[0:06] All right, good evening, ladies and
gentlemen.
[0:09] We're going ahead and start the admin
committee for the month of August 2026.
[0:13] Thanks everyone for attending tonight. Uh,
first order of business is our roll call.
[0:18] Second item is the roll call, and, uh,
[0:21] let the record show that all members are
present except for Commissioner Brandon
[0:25] Nutt. And so in his absence, Commissioner
Scott Saunders is sitting in.
[0:30] Thank you for doing that.
[0:31] And that said, we'll go to our next item,
which is the approval of the agenda.
[0:36] I need a motion to approve it. I have it
from Mr. Grooms. I have a second from Mr.
[0:41] Miller. Any discussion on the agenda?
Seeing none, we'll vote. All in favor say
[0:46] Seeing none, we'll vote. All in favor say
aye.
[0:46] Aye.
[0:46] Any opposed? Okay, we have an agenda.
Thank you for that.
[0:50] Next item on the agenda is the approval of
the July 2026 meeting minutes.
[0:54] Unless there's any changes or additions,
those will stand as presented.
[0:57] And seeing no lights, those will stand as
presented. Thank you for that.
[1:01] Next item on the agenda is the legislative
report.
[1:04] Mayor Butt, you have the floor, ma'am.
[1:06] Thank you.
[1:08] We had that report at the last full
commission meeting, and in September,
[1:12] the county mayors across the state will
meet and we will set our legislative
[1:16] meet and we will set our legislative
agenda.
[1:16] So when that agenda is set, I will
certainly come back and report to all of
[1:21] certainly come back and report to all of
you.
[1:21] Thank you.
[1:22] All right, any questions for the mayor?
Seeing none, we'll move forward.
[1:26] That's the public comment.
[1:28] Uh, anybody wishing to speak back public
comment can come forward.
[1:32] Is there anybody signed up for public
comment? All right, thank you.
[1:37] So in light of that, we won't read the
statement unless somebody does.
[1:42] Next item on the agenda are the notaries,
and that will go to Vice Chair Miller.
[1:47] You You have the floor, sir. Thank you,
Mr. Chairman.
[1:51] This month's notary list includes Machen
Nicholas Azar Jr.,
[1:56] Joseph Demarest Jr., Lisa Dyer, Natasha
Inglett,
[2:01] Maria Mayta Fuentes, Anna Gabriela Gomez,
Dora A.
[2:06] Gonzalez, Alicia G.
[2:07] Hickman, Demi Lamp, Kimberly Reed, Janet
Ruiz,
[2:12] Paula Lee Thompson, And renewal applicants
are
[2:16] Lamita S.
[2:17] Atkinson, Leslie Hazard, Mark Elliott
Munkris,
[2:20] Lawrence Michael Nobles, Cassie Sisk, and
Stephanie D.
[2:24] Webster.
[2:25] That is in the form of motion.
[2:26] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[2:27] Thank you. I have a motion. Does it have a
second? I have a second from Mr. Grooms.
[2:30] I do have one light. Mr. Bridenbaugh, your
light's on, sir. You're up.
[2:32] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[2:33] Just as an acknowledgment, one of the
names on this list is an employee of our
[2:38] names on this list is an employee of our
firm.
[2:38] Condition of her employment and any
employment in our firm is to either be a
[2:42] employment in our firm is to either be a
notary
[2:42] or get licensed as a notary.
[2:44] As that is a condition of employment,
[2:46] it's not any personal benefit to me in any
way.
[2:48] I will not be recusing myself and will be
voting on the motion.
[2:51] Understood. Thank you for that. Any other—
I do have another light.
[2:56] Who's on the floor? Mr. Dobies.
[2:58] Thank you, Chairman.
[2:59] Yeah, I just wanted to say that that was
all appropriate and correct, sir.
[3:02] All right.
[3:02] Thank you.
[3:03] Yep.
[3:04] All right. Seeing no other lights, we'll
vote. All in favor say aye. Aye.
[3:07] Any opposed? All right. That passes. Thank
you for that.
[3:10] Next item on the agenda is the library
report, and our director is here. Come on
[3:14] report, and our director is here. Come on
up.
[3:16] Good evening. You saw my report. Do you
have any questions?
[3:20] Any questions for Meghan? Seeing none.
[3:24] We did wrap up our summer reading over
the,
[3:26] over the weekend on Saturday at Murray
County Park. We had a foam party.
[3:30] Quotes from kids were, best day ever. So
they had a blast.
[3:34] We had 150 people show up for our event
and we're killing it.
[3:37] So last fiscal year we had 700 programs,
even with the closure,
[3:41] that we offered to the community. And
we're ready to keep on going.
[3:45] So thank you for your support.
[3:46] All right.
[3:48] All right.
[3:48] What else you got?
[3:50] There's—
[3:50] I got a whole list on here.
[3:51] Uh, well, the next part—
[3:53] The next thing I've got is the library
board application of, uh, let's see.
[3:58] I'm sorry, Mr. Strand, your light was on.
Go ahead, sir.
[4:01] I just have a quick question. Um, I've had
concern from some, some folks.
[4:06] When are we going to have our, uh,
security guy back?
[4:09] He's, he's back.
[4:10] He's back now?
[4:11] Mm-hmm.
[4:11] Good.
[4:12] Thank you.
[4:12] He has been.
[4:13] Thank you, Chair.
[4:13] He's there for open hours.
[4:14] All right. The next item on my list is the
library board application of Tonya
[4:22] Burgett. So I guess, does the chair want
to come up and make that recommendation?
[4:29] And then we'll— of the board? I'm sorry?
Okay, I'm looking at the document list.
[4:37] I'm sorry. All right, well, yeah, let me
do that and go ahead and go back then,
[4:45] guys.
[4:45] So, um, we have an applicant that is here
tonight, Tanya Burdette.
[4:51] All right, Tanya Burdette, and that is the
name that the board— as far as,
[4:57] uh, that's the only application you have
received? All right.
[5:02] The floor is open for any other additional
nominations or to move her
[5:08] forward. I'm sorry?
[5:10] City.
[5:11] City. I need a motion to move her forward.
[5:17] So moved.
[5:17] I have a motion from Mr. Bridenbaugh. I'll
second it. Any other nominations?
[5:24] No.
[5:24] All right. We'll vote to move her to the
full commission. All in favor say aye.
[5:29] full commission. All in favor say aye.
Aye.
[5:29] Any opposed? All right, that takes care of
that. Thank you.
[5:32] Let me— now we will go back to item B
here.
[5:35] I'm looking at a computer and a piece of
paper.
[5:37] Approval of the amended library swap
resolution.
[5:40] We do have the Mount Pleasant attorney and
city manager here.
[5:43] Y'all come on up and tell us what we got
going on.
[5:46] Finance director.
[5:48] I'm sorry, finance director. Sorry,
finance director.
[5:51] Good afternoon, Mayor and commissioners.
[5:53] So This is the library swap that we
negotiated last year,
[5:57] I think in November or December with the
full commission.
[6:00] Um, and what's happening is Murray County
is building a new library on what is
[6:05] Howard Field in Mount Pleasant.
[6:07] And then when that new library is built,
then, uh,
[6:10] y'all give the current Mount Pleasant
library back to Mount Pleasant.
[6:15] So that's what the existing MOU said. That
came through kind of Quickly.
[6:19] Um, after that, we started ironing out the
details.
[6:22] And so the new agreement and what has
actually been approved in your budget is
[6:27] actually been approved in your budget is
that
[6:27] Howard Field is a big property. It
currently has a baseball field on it.
[6:32] So half of that, roughly half of that
property would be deeded to Murray County
[6:37] property would be deeded to Murray County
for
[6:37] the use of the library, for the
construction and use of the library.
[6:41] And then on the other side,
[6:43] Murray County would build a softball field
to replace the existing baseball field
[6:48] that's there.
[6:49] Okay.
[6:49] It also has a dog park that Mount Pleasant
will continue to own.
[6:53] And so, like I said, y'all did pass the
MOU.
[6:56] You've already had most of these items in
your budget,
[6:59] but the MOU does not reflect the actual
plan that's in place and already moving
[7:04] forward. So the first thing on y'all's
agenda is an amended MOU.
[7:08] The changes to that document are that
Howard Field will be split in half,
[7:13] and that's going before the Mount Pleasant
Planning Commission this month.
[7:17] Yes.
[7:19] Um, like I said, one side will be for the
library and a parking lot,
[7:23] and then any future improvements that
y'all might want to do.
[7:26] The other side, the county—
[7:28] it says the county will build the softball
field and then Mount Pleasant will
[7:32] maintain that softball field.
[7:34] Um, there's also a dog park will continue
to be owned and maintained by Mount
[7:39] Pleasant. And then there's an existing
restroom on that property that will be
[7:43] continually maintained by Murray County.
[7:46] Um, So that is the changes to the MOU
that's there.
[7:49] And the second resolution is to accept the
deed to the portion of the property that
[7:53] is going to have the library on it.
[7:56] All right. I'm assuming we're going to
take these separately, but I need—
[7:59] I want to go to the attorney first. Mark,
go ahead.
