At the March meeting, Union County Commission unanimously approved a budget amendment to allow the county to pay $45,000 toward the match for two Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grants.
Union County would partner with Maynardville City, Horticulture Lighting Group, and the state of Tennessee to obtain a total of $653,537 to expand and upgrade the Maynardville water and sewer infrastructure. This public/private partnership would enable Horticulture Lighting Group to expand and employ some 500 people over five years. The grants would also provide water and sewer for the building of some 95 homes that will generate over $100,000 annually in new property tax revenue.
The county portion will use money from the second Local Government Grant that comes due in August to reimburse the capital project money used now to apply for the grants. The rest of the $180,000 match will be funded by Maynardville City ($90,000) and Horticulture Lighting Group ($45,000). During the discussion Commissioner Larry Lay suggested that the various utility districts that serve Union County come together and formulate a plan to bring water to all parts of Union County. Mike Chesney, Maynardville City Manager, commented that the City of Maynardville is capable of expanding service to more of the county if funding can be provided through grants or other sources.
Another budget amendment that received approval provided for the purchase of a replacement ambulance for $180,000 using the ambulance service fund balance ($129,500), transportation equipment funds($50,000), and insurance recovery money($500).
The commission approved Donald Jay (D Jay) Taylor to be the Union County Veteran’s Service Officer, due to the resignation of Eddie Thompson for health reasons. Commissioner Keck as well as Mayor Bailey related Thompson's gratitude for the privilege of serving Union County veterans and their families. Staff Sergeant Taylor wants to open the Veteran Service Office two to three nights weekly and all day on Saturday. He also plans to offer suicide prevention training and benefits training for spouses, among other services.
Under contracts, commission gave a positive vote for the renegotiated contract with KONE, Inc., which services the courthouse elevator. Carrie Cook, the county purchasing agent, found the amount being paid under the former contract was too high. The new contract at a cost of $3,600 annually is nearly half of the former amount. The mayor and commission thanked Cook for her diligence.
Sheriff Billy Breeding reported the statistics for February as 709 calls,three wrecks with injury, 23 wrecks without injury, 104 booked into jail, 111 released from jail, and 59 for the current jail population, mainly due to the guidelines for nonviolent crimes under the pandemic.
The commission gave Mayor Bailey the authorization in a resolution to apply for the HOME Grant for FY22 which will provide $500,000 to renovate or rebuild homes, including mobile homes. An independent committee from the state determines the eligibility of applicants and who receives the grant. Local officials are not involved in any decisions once the grant application is approved by the state and federal governments.
In regard to grants, the County Mayor’s Report noted that Union County is currently processing these grants: Safe Route to Schools, Home Grant, Local Government Grant #1, Tourism Enhancement Grant, Community Development Block Grant, Farmers Market Grant, TCAC, and Rent Assistance Grant.
Upcoming grant possibilities include nearly $4M from the American Rescue Plan to most likely be used for broadband across the county.
Completed projects include the jail plumbing upgrade, the unioncountytn.gov website with all departments on the site, painting at the Union County Senior Center complex, and repairs at the Veterans Wall.
Also in the report, Mayor Bailey called attention to the sales tax revenue which increased by 87% from February 2019 to February 2021. In addition the mayor noted that Census 2020 shows a growth for Union County of 4.5 percent, meaning the population will be nearly 20,000.
Finally, the mayor explained that with the results of the census comes the review of political districts. Mayor Bailey will appoint the Redistricting Committee (one commissioner from each district ) in April. The committee will meet when the data is available in October and report the recommendations to Union County Commission in November for a final decision on redistricting by December 31, 2021.
Although no new or old business appeared on the agenda, Commissioner Larry Lay wanted to revisit concerns over the Paulette Fire Department. Discussion centered around what could be done regarding no county fire department in fourth and sixth districts since the Paulette Fire Department is now a subscription service that charges a membership fee of a minimum of $75.
One person commented that Paulette Fire Department may no longer be a 501(c)4, but may have to become an LLC. Another commissioner noted and the sheriff verified that Paulette FD is invoicing the Sheriff’s Department if Paulette provides a firetruck or emergency personnel to a wreck.
In addition, another commented that Paulette FD has a bill collector who files lawsuits and collects from the insurance companies of fire victims who did not pay the initial membership fee. According to several commissioners, this practice has occurred both in the fourth and sixth political districts as well as other areas where Paulette was the only department that responded.
The county attorney stated that without county established fire districts, the county is limited as far as what can be done. The commission approved a motion to have the county attorney, David Myers, write a letter to request the financial and corporate status of Paulette Fire Department, the members of the board of directors, the by-laws, the charter, and the authority for their charging a subscription.
As the meeting adjourned, Mayor Bailey asked commissioners to review the information regarding using $50,000 of the hotel/motel tax to either become a partner and invest or simply contribute to a concert sponsored by the Union County Fair.
The next commission meeting will be on April 26 at 7 p.m. at the courthouse.