Mayor Jason Bailey reported that he had received complaints of harassment from some county employees and public officials. Since County Attorney David Myers is a contracted employee, he could not offer advice due to a conflict of interest.
Bailey consulted H. Stephen Gillman, attorney from Pryor Priest Harbor, who is also representing the county in the lawsuit brought by the Union County Historical Society.
From the wording in the letter that Gillman addressed to Bailey as a representative of the Financial Management Committee, someone had been seeking information from the finance director that was not considered the routine public information, had been questioning other department members outside the normal chain of command, and requesting information “off the record”.
Then this person or persons used conversations and social media to disseminate misinformation. The letter clarified that commissioners are private citizens when not seated at an authorized county meeting and that the practice of communicating outside the standard could cause misinformation, violate the open meeting law, splinter the chain of command or even trigger a lawsuit under the tort of false light invasion of privacy.
Finally, any official or employee who refuses to follow the regulations as stated in TCA 5-21-125 commits a Class C misdemeanor and is subject to removal from office or position. The letter also warned that any official acting outside the regulations and communicating outside the standard would be considered acting contrary to the expectations and opinions of Union County and would be subject to the consequences outlined in the law.
Bailey summed it up by saying “You have the letter. Be careful what you say and what you do because you might find yourself and Union County in a lawsuit.”
The mayor updated several grants. The county maintenance department will install playground equipment purchased through the Access to Health grant at Sharps Chapel Park in the bottom land near the front of the park, probably over the next two weeks.
The Safe Routes to School Grant to provide a paved pedestrian access route from Luttrell School to LaFollette Housing is still being reviewed by the state. The CDBG proposal to provide turnout gear to all fire departments was declined and therefore not funded by the state.
Property owned by the county on Durham Drive next to Union County High school is being reviewed for a site for the Farmers Market. County maintenance and UCHS Building Trades have nearly completed renovations on the community buildings. The Union County Senior Building will receive a new roof.
A portion of the Luttrell Industrial Park is in the process of being purchased by a Mr. Mink. Another part of the same industrial park is being reviewed for a sports facility.
The new phone system is on track to save over $13,000, and the Eshare has added $7,659.15 to the Drug Fund
The Veterans Place Wall has been restored and will be rededicated along with the flagpole provided by the late Donna Jones, former Assessor of Property, on Saturday, November 2, at 2 p.m.
Sheriff Billy Breeding reported for September that his office received 781 calls, worked 11 wrecks with injury and 24 wrecks without injury, booked into the jail 138, released 142, and currently has a jail population of 90.
Chief Deputy Melissa Brown gave the financial report for Director Ann Dyer.
All budgets are in range and correct for the time frame of the fiscal year. All Budget Amendments were approved.
Ray Butler, Tennessee Forestry Technician, updated commission regarding improvements at Chuck Swan State Forest and the Wildlife Management Area. Tennessee Forestry Service purchased a Cat 120 road grader, two heavy duty John Deere tractors, and a Cat 420 backhoe.
Butler called Chuck Swan the state's crown jewel in wildlife areas due to having a variety of land forms that include ridges and wide valleys on nearly 27,000 acres. He reported all roads are open and currently in good shape. Two full-time forestry employees and an area forester serve Union County.
The current office is on Fox Hunter Road. A forestry work center to include an emergency management staging area is planned at a cost of $1.75 million in state money to be used to fight fires and manage the forests for Union County. Plans call for a 400 square feet conference room, equipment storage, restrooms with showers, office space, and three 1500 square feet bays. Equipment will include two bulldozers and a truck for hauling equipment.
Butler expressed a concern that the area has no public water source, and sought the advice of commission regarding potential water sources. He is researching the possibility of drilling a well and has talked with Darren Cardwell from Hallsdale-Powell regarding a water line with an estimated cost of $555,000.
Commissioners asked the mayor to explore the possibility of securing a Community Development Block Grant to install the water line. The mayor will be meeting with grant writers this week.
Commission approved Charles Dale (Kermie) Holloway's constable bond with a date change to August 2020 because the constable position must be on the 2020 ballot. Holloway is filling an unexpired term by appointment and could then run for election to the office of constable in 2020.
In previous meetings, the mayor has noted the lack of regulations regarding the rental of county buildings. He has proposed a policy and asked the commissioners to offer their opinions.
Currently, at least two county buildings are being used by a long-term verbal agreement at no cost to the individuals involved. The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd has used the Sharps Chapel Center for nearly four years. The food pantry has been distributing from Cedar Grove, but no verification of their nonprofit status was available. Utility costs exceeded $4000 for the buildings last year.
The consensus of the commission was that individuals should pay for using the buildings and no one should have a long-term agreement. With this in mind, Commission approved the current rental payment of $40 per day to begin on January 1, 2020. This policy would nullify any long-term agreements.
The mayor was asked to bring a proposal to be discussed at the November meeting regarding setting a more complete rental policy for county buildings and parks. The mayor expressed his desire to have a more comprehensive policy in place before January. The motion was made by Jeff Brantley and seconded by Jody Smith. Kenny Hill (5th) voted to pass, but all others voted for the motion. Jeff Chesney was absent.
The commission also took affirmative action on the Fiscal Confirmation letter for ThreeStar, a state community development program. Accepting the letter verifies that commissioners are aware of the financial status of the county and the cash flow to cover any debts or programs outlined in the ThreeStar plan. All voted for the proposal except Dawn Flatford who passed since she was absent from the meeting when the original ThreeStar plan was discussed.
In routine order, the minutes and one notary were approved. There were no Public Comments.
The next meeting of the commission is Monday, November 25, at 7 p.m. to discuss Rules and Regulations for Community Buildings and Parks and changing the date for the December meeting.