[8:01] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[8:03] I just want to make a very sort of
30,000-foot view comment, which is that
[8:08] 30,000-foot view comment, which is that
I'm—
[8:08] this precedes me, but there's been a lot
of due diligence and a lot of hard work
[8:13] from Prior county attorney and Corey, and
they've coordinated a lot.
[8:17] So there's a lot of thought and blood,
sweat into this one.
[8:21] So, you know, I looked over everything,
and I think the documents look great.
[8:26] And, you know, from the standpoint of what
we saw prior, I think this is, you know,
[8:31] I kind of bless it from my office
standpoint.
[8:34] All right.
[8:35] Well, my question to you is, so we have
multiple items here,
[8:38] the approval of the amended library swap
resolution, the amended MOU,
[8:41] quitclaim deed, and the library deed CMP
to Murray County.
[8:44] Do we take that all as one action or do
everything as a separate action?
[8:48] Okay, so the first action is the approval
of the MOU.
[8:51] I have a motion from Commissioner Sumner,
a second from Commissioner Grooms.
[8:55] Any discussion on this? I do have a light
on. Commissioner Strand, you're up, sir.
[8:59] Thank you, Chair.
[9:03] Say we're going to build a softball
diamond. I, I've been out there.
[9:07] I know that the ground's flat. Should be
fairly easy from that perspective.
[9:12] But when you say softball, softball
diamond, does that mean bathrooms,
[9:16] refreshment stands, bleachers, and
lighting?
[9:19] There is already a restroom there, so that
restroom is staying.
[9:22] There's already been a site plan approved
through Mount Pleasant.
[9:26] It looks small, but there is just a
softball field.
[9:28] It really abuts up to the property right
there.
[9:31] I don't think that there's anything else
other than the softball field,
[9:35] but that was not— I think that would be
what was in y'all's budget.
[9:41] Again, my question, lighting?
[9:43] I don't know.
[9:45] Well, but we're using half the field,
[9:48] so the lights aren't all on that part of
the field.
[9:52] There's no refreshment stand except that
little ghetto thing back in the
[9:57] corner. Is that included for us to build
that as well?
[10:05] The removal of the baseball field and the
adding in the softball field is all that
[10:09] the MOU states. I was not part of this,
um,
[10:12] original discussion about the softball
field.
[10:14] So I'm not sure what y'all have approved
as far as what's in your budget to go
[10:18] forward. I don't think there's anything
other than the softball field itself.
[10:23] Is that correct?
[10:24] Hang on, Mr. Grooms, let me turn on your
light there.
[10:32] Go ahead.
[10:32] The softball field's in the GMP with
bleachers,
[10:35] with everything that comes with a softball
field.
[10:37] If you don't have bleachers, you don't
have a concession stand,
[10:40] then it's not a softball field.
[10:41] Yeah, and they've got bleachers out there
already.
[10:43] Yeah, so I mean, so all of that was in— is
in the GMP, and all of that was—
[10:48] has already been discussed.
[10:50] Okay, okay, thank you. All right, Mr.
Grooms, your light is on. You were up
[10:55] Grooms, your light is on. You were up
next.
[10:56] Um, no, I was just going to be in response
to Okay, that's all I got then.
[11:01] Yes, Commissioner Koslawinski, you're up,
sir. Thank you, Chairman.
[11:05] Uh, just a real quick question.
[11:07] So I understand this, um,
[11:08] Mount Pleasant is going to maintain the
softball field and the dog park,
[11:12] and so Murray County is just going to be
just responsible for maintaining the
[11:16] bathrooms out there and the library? And
the library.
[11:19] And another thing I forgot to mention is
the parking lot will be on the library
[11:23] property, the one that's owned by Murray
County.
[11:25] But it also says in the MOU that both
Mount Pleasant and Murray County can use
[11:29] Mount Pleasant and Murray County can use
that
[11:29] parking lot for the softball field and for
the library.
[11:32] Okay.
[11:33] I don't know.
[11:34] It seems kind of odd to me to—
[11:35] for the county to take responsibility of
the bathrooms if it's going to be for the
[11:39] softball field, but maybe I'm
misunderstanding something there.
[11:43] It seems like— It's on our side of the
line.
[11:45] It's on our side.
[11:45] Okay.
[11:46] Very good. Well, then that answers it.
[11:48] I don't think that's— I'm not sure that
that's accurate.
[11:50] Yeah, I thought the bathrooms were Right
there by the parking area.
[11:55] Oh, I'll have to look at the subdivision
plat,
[11:59] but I believe that the softball—
[12:03] the line is drawn to where the restroom
that exists is
[12:08] going to be on the Mount Pleasant portion.
[12:12] Oh, then I raise my question again.
[12:18] Thank you, Chairman.
[12:19] All right, uh, Commissioner Morrow, you're
up, sir.
[12:20] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[12:22] Uh, does that— is that field even— does it
even have lights?
[12:25] Uh, best I recall, that was a practice
field.
[12:28] I don't know that it's even got lights.
[12:30] Okay. All right, I don't see any other
lights.
[12:34] So from the motion for the approval of the
amended library swap resolutions, uh,
[12:41] motion by Commissioner Sumner, seconded by
Commissioner Grooms.
[12:46] All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed?
All right, then that one passes.
[12:52] Oh, yeah, that can go on the consent
agenda. Is that correct, Mark?
[12:58] Or does that need to go to budget? I mean,
or just does it need to be standalone?
[13:05] There's no money.
[13:06] Well, I mean, but can it be on the full
commission consent agenda?
[13:11] Okay, well, we won't. All right, next item
is the amended MOU.
[13:16] I need a motion to approve it. I have it
from Commissioner, um, Grooms.
[13:22] I need a second. I have it from
Commissioner Miller.
[13:26] Any discussion or questions on that? All
right, seeing no lights, we'll vote.
[13:32] All in favor say aye.
[13:33] Aye.
[13:34] Any opposed? That passes. Item D, the
quitclaim deed.
[13:38] I need a motion to approve and a second. I
have a motion from Commissioner Grooms.
[13:44] I'll second it. Any discussion on that?
All right, there's a light.
[13:49] Commissioner Bridenbaugh, you're up, sir.
[13:52] Mr. Chairman, just for clarity, I think
there's, there's 2 documents related.
[13:57] One is the actual deed and one is a
resolution.
[14:00] Are we voting on these 2 together or
separate?
[14:03] The way the Agenda as written, Item D is
the quitclaim deed.
[14:08] If this is— if we're talking about the
deed itself, I do have a question on that.
[14:13] All right, go ahead.
[14:14] And just for clarification, in the last
paragraph of the deed,
[14:18] in the reverter clause,
[14:20] it says that in the event the new library
has not been completed within 2 years from
[14:25] the commencement of construction, and my
question is,
[14:29] that's kind of a broad statement.
[14:31] What is considered completion What is
considered commencement of construction?
[14:36] Is it when the equipment shows up? Is it
when they first turn dirt?
[14:40] Completion is certificate of occupancy or
unlocking the doors?
[14:44] That's a pretty broad statement for a
reverter clause if Mount Pleasant is going
[14:50] reverter clause if Mount Pleasant is going
to
[14:50] take it back.
[14:51] I agree with all of those comments.
[14:52] I copied that language directly from the
existing MOU,
[14:55] so I didn't feel comfortable answering
that question without guidance from this.
[15:00] And I don't know, it I admire your work,
Corey.
[15:03] I mean, we know each other and, and, um, I
don't want to overly detail it,
[15:08] but I do know things like that can come
back to bite if they're not detailed.
[15:13] At least there's an understanding of what
the start and finish identifiers are.
[15:18] I think a certificate of occupancy is a
good finish line.
[15:21] I would agree with that statement. What
about commencement?
[15:27] I think they're about to build, to move
dirt here in a same permit, you know,
[15:32] a building permit or—
[15:33] And as long as the commission knows what
timeline they're working under is what I'm
[15:37] concerned with.
[15:37] And we can revise that, you know, in—
[15:40] we can revise it in the deed without
revising it in the MOU.
[15:44] But I just was tracking the language that
we already have.
[15:47] I appreciate that. I'll leave that up to
the county attorney.
[15:51] And Mark, your light was on.
[15:52] Go ahead.
[15:52] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[15:53] Yeah, I think that's a very good point.
[15:55] Is it something that we would do—
[15:57] is it too hasty to do a verbal amendment
to change it now,
[16:00] or is it something we can do in a later
committee to change?
[16:03] Do it now?
[16:04] Okay.
[16:05] Okay.
[16:05] So you wish to make an amendment to add
language, or—
[16:08] Mr. Sumner is going to straighten it out.
[16:11] I would be more comfortable changing the
language if I could work with the county
[16:16] attorney or let him work on his own and
have it for the full commission.
[16:21] We don't have to rewrite it now,
[16:23] but I would like a definitive start and
ending event, not necessarily a date,
[16:28] but event. Okay.
[16:29] Mr. Saunders, did you want to add to that?
[16:30] No, no, I just have a question about this.
[16:33] Go ahead, you're up.
[16:34] The attachment here that says library deed
CMP to Murray County,
[16:39] that's just an attachment to the actual
resolution, correct?
[16:43] Okay, so it's not— it's, it's the actual
deed For the attachment to the,
[16:49] to the resolution. Okay. Thank you.
[16:52] You're passing.
