CC Notes – July 15th 2013
All members were present for the July meeting of the Board of Commissioners except for Nancy Hyder and Roy Turner. After the invocation, Pledge to the Flag, roll call, and approval of minutes, comments by the general public began with Ed Camera of CoLinx informing the Commission that all issues were finalized with their expansion project and that ground breaking was scheduled for August 1, 2013. I am glad to have had the opportunity as a part of the Commission to help CoLinx with the PILOT program so they can move forward in adding jobs to our local economy.
Next, Brad Allamong, the new President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, spoke stating the he would do what it takes to move our community ahead. Andrew Benson thanked the Commission for helping to rename the bridge spanning Daddy’s Creek on Highway 70E the Sgt. Morgan W. Strader Memorial Bridge. The renaming of the bridge was addressed by the Commission back in October of 2012 and was finally completed this month.
The last to address the Commission was the new Director of Schools, Donald Andrews. He spoke of his desire to work with the Commission toward the betterment of the children of Cumberland County.
Resolutions
John Kinnunen and Carla French were unanimously reappointed to the Crossville/Cumberland County Convention and Visitors Bureau with their terms to expire June 30, 2016. Mr. Kinnunen passed on the vote. An agreement with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and Cumberland County was pass that allows TDEC to continue renting office space in the bottom of the courthouse for $350 per month. Doris Tollett’s offer to purchase property from the delinquent tax rolls was approved 15 – 1 with Commissioner Carter voting against. Jason Sitton, Sonya M. Rimmer, and James Stewart were approved to purchase property from the delinquent tax rolls as well, with Carter voting against and Rimmer abstaining.
In an 11 – 5 vote, the Commission voted to approve an agreement with Dr. Mark Fox to detail his duties with Cumberland County as the Medical Director. Dr. Fox has been the Cumberland County Medical Director for some time. This agreement formally spells out the responsibilities between the parties and made the position part-time. I voted for the agreement as did Brian Houston, Harry Sabine, Caroline Knight, David Hassler, Charles Seiber, Joe Koester, Larry Allen, Terry Carter, Jeff Brown, and John Kinnunen. Voting against was Johnny Presley, Jan McNeil, Mike Harvel, Sonya Rimmer and Carmin Lynch.
Last month, the Commission granted approval of easements for utility work in the downtown area for the project the City is working on for downtown improvement. As it turns out, the actual deeds have to be signed, so the Commission approved a resolution allowing the County Mayor to sign them. The resolution passed 13 – 3, with Presley, Harvel, and Rimmer voting against.
Financial Report
The final numbers for the just closed fiscal year have yet to be captured, but the Finance Department is working hard to do so. At this point, it appears that sales tax will not be enough to cover BOE allocations, but property taxes may make up for the shortfall. I will provide more information as it comes available.
At this point, the County Commission recessed the meeting to go in to a closed session with the County Attorney. You may have heard about the issues we are having with keeping our antennas for emergency services in place on Renegade Mountain. For various reasons, the antennas have been moved back in forth in the area and need to find a permanent home. After our closed session, the meeting was resumed and a motion was passed directing the County Attorney to move forward with legal options for acquiring rights to place the antennas on the water tower. This is something that must be resolved quickly in order to maintain reliable communications for the safety of our emergency personnel in the county. The motion was passed unanimously.
Your feedback is important to me. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to give me a call or send me an email. Thank you for allowing me to serve the 4th District and Cumberland County.
Sincerely
Allen Foster
Board of Commissioners
4th District Representative
http://allenfoster.net
allenfoster.com 