Fiscal Court Recap: August 9, 2021

Edmonson County Fiscal Court meets August 9, 2021.

Darren Doyle, story and photo:
A very brief meeting was held for Edmonson County Fiscal Court on Monday, August 9, 2021 in the upstairs courtroom of the Edmonson County Courthouse.

County Road Supervisor Greg Carroll reported multiple tile installations throughout the county and that both Brooks Road and the new lot on the south side of the courthouse were ready to be paved. He also said that mowing of right-of-ways was ongoing in District 6.

Sheriff Shane Doyle reported that a new part-time school resource officer was being hired soon. He said the individual was a certified officer that had served for Nashville Metro and other agencies.

The current jail report was read by Judge Executive Wil Cannon, which stated there were 26 county inmates currently housed at Hart County Jail. 

County Attorney Greg Vincent reported to the court that he had been asked to review a proposed ordinance from a citizen outlining requirements for lighting in subdivisions. Vincent said he would be more than happy to review; however, he presented a copy to each magistrate and asked them to review it first. He wanted to ensure that the fiscal court was interested in moving forward with such an ordinance before he reviewed it. He said if the court determined there would be no interest in the ordinance, there would be no need for him to review.

A.B. Webb, head of Edmonson County Parks and Rec, said that he is currently working with Edmonson County Schools to see that the new ECHS soccer teams (both boys and girls) will be able to play and practice at the county park in Chalybeate. Youth basketball leagues are also able to use school facilities and Webb said Parks has always had a good working relationship with the school system.

Judge Cannon added to Webb's report about the possibility of adding RV hookups at Chalybeate Park. He said several bring in RVs to the park for horseshoe tournaments and it might help draw more participants.

Cannon also updated the court on the current rec tax system, which charges entertainment facilities a .50 cent flat rate per ticket or admission sold. He said the rec tax commission was working on updates to the policy in order to make the tax rates more fair to all businesses.

He gave an example that compared a local karaoke business to the local ATV park. He said both pay the same .50 cents per admission; however, if the karaoke charges $5 per person, the business is paying a 10% tax on that admission. If the ATV park charges $250 for a weekend event, they still only pay .50 per admission, which is only 2/10ths of a percent tax. All funds from the county rec tax go to fund Edmonson County Parks and Rec.

The court also voted to:

• Acknowledge July BGWC Shelter Directors Report.
• Acknowledge July Dog Control CAD Report.
• Approve Sheriff’s July Monthly Fee Account Report, pending final audit.
• Approve to purchase 2005 Ford Expedition for Dog Control at $3900.00.
• Schedule Safety Meeting for September.
• Approve Joe Carl Daugherty pay increase from $10.24 to $13.00 per hour for Dog Control, effective 8/2/2021.
• Acknowledge Big Reedy Conservancy District 2021 Tax Rate.
• Acknowledge City of Brownsville 2021 Tax Rates.
• Acknowledge Edmonson County Public Library 2021 Tax Rates.
• Approve Resolution EC 21-20, Flex Road Agreement FY 2022.

The next fiscal court meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 23rd at 9AM in the upstairs room of the courthouse.