[16:52] We're not, we're not voting on this twice.
[16:54] I think that's what you have. 2
resolutions. The first one was approving
[16:57] resolutions. The first one was approving
the MOU.
[16:58] The second one approves the deed. Okay.
[17:00] And, uh, I mean, I don't know, does he do
these things?
[17:05] Things need to go through budget.
[17:08] There's no money, anything monetarily
there, but I mean, Okay. Thank you.
[17:15] Yeah, he just said no. He just— go ahead.
[17:18] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[17:19] Yeah, I mean, my, um, I'm with
Commissioner Bridenbaugh on this,
[17:22] and maybe 3 of us can sort of get together
and work out some language before full
[17:27] commission. It's okay, up to you,
commission, of course.
[17:30] All right, I don't see any other lights.
[17:33] I have a motion from Commissioner Grooms,
second from Commissioner Previti.
[17:37] All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed?
All right, that passes. Thank you.
[17:41] Next item is the library deed CMP to
Murray County. I need a motion to move
[17:46] Murray County. I need a motion to move
that.
[17:46] I have it from Commissioner Grooms. I need
a second.
[17:49] I have a second from Commissioner Miller.
Any discussion on that?
[17:53] No.
[17:55] All right, we have none. All in favor say
aye. Wait a minute, I do have a light on.
[17:59] Commissioner Grody, you're up. I see you
now.
[18:01] We got 3 attorneys in the room and I'm not
one of them.
[18:04] And so I wanted to ask the question, When
I see the word deed, I think it's forever.
[18:10] It's not a number of years. It's forever.
When you move it over, it's ours.
[18:15] It's Murray County's. Is that correct?
[18:18] Yes.
[18:18] There's no timeline? There's no timeline.
This deed is a little bit unusual.
[18:23] If you remember, this is a property that
was originally owned by Murray County,
[18:28] and then y'all gave it to Mount Pleasant
with a restriction on it that said it had
[18:33] to be used for recreational purposes only.
[18:35] Then sometime last year when y'all were
contemplating the library,
[18:39] we realized that that language might not
be broad enough to allow the library.
[18:44] So Mount Pleasant and Murray County
amended that restriction and says that it
[18:48] amended that restriction and says that it
has to
[18:49] be used for recreational purposes and/or a
library.
[18:52] So that is always on there, that
restriction.
[18:55] And so if that restriction were to be
broken, then it would, I guess,
[18:59] go back to the other entity, but also we
had that reverter that Mr.
[19:03] Bradenbaugh was talking about,
[19:05] that if the library is not constructed for
some reason, it would come back.
[19:09] So those are the only things that would
change the forever part,
[19:13] but it is an actual deed.
[19:15] So what y'all are actually approving with
that resolution is acceptance of the
[19:19] property. So the restriction was filed?
Yes, ma'am.
[19:22] Okay.
[19:23] It was approved by this board and also by
Mount Pleasant.
[19:26] And then it was filed against the
Property, you know,
[19:28] so if you pulled up a title search for
that property,
[19:31] you would see this restriction? It's on
the deed. Yes.
[19:34] Yeah.
[19:34] Okay. Thank you. Thank you.
[19:35] All right. Seeing no other lights, we'll
vote. All in favor say aye.
[19:39] Aye.
[19:40] Any opposed? And that passes. That
concludes the library business.
[19:44] Thank y'all for being here this evening.
[19:46] Next item on the agenda is the Visitors
Bureau with Erin Jaggers and their monthly
[19:51] report. Over to Renee.
[19:57] Hi, everybody. So we gave you our report.
[20:00] We gave you the calendar of events.
[20:02] So I was wondering if y'all have any
questions.
[20:05] No.
[20:06] And if not, the only thing I want to talk
about is I know that y'all know about the
[20:10] brick sales for the courthouse.
[20:12] We want to make sure y'all are reminding
people, getting people—
[20:15] we have a lot of people that are picking
up the forms,
[20:18] but they don't know what they want to put
on them.
[20:21] So we need to remind them, turn those in.
[20:23] So it's $100 for a 4x8 and it's $200 for
an 8x8.
[20:26] So they have little boxes that they can
fill in if you haven't bought one yet.
[20:30] Our office, we can run even a credit card.
So just sell these bricks.
[20:34] We need to sell some bricks. The other
thing is I have great news.
[20:37] Well, I'm excited about our group tour
that's coming this Friday because they're
[20:41] that's coming this Friday because they're
not
[20:41] just coming to Columbia, they're coming to
Mount Pleasant.
[20:45] Spring Hill, and Columbia.
[20:46] So they're getting to see all Murray
County, or as much as you can, you know,
[20:50] in one day. So it's going to be a great
tour,
[20:52] and then they're even going to stay and do
First Fridays.
[20:55] So should be a good group, it's like 42
people, so I'm excited about that.
[20:59] Otherwise, we're getting ready for the
Tennessee State Fair,
[21:03] we're getting ready for the Murray County
Fair,
[21:05] and we're getting ready for Fall Fest.
[21:07] So our office is a little busy, but y'all
need anything?
[21:10] Kathy, you asked a question last night.
[21:14] The forms, there's not an online fill-out.
[21:18] You go pick one up.
[21:20] I was going to say, are you going to have
them at First Friday, the brick forms?
[21:24] Oh, no, ma'am. We have them in our office,
but we can email the form to you.
[21:28] Okay, that'd be great. Okay, thank you.
[21:31] Yes, ma'am. Mayor Butt, you're up, ma'am.
[21:32] I just have a question. When these 42
people come, where do they come from?
[21:37] How are they recruited? How do they decide
to come here?
[21:40] It kind of depends on the travel group
tour operator,
[21:44] but this particular group is coming from
Lawrenceburg, actually.
[21:48] Okay.
[21:48] So they're not spending the night,
[21:50] whereas usually our group will spend the
night because they're coming from Michigan
[21:54] or, you know, further away.
[21:55] A lot of times our group will come because
they've traveled from Michigan,
[21:58] let's just say, to Alabama,
[22:00] and then we'll get them for half a day or
something while they're traveling back,
[22:04] or we might get them overnight. So it just
depends on that group.
[22:07] Okay, thank you very much.
[22:08] Can you get them to bring a couple of
briskets up with them from Schaefer's?
[22:12] I sure wish I could.
[22:14] All right, uh, any other lights for, uh,
them? Nope. Thank you guys.
[22:18] I know y'all have a fair board meeting to
get to, so thanks for being here for that.
[22:22] Next item on the agenda is the building
and zoning report.
[22:25] Robert is not here, but his report's been
submitted.
[22:28] If you have any questions, reach out to
him.
[22:31] Next item on the agenda, human resources
and Dana. She's always here.
[22:35] Good afternoon. I have before you my
monthly
[22:41] report. I'd be happy to answer any
questions.
[22:48] Any questions for Dana on her report?
Seeing no lights, go ahead, ma'am.
[22:53] The next item, requesting to approve the
updated Title VI complaint
[22:58] procedures policy. All right,
[23:00] basically some addresses were changed on
those.
[23:04] And those are in your packet, and
hopefully everybody has taken a look at
[23:08] hopefully everybody has taken a look at
that.
[23:08] I'll need a motion to move that forward. I
have it from Commissioner Grooms.
[23:13] I need a second. I have a second from
Commissioner Bridenbaugh.
[23:17] Any discussion on that? All right, seeing
none, we'll vote. All in favor say aye.
[23:22] Aye. Any opposed? Okay, that passes. Okay,
Dana.
[23:26] Parks and Rec Department is requesting to
reclassify the park supervisor position to
[23:32] assistant park director.
[23:33] The job description for the assistant park
director is—
[23:37] was attached and it's in my packet. This
will require a budget amendment.
[23:42] And Al talked about that the other night,
[23:44] so we will need a motion to move this
forward to the Budget Committee and a
[23:49] second. I'll make the motion. I need a
second.
[23:52] I have a second from Commissioner Grooms.
For discussion, any discussion on this?
[23:58] Yes, Commissioner Saunders.
[24:00] Commissioner Saunders, your light's on,
sir.
[24:01] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[24:03] I'm just going to say this once for
everything here on this— left on this
[24:08] everything here on this— left on this
agenda.
[24:09] Item B through— excuse me, C through F.
I've asked Ms.
[24:12] Gibson to Actually come up with a policy
to help with this commission going forward
[24:18] to, uh, to stop these things from coming
up during the, during the budget,
[24:23] during the normal, during a normal, uh,
normal year instead of within the, uh,
[24:29] you know, when it's supposed to come up
during the budget cycle.
[24:33] So, uh, I just want everybody to know that
I've, I've asked her to work on that,
[24:39] and I think she's going to work with Mr.
[24:41] Dubbies on that going forward, but That's
just how I feel about it.
[24:46] I think these things— I mean,
[24:48] we're a month into the budget and we're
spending money like it's, you know,
[24:53] it's burning a hole in our pocket. So
that's just my thoughts on it.
[24:58] But if it, you know, whenever she gets
that done,
[25:01] she'll present it to this committee
whenever that's done in this next month or
[25:07] whenever that's done in this next month or
the
[25:07] month after or whenever. So I just want to
let everybody know. Thank you.
