3, the removal of law enforcement powers of the office of Constable of
Cannon County. There had been some concern that the first reading may have
been in violation of the open meetings law, as the item was not set off by itself on the actual agenda in the January meeting. Instead, the matter was grouped under the category of other business. Commissioner Mark Barker asked commissioners to go back and reconsider the measure on first reading rather than second.
County Mayor Mike Gannon sent each commissioner a copy of a letter by Elisha Hodge, state open records counsel. Hodge said she couldn’t make a definitive ruling based on the information she was given. However, she strongly advised Gannon to contact County Attorney Mike Corley. Corley said it would be simpler to consider this the first reading and come back in July with a second. Lillian Todd, an audience member, was recognized and voiced her support of the constables keeping their law enforcement powers. She questioned why the extra help wasn’t welcome in the community.
Gannon said there was no intention to leave the matter off the January agenda. Gannon said he had put the agenda out two weeks before the meeting, to give people plenty of notice, and the request to add the matter after the agenda had been distributed. At that point, he said his only choice was to add it under other business.
Commissioners agreed that there was no intentional attempt to break the open meetings or any other laws. Commissioner Jim Bush said since there was a grey area, he would like to treat this as a first reading, so there would be no question about how the matter was handled. The process of considering the matter on first reading meant someone would make motion to rescind the first reading. Once passed, a commissioner would have to make a motion to make it a first reading.
The discussion then turned to the minimum qualifications that a constable has to
have. County Commissioner Kevin Mooneyham, who is also the Assistant Police Chief of the Woodbury Police Department, said all constables have to do is be able to read and write. Mooneyham said until constables have to meet the same qualifications and training that police officers must meet, they shouldn’t be able to exercise law enforcement powers. Mooneyham added that he believes constables should wear a specific uniform and drive a specific vehicle. He cited a recent traffic stop where a constable showed up in his personal car.
Constable Jim Gibbs, who has been the most outspoken against allowing commissioners to strip the powers of the constables, showed up late but just in time to question and start a heated exchange between himself and Mooneyham. Mooneyham asked Gibbs if he was recognized by the Tennessee POST Commission. Gibbs responded that it didn’t make any difference but that he was recognized by the Tennessee State Legislature as being a law enforcement officer whether Mooneyham liked it or not. Mooneyham told Gibbs that POST certification is required of all law enforcement officers in the state. After a couple more verbal exchanges, Executive Gannon asked for a motion. Commissioner Tony Neal made a motion to rescind the first reading. It was seconded by Jim Bush.
Mark Barker, Russell Reed, Jim Bush, Tony Neal, Clint Higgins voted yes to
rescind. Jimmy Mingle, Todd Hollandsworth, Bob Stoetzel, Kevin George, and
Kevin Mooneyham each voted not to rescind. The tie meant that Executive Gannon had to break the tie. He voted to rescind the first reading back in January.
Mooneyham then moved to consider the resolution on first reading. Jim Bush seconded. Mark Barker and Tony Neal voted no. Jimmy Mingle, Todd Hollandsworth, Bob Stoetzel, Kevin George, Clint Higgins, Jim Bush, Russell Reed and Kevin Mooneyham voted yes. The motion passed 8-to-2 on first reading to strip constables of law enforcement powers. It will become effective immediately if it passes the second and final reading in July.
Next, Executive Gannon gave a report of the formation of the County Audit Committee. A sample resolution was sent by the state. Gannon filled it out and sent it to the comptroller’s office for approval. Executive Gannon has not heard anything since then.
The commissioners did not reconsider the building code proposal brought up during the January meeting. Because of this, Cannon County will not get the maximum points on the point system for certain grants it applies for, and will have to reconsider the matter yearly to opt-out of the program each year as required by the state to do.
The Commissioners voted to name the bridge on Cavendar Road the Margie E. Vinson Memorial Bridge.
The next item was to rename the Cannon County County Fairgrounds the Joe Wimberly Memorial Fairgrounds. After this was put on the agenda, it was brought to County Executive Mike Gannon’s attention that the fairgrounds already had a name. Back in the late 40s early 50s the Lions Club helped the county purchase the property and has been known as the Lions Fairgrounds. Executive Gannon requested and got approval by the commission to check on the matter and come back with something in July.
After discussion of the working of two resolutions 2011-5 and 2011-6, which authorize the issuance, sale and payment of three year capital outlay notes, the commissioners approved each resolution separately.
Resolution 2011-5 replaces an ambulance with the cost of $77,500. Commissioners Barker, Mingle, Hollandsworth, George, Higgins and Neal voted for passage. Russell Reed, Jim Bush, Kevin Mooneyham and Bob Stoetzel voted no. The authorization was granted 6-4.
Resolution 2011-6 concerned the cost of $93,225 for the courthouse renovation project. Commissioners Barker, Mingle, Hollandsworth, George, Higgins and Neal voted yes. Commissioners Reed, Bush, Mooneyham and Stoetzel voted no. The authorization was granted by 6-4 approval.
The commissioners approved Kerry Hutchins to replace Joe Nichols on the Equalization Board. Nichols died recently. The commissioners voted 8-to-2, and the motion passed.
The commissioners approved Wade McMankins to replace James B. Jernigan on the Joint-Economic Community Development Board. The commissioners voted 8-to-2 and the motion passed.
John Naylor, Chief of the Westside Volunteer Fire Department, told commissioners that the county-owned pumper truck has been down due to water leakage problems. He said the truck will not hold water. Naylor got a bid of $10,000 to repair the truck and came before the commissioners to get permission, as they are over budget. It was decided that there should be more bids gathered to repair the truck before commissioners act on it.
Dr. Leon Reuhland addressed the commissioners about the domestic violence problem in the county. He backs the Cannon County SAVE program and urged the commission to budget $5,000 for the program in the upcoming budget.
Executive Gannon brought a resolution before the commissioners for a Farmers Market Building. Bruce Steelman is heading up the project. Neal Applebaum is helping put together the proposal for a Rural Business Enterprise Grant in the amount of $50,000 from USDA Rural Development. The County would contribute $15,000 of county funds upon awarding of the grant. The proposal calls for the building to be built next to the Arts Center of Cannon County. The Arts Center agreed to this on a 40 year lease. The motion was made by Mark Barker and seconded by Jimmy Mingle to grant permission to continue to apply for the grant. Commissioners Mooneyham, Stotezel, Reed, Bush and Neal voted no. Commissioners Barker, Mingle, Hollandsworth, George and Higgins voted yes. As a result of a 5-5 vote, County Executive Mike Gannon was called on to vote and he voted yes. If the grant is awarded, the contribution of $15,000 of the county funds would then have to be approved by the commission.
Commissioner Russell Reed reported that he has been approached by several residents of Burt Lane who are concerned that the road is named Burt Lane on one end and Conley Lane on the other. It has been requested to name the entire road Burt Lane. The concerns are that some emergency services might be confused and lost if called out on either road. Roy Parker, 911 Director, said in order to rename a road, it takes the commission’s approval. Todd Hollandsworth moved to defer the matter to the 911 Board, along with any other further road name changes, for their recommendation. The motion passed with only Commissioner Mooneyham voting no.
Sheriff Darrell Young would like to get the board’s permission to go forward with jail reconstruction. Gas heaters, tankless systems, air conditioners and other items need to be repaired or replaced. The money used would be from litigation taxes. The commissioners approved Sheriff Young to continue getting bids and estimates on the repairs and construction.