Special legislation sought by commission
HUNTSVILLE — County Commission has adopted two resolutions calling for the Tennessee General Assembly to: 1) enact legislation with regard to easing the burden on local taxpayers for major capital expenditures mandated by the state; and, 2) adopt a measure which would allow the O&W Road to be open to all motorized traffic, including ATVs.
The first request seeks a law which would have statewide implications, while the second would come in the form of a private act with a purely local application in an effort to counter action by the National Park Service set to take effect next month to eliminate ATV traffic on the O&W Road inside the boundaries of the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area.
The resolution calling for financial assistance from the state for major capital improvements stems from the county’s decision to invest millions of dollars in a jail and justice center complex — a move which has resulted from a mandate from the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Department of Corrections with regard to a deadline to permanently close the Scott County Jail due to fire and safety code violations.
County Mayor Rick Keeton brought the subject up for discussion during an informal meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee two weeks ago. The committee approved the idea and resolution was subsequently drafted and was approved by a 14-0 vote of the Commission Monday night.
The resolution asks State Representative Les Winningham and State Senator Tommy Kilby “to spearhead efforts to pass a new general law . . . which would relieve some of the financial burden of counties required to make large capital expenditures to local correctional facilities by order or mandate from the State of Tennessee . . . [and to] explore options available under the current laws which might relieve some of the financial burden on Scott County in its current construction.”
The commission has already voted to borrow up to $10 million for the construction of the Scott County Justice Center, and spiraling costs could see the figure go even higher.
As representatives of local all terrain vehicle clubs looked on Monday night, the commissioners also approved a resolution calling for the introduction of a private act in the Tennessee General Assembly to designate the O&W Road in Scott County open to all motorized vehicles, including ATVs.
Winningham and Kilby are being asked to sponsor legislation to open the road “from its intersection with Verdun Road to the Fentress County line, to all forms of motor vehicles, including recreational vehicles, and that they work with Scott County Mayor Rick Keeton and County Attorney John Beaty in drafting this legislation.”
That action, which was approved by a 13-1 vote, followed an explanation by Mayor Keeton, who said similar steps have been taken elsewhere to open roads to ATV traffic.
He said that while he sympathizes with the plight of ATV’ers along this section of road in Fentress County, “Scott County can only do what we can do in Scott County.”
He went on to say that the private act being sought is “very specific” to a particular road and “does not affect other roads in the county.”
Third District Commissioner Joel Newport cast the lone dissenting vote on the resolution, explaining beforehand that he did not want to do anything to increase ATV traffic on county roads due to the dust, noise and other factors.
In other business Monday night, the Commission:
• Approved by a vote of 10-4 a motion by Seventh District Commissioner Willie Boyatt to contract for dental services for Scott County Jail inmates at a rate of $500 per month in an effort to correct a discrepancy noted during a recent inspection by the State Corrections Department;
• Voted to approve a four-member committee to review, along with the county attorney, contracts submitted by subcontractors for the Scott County Justice Center project before they are submitted to Mayor Keeton and Finance Director Keith Jeffers for final approval. Named to that committee were Commissioners Ron Blevins, Gerry Garrett, Alan Reed and Paul Strunk;
• Authorized Mayor Keeton to execute a Tennessee Department of Transportation grant contract in the amount of $312,500 for the Carta Vista Program for tourist promotional purposes to create a virtual map of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, provided the required $62,500 local match can be taken from federal grant funds already earmarked for the project;
• Voted to authorize the purchase of turkeys, averaging 14 pounds, for each county employee for the Christmas holiday;
• Approved a donation of $1,500 to the Unicorn Fund for the purchase of Christmas gifts for needy children in Scott County, in a program overseen by employees of the Department of Children’s Services;
• Voted to put to record a list of attendees at a public hearing held on the future use of the Capital Hill Help Center, as well as petition bearing the signature of some 288 residents of the Capital Hill community who are opposed to the use of the facility for drug rehabilitation purposes;
• Authorized the issuance of a capital outlay note in the amount of $18,725 to purchase a refueling tanker for use at the Scott County Airport with increased fuel costs be used to retire the debt;
• Gave Mayor Keeton the authority to renew two contracts with the LaFollette Housing Authority for compensation to the county for Sheriff’s Department patrols in the housing complexes in Huntsville and Helenwood;
• Voted 12-2 to approve a motion by Fifth District Commissioner Rothel “Tub” Cross to allow a name change of Thunder Valley Road to Stine Hollow Road in the Fifth District;
• Approved a request by Mayor Keeton to move both the Commission’s monthly work session and its regular meeting up one week next month due to the New Year’s and Martin Luther King holidays. The work session will by held on Jan. 8, and the regular commission meeting will be held on Jan. 22, as a result of that vote;
• Voted 11-3 to approve a request by Seventh District Commissioner Mike Slaven to provide the commissioners with quarterly reports on budget amendments, rather than continue with the practice of providing the paperwork on a monthly basis;
• Voted 13-1 to approve a motion by Slaven to ask the Information Technology Committee to research the feasibility of reducing paperwork with the purchase of laptop computers for each commissioner;
• Voted 11-3 to approve a motion by Boyatt to eliminate a roll call vote to put the minutes of committee meetings to public records;
• Voted to accept a list of 13 paid holidays for county employees for the upcoming calendar year as submitted by County Mayor Keeton;
• Voted 10-4 to approve the minutes of the Scott County Beer Board’s recent meeting in which a permit was issued to Ralph Pemberton for beer sales at the Dead Zone in South Scott County; and,
• Heard reports from Oneida Special School District Director of Schools Henry Baggett, and Scott County Director of Schools Mike Davis.