[25:12] All right. I see no other lights on this.
[25:14] All in favor of moving this to budget, say
aye.
[25:18] Aye.
[25:18] Any opposed?
[25:20] All right.
[25:23] Did you vote?
[25:25] Okay.
[25:25] Mr. Sumner voted no, so that passes 4 to
1. Next item on the agenda. Go ahead,
[25:31] 1. Next item on the agenda. Go ahead,
Dana.
[25:31] Building Maintenance Department is
requesting to increase the hours for the
[25:36] requesting to increase the hours for the
building
[25:36] maintenance administrative assistant
position.
[25:39] This position currently works 35 hours a
week.
[25:42] Um, he is requesting for that position to
work 40 hours a week.
[25:46] This will require a budget amendment of
approximately $5,700.
[25:50] I'll need a motion and a second to carry
this forward to go to the budget committee
[25:55] if it passes. I have a motion from
Commissioner Bridenbaugh.
[25:59] I'll second it for discussion. Any
discussion on this? Seeing none, we'll
[26:04] discussion on this? Seeing none, we'll
vote.
[26:04] All in favor say aye. Wait, I'm sorry,
it's grow down.
[26:07] Sorry, Lisa's getting a little slow on me
here.
[26:11] I have a question between Scott and Dana.
[26:15] Go ahead.
[26:16] So why is this happening like the next
meeting?
[26:20] I mean, why do these department heads wait
to do this like when the next shoe drops?
[26:27] Do you have any idea about how that did—
like, for example, I love Matt Hill.
[26:33] So did Matt not see this coming during the
budget thing?
[26:38] I mean, why is this happening? I really
can't answer for the department heads.
[26:44] Don't shoot the messenger. I'm just
presenting. For Mr. Hill, I do know that
[26:51] presenting. For Mr. Hill, I do know that
Mr.
[26:51] Hill, I think it was just an oversight for
him.
[26:55] Okay.
[26:56] Suzanne retired, the previous employee
retired,
[27:00] and I think the remainder of his staff
works 40 hours,
[27:05] and I think it was just an oversight on
him.
[27:09] When did Suzanne retire?
[27:12] In June.
[27:14] Okay, she just, she just retired. Okay, so
sometimes you can't see that stuff.
[27:19] So we caught it that, yeah, that the new
employee was working 40 hours,
[27:23] and I addressed it with Matt and told him,
I said,
[27:26] if you've told her during the interview
process that this was a 40-hour week,
[27:31] we can take it to the commission. to
increase the hours to 40.
[27:35] Okay.
[27:36] It just seems like a trend with department
heads.
[27:40] So I'm 100% behind the new policy to talk
to department heads about not coming up
[27:45] with something brand new the first week we
get out of the gate. Thank you.
[27:51] Thank you for that. I don't see any other
lights,
[27:53] and I'll just say this before we vote.
[27:55] You know, the other committee meetings,
these items were brought up and discussed,
[28:00] and so they're here.
[28:01] In this committee as a procedural thing,
and, and, and if we pass them to budget,
[28:05] it goes to budget. But I definitely think
the department heads had better be here
[28:10] when budget committee gets here to, to, to
defend, uh, their ask.
[28:13] I know they, you know, that Al talked
about it, and, and, uh, I don't— of
[28:17] about it, and, and, uh, I don't— of
course,
[28:18] I don't remember. Matt wasn't here the
other night to give his report, but,
[28:22] you know, they, they need to be here at
budget if this all passes through.
[28:26] Uh, one more light.
[28:27] Commissioner Saunders, you're up, sir.
[28:28] Never mind.
[28:29] You're good? Okay. That said, we have a
motion from Previti,
[28:32] a second from Grooms on that one, and— no,
I'm sorry, that was— yeah,
[28:36] that's right.
[28:37] Bridenbaugh.
[28:38] I'm sorry, Bridenbaugh.
[28:38] Bridenbaugh made the motion, you seconded.
[28:41] Yeah, okay, Bridenbaugh and myself. All in
favor say aye.
[28:44] Aye.
[28:45] Any opposed? I have 2 nos on that. Y'all
need to speak up.
[28:50] Okay.
[28:50] All right, so that passes 3 to 2.
[28:53] The 2 nos were, uh, Grooms and Sumner's,
if you need to know.
[28:57] Okay, next item. Go ahead, Dana.
[29:00] The trustee is requesting to approve, um,
a new position.
[29:06] It's trustee senior accountant position.
[29:10] The job description was attached and is in
my packet.
[29:15] This will require a budget amendment of
approximately—
[29:21] for salary plus benefits of about $84,260
for 10 months for the
[29:28] remainder of the fiscal year. For a full
year, it would be $112,351.
[29:35] All right, I need a motion and a second to
move this for discussion and
[29:41] forward. I'll make the motion for
discussion. Do we have a second?
[29:46] I have a second from Commissioner Miller.
[29:50] The floor is open for any discussion, and
trustees here,
[29:54] if you want to come up and talk about this
for a minute. Yeah, no, that's—
[30:01] thank y'all, and I'm not trying to butter
you up.
[30:05] You all have a tough job, but I want to
thank all of the commission.
[30:11] You all do have a very tough job. I think
your job is tougher than ours.
[30:17] And as I say, I'm not trying to get a vote
whenever I say that,
[30:22] but I don't know how many are leaving, but
I value your friendship.
[30:27] And whether I get what I want or not
tonight and next week, I appreciate you.
[30:34] To answer what Ms. Brody said and Mr.
[30:37] Sumner's, I can't speak for the others,
but I can speak to mine.
[30:42] The timing is terrible. I agree.
[30:44] And I've actually talked to maybe all of
the admin committee members,
[30:50] and I probably told each one of you that
if I'm a commissioner,
[30:55] my first question is going to be, why now?
[30:58] Because we just finished our budget talks.
[31:02] My reasoning is Within the last few
months— now, we've lost tons of knowledge,
[31:08] 60 to 70 years of knowledge, and I knew
that going into budget season.
[31:14] But I still felt like we could make it.
And I'm not saying we can't make it now.
[31:20] If you all vote it down, we're going to
make it.
[31:24] But recently, we managed 19 accounts, 19
bank accounts.
[31:29] That's a lot.
[31:31] Recently we added 3, one for the archives,
Mr.
[31:35] Price, animal shelter, and animal shelter
archives in the building and zoning.
[31:41] And that's been within the last few
months.
[31:45] And honestly, our office manager that
reconciles the bank,
[31:50] she came to me and she said, I'm
absolutely whipped. I I need help.
[31:55] I got it by just hearing that from her.
[31:59] So immediately, within the next few days,
I went to sit down with Doug.
[32:04] I talked to Doug. But I said, Doug, what I
want from you, if you don't mind,
[32:11] is for you to come downstairs.
[32:13] I want you to speak to our bookkeeper and
our office manager by yourself.
[32:19] I'll be outside the door, outside the
closed door.
[32:24] If you have any questions for me, I'll do
my best to answer it.
[32:29] That's right.
[32:31] So he met with them and he pondered on
that for a week or two,
[32:35] and then he and I talked again.
[32:38] And, and, and I'm not trying to throw Doug
under the bus by no means,
[32:43] because I'm the one that asked for it.
[32:45] But he said, honestly, I think you're to
the point that you need an accountant.
[32:51] Not just an accountant, he said a senior
accountant.
[32:55] After that, Doug and I met with Dana.
[32:57] And she came up with the job description
and, and all those types of things.
[33:03] Once again, we're going to be friends if
you all approve it.
[33:07] We're going to be friends if you don't.
But I just feel like that's where we are.
[33:13] The timing is terrible. It did not help on
my part that we added 3 new accounts.
[33:18] That was totally my fault.
[33:20] Now, I did that because I want to help all
3 of the offices.
[33:24] But more so than the department heads in
those offices,
[33:28] I did it to help the taxpayers of Murray
County that go into those offices.
[33:34] They're the ones that pay our salary.
[33:36] And whether we get the money or the
position or not,
[33:40] we'll continue to do everything we can to
help each department because ultimately
[33:46] that's helping the taxpayers of Murray
County, those people that pay us.
[33:51] So that, that's my reasoning.
[33:53] If I'm sitting in your seat, I'm not so
sure I would approve it, just honestly,
[33:59] because the timing is not good. But I did—
and I hope I'm not taking too much time.
[34:04] You're good.
[34:05] We have a great staff. The folks that
retired, they left on good terms.
[34:11] 60 to 70 years of experience.
[34:13] I think I've heard some of you all say
that's institutional knowledge.
[34:19] That's exactly right.
[34:21] But we're going to continue to do
everything that we can to help the
[34:26] everything that we can to help the
different
[34:27] departments. 19 bank accounts are hard to
manage.
[34:31] Sometimes it's a challenge for me to
manage mine,
[34:35] and I promise you mine is not that big, my
personal account.
[34:40] But, you know, that's where we are.
[34:43] Thank you.
[34:44] I went back and I've done a little bit
research to see what it would take to
[34:50] try to sell it to the best of my ability.
[34:53] 2018, when I came on board,
[34:55] the population was around 95,000 with the
parcels of about 46,500.
[35:01] 2026 population, according to Google,
well, you know,
[35:05] I always believe Google is around 120,000.
[35:08] Wow.
[35:09] Number of parcels, from what I understand,
for 2026 is over 59,000.
[35:15] So, you know, that's more transactions in
our office.
[35:20] But that's just a little bit of
information. We did add 3 new accounts.
[35:26] I mentioned that. I went back and our
earned interest that we got this year,
[35:32] I believe it was like $7.2 million.
[35:35] And we will continue to do our very best
to move money around to earn the very best
[35:43] interest rates that we can get.
[35:45] That's pretty well it,
[35:47] and I'll be glad to answer any questions
that you all might have.
[35:53] All right. I just want to add, Doug had to
go to the school board meeting.
[35:57] Okay.
[35:57] And he really wanted to be here to address
these items,
[36:01] and so I'm hoping that this will pass this
committee and go to budget.
[36:04] And then Chairman Sumners and his group
and Doug can have those discussions.
[36:09] I do have a light on. Commissioner
Bridenbaugh, you're up, sir.
[36:12] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I did have a
question, but it was answered.
[36:16] Thank you for that. And as you were
talking about everything that you all go
[36:20] through, obviously I'm not an accountant.
[36:23] I know Kathy probably can answer this
better than me. I know she's lived that.
[36:27] But my wife is, not only for her job, but
for the church treasury.
[36:31] And I have seen her stressed out at night
trying to balance the books and do
[36:36] everything else, and that's just when you
invite mistakes,
[36:39] and we can't make mistakes for the public.
[36:42] Our job as the Admin Committee is to
determine the validity of the request and
[36:46] determine the validity of the request and
the
[36:47] policy side of it, not the budget side of
it.
[36:49] That's the Budget Committee,
[36:51] and I agree with Chairman Previti that I
think we need to pass this out of Admin
[36:56] because the need is there,
[36:57] and then let Doug come back with the
Budget Committee and determine the
[37:01] Budget Committee and determine the
feasibility
[37:02] of the actual—
[37:03] Thank you.
[37:04] But I know the stress that those folks are
under, especially at this time of year,
[37:09] and I would agree that if the need is
there, we need to serve the public,
[37:14] and the last thing we need to do is send
out bad tax bills.
[37:18] Thank you.
[37:19] And I might add to that, if there's ever
any doubt about anything,
[37:24] I reach out to our auditor.
[37:26] I mean, I've tried to be as open and
transparent as To them as I am to you all.
[37:32] I don't think it— well, I don't know.
[37:35] I hope it's not a finding, but because
we're working diligently now to fix that.
[37:41] And as you said, Ms. Rodye is an
accountant.
[37:45] I don't know exactly how they did, how
they go about doing that,
[37:50] but I always try to be as open and
transparent to them as I possibly can be.
[37:56] Thank you.
[37:56] But I'll do my best to be here next week,
and then if it gets through that,
[38:00] I'll do my very best to be here for the
full commission meeting.
[38:04] Is that all you have, Jerry? That's all I
have. All right.
[38:06] Chair recognizes Commissioner Summers,
sticking with committee.
[38:08] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I got a couple of
things.
[38:11] First, for you, Mr. McNiece.
[38:13] I wasn't supposed to be sitting right here
tonight.
[38:17] You said you were not going to say a word.
[38:18] I wasn't, because I wasn't supposed to sit
here.
[38:22] I'm here because of my colleague being
out. That's why I'm talking.
[38:27] I wasn't going to say anything. I did tell
you that.
[38:31] This isn't about sending out bad tax
bills.
[38:35] This is about balancing the— balancing
your books every month,
[38:40] reconciling cash and all that stuff,
correct?
[38:43] We are balanced to the penny.
[38:44] You don't send bad tax bills out.
[38:46] Do what now?
[38:47] You don't send bad tax bills to people.
You don't send errors.
[38:52] Oh, I certainly hope not.
[38:54] Okay, because I just mentioned Mr.
[38:55] Bridenbaugh said that, and it kind of
threw me off a little bit.
[38:58] But this is about balancing your books
monthly. Right.
[39:00] And we're balanced. Our office and Doug's
office are joined at the hips.
[39:04] You know, if there's a problem on our end,
we go to them.
[39:08] If they see something out of line, they're
coming to us.
[39:12] Now, and I think Doug— I don't want to put
words in his mouth,
[39:15] but I think this is something that he
would say.
[39:19] You know, there are times that That
someone from our office and his office
[39:23] someone from our office and his office
have
[39:23] spent a lot of time together, but I know
he's one short now.
[39:27] His assistant finance director, Ben, is
out, so Doug is short,
[39:31] but we're balanced with them,
[39:33] but this is balancing or reconciling the
bank statement,
[39:37] the 19 banker statements each month.
[39:39] Yeah, this has nothing to do with—
[39:41] but I didn't want people to be confused
that they were getting bad, you know,
[39:45] tax bills, because I don't want people You
know, I'm sorry,
[39:48] I didn't pick up on that.
[39:49] Reappraisals happen and, you know, people,
yeah, you know, that whole thing.
[39:53] So just didn't want anybody to think that,
but it is about balancing your check,
[39:58] pretty much your checkbooks and your
accounts.
[40:00] Reconciling the records.
[40:01] Reconciling, yes.
[40:02] That's right.
[40:02] All right.
[40:03] Second thing, Mr. Previti, I, you know,
[40:05] I was sitting here thinking I don't really
have the authority to ask Ms.
[40:09] Gibson to do anything. It comes from this
committee or this commission.
[40:12] And so I, you know, I apologize for that,
but I did talk to her about that.
[40:16] But if the committee wants that, that's
fine. If not, that's fine.
[40:20] I just, just wanted to recognize that I do
not have the authority to ask her to do
[40:24] something. Just, just I have the authority
to ask her questions on that.
[40:28] So just want to make that clear. Thank
you.
[40:31] All right, uh, Commissioner, uh,
[40:32] Chair recognizes the distinguished lady
from the 6th District. Ms.
[40:35] Gerdau, you have the floor.
[40:36] Thank you. Um, I love it that you asked
Doug.
[40:39] I love it that he sat down with 2 people,
[40:42] and I love it that he wants a senior
accountant because this money You know,
[40:47] it's really smart money to spend this to
balance our cash because that's going to
[40:52] help us not get an audit finding, which
relates to lower interest— I mean,
[40:57] higher interest that we make or lower
interest that we pay on our debt.
[41:01] So in the long run, it will come out in
the wash,
[41:04] but we can't have losing employees and we
can't have somebody stressed out trying to
[41:10] balance our cash, 19 different cash
accounts. That's just a recipe for
[41:14] accounts. That's just a recipe for
disaster.
[41:15] So I'm glad that we're hiring a senior
accountant,
[41:18] and I'm glad we're putting the money where
our mouth is to get this balance so that
[41:23] it won't be a finding,
[41:24] because that's the first thing a lot of
auditors do is who are the new people,
[41:29] who are the new positions.
[41:31] They're going to go after those jobs and
what those people are required to do,
[41:36] balancing cash. So they're going to be
looking at that cash being balanced.
[41:41] Thank you.
[41:41] All right, I see no other lights.
[41:44] We have a motion, it has a second to pass
this to budget.
[41:50] All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed?
[41:53] I have a single no from Commissioner
Saunders. That passes 4 to 1.
[41:59] Next item, Dana, go ahead please.
[42:02] Pull your mic down a little bit please.
[42:06] Sorry.
[42:07] The Animal Services Director is requesting
to make the veterinary position
[42:13] full-time at 30 hours per week.
[42:16] Um, the reason for this is to provide
benefits.
[42:21] The current position is salary exempt,
[42:24] and it is working approximately 25 or a
little more hours per week,
[42:30] so they are not requesting that the salary
be changed.
[42:35] They are just requesting, um, for a
benefit package,
[42:40] and for 8 months that would be around
$16,641 to provide benefits for this
[42:47] position.
[42:48] All right, uh, in order to pass this to
budget,
[42:50] I need a motion and a second to get it out
of this committee. Do I have that?
[42:55] I'll make the motion for discussion. I
have a second from Commissioner Miller.
[43:00] All right, the floor is open for
discussion.
[43:02] No discussion.
[43:04] All right, that said, I do have a light.
Mr. Grooms, you said that—
[43:11] thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[43:12] You said that was for 8 months.
[43:14] What is it for a year?
[43:15] All right, I didn't calculate that.
[43:18] The reason I did 8 months is because once
she begins, if this is passed,
[43:24] Once she begins working 30 hours a week
and becomes a full-time,
[43:30] our benefit package will not be available
to her until the first of the month
[43:37] following 60 days. So, but I can send that
to you.
[43:41] I'll calculate that and email that to you.
[43:45] Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[43:46] All right.
[43:46] Commissioner Strand, your light's on, sir.
[43:47] Thank you, Chair.
[43:50] Dana, how many part-time salaried people
do we have? Working for the county.
[43:55] I believe this is the only position that
is.
[44:01] One?
[44:01] Mm-hmm.
[44:03] Yes.
[44:03] So what would it be doing putting her in
line with
[44:07] everybody else, every other—
[44:10] every other permanent employee?
[44:12] It would be. I suggested when Ms.
[44:16] Rafolph requested the position I wanted it
to be full-time.
[44:22] I felt like it would be easier to recruit
offering the benefit package,
[44:29] but at the time, I don't think she wanted
to.
[44:33] Yeah, so actually the exception that we've
made is,
[44:39] is we had a salaried employee that wasn't
full-time.
[44:45] So should we just put her in line with
everybody
[44:50] else?
[44:52] Right?
[44:53] I mean, this is not some unusual thing
that we're doing,
[44:56] trying to save a job or trying to
advantage somebody.
[44:59] I understand.
[44:59] Some situation has changed.
[45:01] I don't know what it is, but—
[45:04] There may be some fear that we would
snowball and other part-time
[45:09] employees would want to take advantage of
this situation.
[45:14] But I think most—
[45:16] am I right?
[45:17] Most part-time employees want to stay
part-time employees.
[45:19] Correct. But she will become a full-time
employee, right?
[45:23] She will need to work 30 hours a week.
[45:26] I think that's something that—
[45:28] I think that's something that has to be
said out loud.
[45:30] Yes.
[45:31] This will require more hours.
[45:33] And she is aware of that, right? Ms. Rafaf
is. Thank you.
[45:38] Thank you, Chair.
[45:38] All right. Seeing no other lights, we have
a motion that's been seconded.
[45:43] All in favor to pass this to budget say
aye. Aye. Any opposed?
[45:47] I have a no from Commissioner Saunders.
That passes 4 to 1. All right.
[45:52] So the next item is the job performance
review.
[45:55] So this is the part— this is the part of
the meeting where we talk about Dana.
[46:00] So Dana and I met this past week, and of
course I've worked with Dana the Thank
[46:05] course I've worked with Dana the Thank
you.
[46:05] I've known Dana for the past 12 years on
this commission as either vice chair or
[46:11] chair or chairman of the commission
itself, and you are fabulous.
[46:15] And you got all-star ratings from this
committee.
[46:18] And so keep doing what you're doing.
[46:21] You know, this is the last meeting for
this commission to do this.
[46:25] And so I open the floor if anybody has any
comments on Dana.
[46:29] But thank you for what you do,
[46:31] and I'll get you those copies to put in
your permanent file.
[46:35] There were no— it's all 5 gold stars for
you, Dana.
[46:38] So, uh, that said, I see no other lights.
Again, thank you for your service.
[46:43] You get to start all over again next
month, so have fun with that.
[46:48] Thank you.
[46:48] Yes, ma'am. All right, next item on the
agenda is old business,
[46:52] and that is Murray County Clerk Joey
Allen's request for his office employees,
[46:58] and he is present. Uh, come on up. You
have the floor, sir.
[47:01] Well, I guess this is round 2.
[47:04] I was here in, I believe it was November,
[47:07] but since then a lot of things have
changed.
[47:11] Reason I'm back, we now have a county
clerk's office retention bonus policy.
[47:17] And I'll just— I'll go over it right
quick.
[47:21] The purpose of this policy is to recognize
employees' commitment and promote
[47:27] employees' retention within the clerk's
office by providing a one-time retention
[47:33] bonus to eligible employees.
[47:36] Uh, policy upon approval by the County
Commission is subject to the availability
[47:42] Commission is subject to the availability
and
[47:43] appropriate funds. Employees of the county
clerk's office who have completed at
[47:49] least 1 year of continuous employment with
the County Clerk's Office shall receive a
[47:56] one-time retention bonus.
[47:58] To qualify for this retention bonus,
[48:01] an employee must be a regular full-time
employee of the Clerk's Office,
[48:07] have completed a minimum of 1 year of
employment with the Clerk's Office as the—
[48:13] as of the date of the County Commission
approval.
[48:17] Be actively employed by the County Clerk's
Office on the date the retention bonus is
[48:24] paid unless otherwise required by law.
[48:27] Bonus amount: each employee shall receive
a one-time gross retention bonus of
[48:34] $2,700. The retention bonus shall be
processed through the county payroll
[48:40] processed through the county payroll
system and
[48:41] shall be subject to all federal payroll
taxes,
[48:44] required retirement contributions and any
other mandated reductions or withholdings
[48:51] required by law and authorized by the
employee.
[48:55] Payment: the redemption bonus shall be
paid through the county payroll system in
[49:02] paid through the county payroll system in
the
[49:02] month following the county commission
approval.
[49:06] Employees must remain actively employed
with the clerk's office through the date
[49:12] with the clerk's office through the date
The
[49:13] retention bonus is paid unless otherwise
required by law.
[49:17] The clerk's office is—
[49:19] with the human resources department and
finance department shall determine
[49:25] finance department shall determine
employee
[49:26] eligible and administer payment in
accordance with this policy and all
[49:32] accordance with this policy and all
federal and
[49:33] state payroll laws.
[49:34] All right.
[49:40] The reason for my— my reasons for a bonus
is, uh,
[49:45] these are things that's happened just
since I was here, uh, in November.
[49:52] Uh, I've lost 2 employees, uh, in
November.
[49:57] Uh, one went to Lister Hill for a better,
better job, better pay, and,
[50:04] you know, we, we know we can't compete
with the Public.
[50:09] But the other one left, stayed with the
county, went to a better job.
[50:16] Said county clerk's office was basically
driving her crazy,
[50:22] and that's understandable.
[50:25] It's a very difficult job, and it will and
can drive you crazy.
[50:32] I know somebody said that a lot of people
You know, said it wasn't fair,
[50:39] you know. Well, so I had 2 job openings,
60 applications.
[50:45] Everybody in the county knows that I fight
for my employees' pay because it is
[50:53] a difficult job. But out of 60
applications, no one in the county No,
[51:00] applications, no one in the county No,
nobody,
[51:00] no, from another department applied for
the county clerk's job,
[51:07] and they never will.
[51:09] They know it's a— they know it's a bad,
difficult, dangerous job.
[51:15] A lot of employees thank me for standing
up for my employees and And thank me
[51:23] for trying to, to get them more money. Uh,
circuit court starts at grade 8.
[51:31] We're grade 7. I don't understand that,
uh, but, uh, I guess there's a reason.
[51:39] I have 15 employees, 6 of those being here
2 years or less.
[51:45] The job is difficult.
[51:47] Many laws, many policies from the state of
Tennessee that change, I mean,
[51:54] just every month or two. So there's so
many things you have to retain.
[52:01] I just can't tell you how hard a job
working in a county clerk's office is.
[52:09] It's—
[52:13] just in the last few months,
[52:16] we've had customers call my employees I
don't know whether to say these
[52:24] words or just— I won't say them.
[52:28] I'll just— bad words, spitting in our
glass. You know, they're mad.
[52:35] They didn't bring something they needed,
so they're mad.
[52:42] That's not what I meant. Guess who they're
mad at?
[52:47] They're mad at the clerk waiting on them.
They're mad at me.
[52:54] We've had to get the sheriff's deputy from
upstairs to come down.
[53:01] Well, I'm going to thank Bucky for that.
[53:06] We've had the city police there in the
last year at least I know of 3
[53:14] times. You know, The last time I asked for
an employee was October of
[53:22] 2021. 2021, I hadn't asked for an
employee.
[53:26] Now, we've had to replace a bunch that's
left. They're gone.
[53:33] You know, we've had—
[53:35] y'all know how many people we've had move
into the county?
[53:42] Just a tremendous amount. I hadn't asked
for an employee.
[53:48] These women have stepped up, worked hard,
worked—
[53:54] I can't tell you how hard they've worked.
[53:58] You know, we don't need a budget amendment
for this.
[54:04] What I'm asking for, the money's already
there.
[54:10] And it, it regenerates, uh, every month.
[54:14] I'm asking for right around $35,000.
[54:18] That money will be back in this fund in 3
months, 3 and a half months.
[54:26] So And, you know, we can, we can use the
money anywhere we need to.
[54:34] And somebody said something about a kiosk.
[54:38] We've got kiosk machines in Spring Hill,
Mount Pleasant.
[54:45] They do very well. We're about to have one
in Walmart here,
[54:51] hopefully any day. It's ready, supposedly.
And, you know, on its way.
[54:59] I'm not going to read the rest of this
because it's all bad.
[55:06] It's people that's, like I said, that's,
you know,
[55:11] Threatening our clerks.
[55:14] I'm going to come over this county and
beat your— you know, the spitting,
[55:22] the cussing. You know, I get involved, ask
them to leave,
[55:29] and if they don't leave,
[55:31] I get the deputy that's upstairs at the
mayor's office.
[55:38] to come down and help us, and they have.
[55:42] You know, had just the other day had one
say something.
[55:48] A clerk was trying to tell a customer
something,
[55:54] and another one of my clerks was—
[55:57] just stepped in to try to defuse the
thing,
[56:02] and he told her that you shut your mouth
and fix your face.
[56:09] before I have to come across this counter.
We've got a dangerous job.
[56:17] I don't know if any of y'all have ever
thought about that.
[56:23] But I'm going to always fight for my
employees.
[56:28] I don't know— I don't know what's going to
happen in a few minutes,
[56:36] but however it goes,
[56:38] I'm going to always fight for my employees
some money.
[56:44] Okay. This is—
[56:46] I'm trying to keep my employees. This job
is way too hard.
[56:51] It takes a year to train them. It just—
you know, they're leaving.
[56:57] You know, I've heard of another one
that's— Looking for a job, and truthfully,
[57:05] they're all looking for a job. I think
it's such a difficult job.
[57:11] I think this is a very minimal amount to
give them for the good job that they do
[57:18] and stay with me. I appreciate them
staying with me, and I try to tell them,
[57:25] and I try to tell them every day how good
a job they do.
[57:30] Thank you.
[57:31] I speak to them every single morning as
they come in and speak to them or say good
[57:38] night to them as they leave.
[57:40] They've took good care of me and I've
tried to take care of them.
[57:46] I'd ask you to pass this on to the budget
committee and that's all I got to say.
[57:52] All right. Thank you for that, Joey.
[57:54] Before I take any comments, I want a
motion and a second to For discussion
[57:58] motion and a second to For discussion
purposes,
[57:59] I have a motion from Commissioner
Bridenbaugh.
[58:01] I have a second from Commissioner Miller.
The floor is open.
[58:04] Commissioner Sumner, you're up first, sir.
[58:06] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I got a question
for Ms.
[58:09] Gibson and you, Joey, but can I ask Ms.
Gibson a question first?
[58:12] Yep.
[58:25] Ms. Gibson, do— does the county commission
need to adopt this policy?
[58:28] That's an internal policy for his office.
[58:33] Is there anything that the commission can
approve that would make it, I guess,
[58:39] more palatable for future commissioners to
say, yeah,
[58:43] we've got a policy for the county clerk to
do this?
[58:47] You know, and he can just do it instead of
having to have the county commission have
[58:54] to approve it every year. It could just be
a policy.
[58:58] I mean, instead of some internal policy,
let the county commission, you know,
[59:04] adopt a policy for the county clerk. I
mean, is that something that we could do?
[59:11] Resolution?
[59:14] I mean, it's, it's not, you know,
anything—
[59:17] it's not a contract, so it wouldn't be
like a yearly thing.
[59:21] Um, I mean, I— because I think if it's a
policy, I mean, I mean, I, I get that,
[59:26] you know, it's a retention policy for the
county clerk using— and I,
[59:30] I'd like for the policy, even his
internal— but if it just stays an internal
[59:35] internal— but if it just stays an internal
policy,
[59:35] I'd like for it to say— this is my second
question—
[59:38] I'd like to say what fund it comes out of,
you know, not just out of wherever,
[59:43] you know, any type of, you know,
[59:45] we're pulling it from the fund balance
from the 101 one year because we don't
[59:50] from the 101 one year because we don't
have
[59:50] enough in the other fund.
[59:52] I'd like for it to say where that, you
know,
[59:55] those restricted funds are for the
retention.
[59:57] I'm not— what fund does that come out of?
[1:00:00] It comes out of a restricted fund within
the 101 fund balance.
[1:00:04] That's what I would like it to come from
because it's the county clerk funds that
[1:00:09] they collect Title fees.
[1:00:10] Yeah.
[1:00:11] So I'd like it to— I'd like— if it stays
inter— if it stays as an internal policy,
[1:00:16] that's fine, but I would like for your
internal policy to say that it's going to
[1:00:22] come from those funds.
[1:00:23] I can support it if it says that it's
coming from that internal fund, or that—
[1:00:29] excuse me— that line item in the 101 fund.
[1:00:35] Yes, please.
[1:00:36] Yes.
[1:00:38] Um, I'm kind of, I think it should be a
county policy and here's why.
[1:00:45] Uh, anybody can create an internal policy.
[1:00:48] Okay. That's what I was thinking too.
[1:00:50] We've got a lot of elected officials.
[1:00:52] Yeah.
[1:00:52] We've got a lot of appointed officials.
[1:00:54] Next thing you know, as long as they
create an internal policy and they
[1:00:58] create an internal policy and they
identify it,
[1:00:59] it could, everybody's getting bonuses and
we're wondering where the money went.
[1:01:03] future commissions would be like, where
did that go?
[1:01:06] Or, yeah.
[1:01:06] So it should be a countywide policy.
[1:01:09] And this is something you see in other
counties, you know, that it gets very
[1:01:14] counties, you know, that it gets very
broad,
[1:01:14] uh, or it gets very specific.
[1:01:16] You know, we, we have treated it in the
past and going forward as this is one
[1:01:21] organization. These are the policies that
we have and everybody acknowledges and
[1:01:26] follows those policies. It's in my private
act.
[1:01:29] Yeah.
[1:01:30] And so I think as long as, you know, all
of those functions are consolidated,
[1:01:35] the policy should be consolidated too.
[1:01:38] And if there are special deviations of pay
or bonus or whatever,
[1:01:43] that it should be included in a countywide
policy so that, you know,
[1:01:48] folks just don't start—
[1:01:50] Yeah. Ms. Gibson, would you be okay with
that as a county policy instead of an
[1:01:56] internal policy?
[1:02:02] Yes.
[1:02:02] I'll write it however you want.
[1:02:05] Basically, we just wanted to put something
in place for his employees to
[1:02:10] know that it was a one-time bonus, that—
[1:02:13] Just one time only, or one time, or one
time each year?
[1:02:16] No, I'm only— not each year, one time
only, period. One time, one and done.
[1:02:22] Oh, okay. See, I thought it was going to
be a retention year
[1:02:28] every That's about— that's okay,
[1:02:31] because I didn't read that all the way
through, and Joey,
[1:02:37] you didn't read it either all the way.
Yeah, sorry.
[1:02:42] You stopped at the effective date here,
sir.
[1:02:47] I suggested the internal policy, okay,
[1:02:50] that his employees would Know that it is a
one-time and that there would be some
[1:02:55] type of eligibility there and that it
would— if you all pass it,
[1:02:59] it will be supported by resolution.
[1:03:02] Okay, that's fine. Okay.
[1:03:04] All right.
[1:03:05] So if he ever wants to do it again,
[1:03:07] he'd have to redo the policy another time,
another year,
[1:03:12] another year. Okay.
[1:03:13] All right.
[1:03:15] Well, if I'm back I'm just going to bring
this document back up and say this was a
[1:03:21] 1-year deal with Joey.
[1:03:23] No, uh, I, I, I can appreciate the, the
policy, uh,
[1:03:26] on this as opposed to just saying, hey, I
want to do this, you know.
[1:03:31] So I, you know, I can, I can appreciate
that. So thank you. Thank you, Mr.
[1:03:37] that. So thank you. Thank you, Mr.
Chairman.
[1:03:37] All right, uh, Attorney Dobies, you had
your light on.
[1:03:40] Yeah, I mean, based, based on the way the
discussion goes,
[1:03:43] it sounds more like a Like a resolution
thing rather than a policy thing. That's
[1:03:47] thing rather than a policy thing. That's
it.
[1:03:47] All right, we're going to stick with
committee first.
[1:03:49] Commissioner Grooms, you're up. Thank you,
Mr. Chairman.
[1:03:52] Uh, Joey, the retention— why, why 1 year?
Why wouldn't it be 3 years?
[1:03:59] That's a good question.
[1:04:02] I could have, uh, I could have just as
well asked for 3 years?
[1:04:08] You talking about giving them something
every 3 years if I wanted to?
[1:04:15] No, I'm talking about—
[1:04:16] you saying that they're eligible after 1
year of continuous employment
[1:04:23] with the county? Well, like I said, I'm
trying to keep my employees.
[1:04:31] I want to do it now. I mean, they're
leaving.
[1:04:36] I went— when I come 12 years ago, I had
200 years,
[1:04:41] over 200 years of combined experience.
[1:04:45] I don't have nowhere near that now. I
mean, a fraction of that.
[1:04:52] I can't wait 3 years.
[1:04:59] It's—
[1:05:00] They're saying they got to be in the
office.
[1:05:03] Yeah, I was— I'm not— I mean, I, I mean,
one year, I mean, you know,
[1:05:10] how much turnover do you have?
[1:05:14] I mean, this $2,700, if you give it to,
[1:05:18] to an employee that's only been there one
year, um,
[1:05:24] I understand you're trying to keep them,
but I mean,
[1:05:30] shouldn't it be a little harder to attain
is what I'm saying.
[1:05:36] I hear what you're saying.
[1:05:39] You think it should be longer,
[1:05:43] they should be there longer before I give
it to them.
[1:05:49] Yeah.
[1:05:49] And I understand that, but 6 of them,
[1:05:54] it's 6 of them that's been there less than
2 years.
[1:06:00] All the other ones have been there, you
know,
[1:06:06] longer than that.
[1:06:10] Yeah.
[1:06:10] Does he have anybody less than a year?
[1:06:11] It's—
[1:06:15] do you have anybody a year or less? No.
[1:06:18] These, yeah, the 2 that I'm training that
I just replaced,
[1:06:22] The one that went to Lister Hill and the
one that went to Randy's office.
[1:06:28] I'm training those now.
[1:06:29] And that's a good thing, because when I
was here in November,
[1:06:34] there was 15 that I was asking for, and
now it's 13,
[1:06:38] because they hadn't been here a year.
[1:06:42] So it's—
[1:06:45] Okay.
[1:06:53] I know that things are getting harder and
harder and harder
[1:06:59] every single day, every month. I don't
want to wait 3 years.
[1:07:06] I'd rather not wait 3 years.
[1:07:09] I'd like to give— you know, I didn't get
it in November.
[1:07:15] I tried, tried my hardest, and, you know,
[1:07:20] if I don't get it tonight, I'll be back,
you know,
[1:07:25] fighting again, you know. I understand
what you're saying.
[1:07:32] I get it. Yeah.
[1:07:36] And, you know, I want to do everything I
can for the employees.
[1:07:41] I always have.
[1:07:49] This, this, this is the problem I have
with it.
[1:07:54] You're asking me to do something that I,
[1:07:57] that I know I can't do for the rest of the
employees of this county.
[1:08:03] Well, I, I hear you, but I can't speak for
the Yeah.
[1:08:08] The rest of the county and, uh, you know,
[1:08:12] the elected officials and the directors
of, you know, their employees. Yeah.
[1:08:20] Um, that's, you know, that's not to say
I'm not,
[1:08:24] I'm not going to support it and move it
forward,
[1:08:29] Joette.
[1:08:30] Uh, that's just some of my concerns.
[1:08:35] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. All right, we're
going to stick with committee.
[1:08:38] Commissioner Summers, you already spoke
twice on this.
[1:08:41] I do have 2 other commissioners in the
gallery that want to speak, so I'm going
[1:08:45] gallery that want to speak, so I'm going
to—
[1:08:45] huh? Okay, well, go ahead, you have the
floor,
[1:08:48] but then we're going to let the other ones
talk.
[1:08:50] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[1:08:52] Uh, so I don't think he was saying you
needed to wait 3 years to give the bonus.
[1:08:57] I think he was saying that Employee needs
to have 3 years of service to get the
[1:09:03] bonus.
[1:09:03] Right.
[1:09:04] Okay. Doug, what's the account
[1:09:08] number for that line item in the
[1:09:12] budget?
[1:09:12] You know how our fund balance is $39,000
assigned?
[1:09:17] This one's like $34,525.
[1:09:19] I'm going to get you the exact one.
[1:09:22] Give me the exact one because I want to
put on the— I want to amend this. Motion.
[1:09:57] It is 34515-52503.
[1:10:02] Say that again, please.
[1:10:03] 34515-52503.
[1:10:10] 0 what?
[1:10:11] 3.
[1:10:11] Okay.
[1:10:13] Mr. Chairman, I'd like to make an
amendment to this motion that we,
[1:10:19] that we take the funds out of that
34515-525-03 line item.
[1:10:24] That's my amendment.
[1:10:26] All right, I have an amendment. It was
seconded by Commissioner— Chairman Grooms.
[1:10:31] Yes, sir. All right, so that said, we have
an amendment on the floor.
[1:10:35] I do have some other lights. We're going
to stick procedurally with this.
[1:10:39] Is your remarks going to be on the
amendment?
[1:10:42] I'd rather go ahead and pass the amendment
and then get back to the discussion if
[1:10:47] everybody in the gallery is okay with
that.
[1:10:50] Any discussion on the amendment that
Commissioner Sumners has made a motion for
[1:10:55] Commissioner Sumners has made a motion for
and
[1:10:55] Commissioner Grooms has seconded? Seeing
none, we'll vote. All in favor say aye.
[1:11:00] Aye.
[1:11:00] Any opposed? Okay. So now we have an
amended motion.
[1:11:03] We're going to go back to the lights.
Commissioner Stovall, you're up, sir.
[1:11:07] Appreciate it.
[1:11:08] Thank you very much.
[1:11:13] My concern is, um, I'd like to
[1:11:20] make sure that Mr. Allen get what
[1:11:27] he needs, Mr.
[1:11:30] McNeese get what he asked for,
[1:11:32] and any other department head to come here
and ask for
[1:11:36] something for their employees.
[1:11:39] Okay.
[1:11:39] I think that we ought to be concerned and
try
[1:11:45] to make sure that we take care of the
[1:11:50] employees.
[1:11:51] I've been all over the county here
campaigning.
[1:11:56] A lot of people ask, what's your platform?
I don't have a platform.
[1:12:00] My platform is the people, the employees
of this county.
[1:12:05] Thank you.
[1:12:05] Make sure that they get what they need.
[1:12:08] That's my platform.
[1:12:11] I'm a former employee myself from the City
of Columbia,
[1:12:15] and I want to make sure that this county
is taking care of their employees.
[1:12:21] I know we got to go through proper
procedure,
[1:12:25] but we need to try to make sure we keep
all employees that we have because a lot
[1:12:31] all employees that we have because a lot
of
[1:12:31] employees are leaving this county going
elsewhere and getting better pay.
[1:12:40] So my platform is— anybody listening and
want to know,
[1:12:43] my platform is the employees of this
county,
[1:12:46] and I think we should take care of them.
[1:12:50] That's all I have, Chairman. Thank you.
All right, next slide.
[1:12:52] Commissioner Hessler, you're up, ma'am.
[1:12:54] Thank you, Chair.
[1:12:57] Pull your mic up, or hang on. No, you
keyed up more on Oh, I'm sorry.
[1:13:03] Sorry.
[1:13:04] There we go.
[1:13:05] Thank you, Chair. It sounds like this is
just a Band-Aid for the
[1:13:10] real problem of the employees not making
enough. Is that right?
[1:13:14] It—
[1:13:18] yeah, partly it is. Yeah, they—
[1:13:20] Did you mention the bracket?
[1:13:23] It's just a token, I guess you'd say,
[1:13:27] of My appreciation. They don't make enough
money for
[1:13:32] the job they do.
[1:13:36] It's—
[1:13:36] I just can't tell you, explain to you how
hard a job they do and a dangerous job.
[1:13:43] Why the county clerk has never been
robbed, it blows my mind.
[1:13:49] It generates a lot of money every single
day.
[1:13:56] It's—
[1:13:57] I just— Yeah, it's just a token of my
appreciation for what they do.
[1:14:04] I can't be constantly training,
[1:14:08] and nobody was cross-trained when I got
there 12 years ago,
[1:14:14] and we're still cross-training because
people come and And then they go
[1:14:21] and it's just an ongoing thing. It always
will be.
[1:14:26] But yeah, it is about pay,
[1:14:29] but it's a token for my appreciation for
them staying.
[1:14:35] I just don't think it's going to solve the
problem.
[1:14:39] What would it take to put those employees
in a higher income bracket?
[1:14:44] I don't know how these things are set up.
[1:14:49] Money?
[1:14:49] Well, yeah, but I mean, why?
[1:14:51] Like he said, you know,
[1:14:53] the other office makes more than those
people do.
[1:14:57] Do they work longer?
[1:14:59] A salary study. Need to do another salary
study.
[1:15:02] Okay. Well, maybe that—
[1:15:04] Yeah, it's been approved, so.
[1:15:06] I would really love to know that answer.
I'm glad you asked it.
[1:15:11] Because this is a Band-Aid.
[1:15:13] It's not going to— it'll help a little
bit, but I mean,
[1:15:16] a few thousand dollars doesn't go very far
anymore.
[1:15:19] And then next year or next month, they'll
have the same problem.
[1:15:23] And if they're not making enough— and I
know we gave raises last year,
[1:15:28] and I definitely appreciate that because
we,
[1:15:30] we can't continue to be lagging behind the
other counties.
[1:15:34] It'll just end up being a revolving door
and all that kind of stuff.
[1:15:38] And with more and more people moving out
here, we want them to, to work out here.
[1:15:43] But—
[1:15:44] You're right, it is somewhat of a
Band-Aid, but at least You got, well, my
[1:15:51] Band-Aid, but at least You got, well, my
word,
[1:15:51] and I'd have to have County Commission
approval to do this again.
[1:15:57] So, you know, so it's like we said before,
it's a one and done,
[1:16:03] but it's something, you know.
[1:16:05] So who would do a salary study, Eric? How
is all that done?
[1:16:10] That would be a Dana question.
[1:16:12] Okay.
[1:16:14] Or Doug question.
[1:16:16] Thompson Burris usually does it, but we
put it out for bids.
[1:16:20] So a consultant comes, they compare our
job titles and grades to other
[1:16:24] job titles and grades to other
governments,
[1:16:25] and they also create those job
descriptions and do those things.
[1:16:29] But that will be done by Dana.
[1:16:32] She'll basically put this out for
competition and have someone come do a
[1:16:37] competition and have someone come do a
salary
[1:16:37] study for us. The last one we did was more
of a high-level salary study,
[1:16:42] not an in-depth one.
[1:16:43] This is an in-depth one that will be like
the one we did in 2021 and will result in
[1:16:48] some positions changing grades,
[1:16:50] which changes the minimum and maximum of
how much an employee could make.
[1:16:59] It is budgeted for, and we have the
ability to move forward with it this fall.
[1:17:04] Move forward with another salary study?
Okay. Well, that's good news.
[1:17:11] So there's a possibility that your
employees could make more.
[1:17:17] Is that true?
[1:17:18] So there's a possibility that many
employees could, not just my department.
[1:17:24] Mm-hmm.
[1:17:26] Yeah.
[1:17:29] Well, that sounds like it'd get more to
the root of the problem.
[1:17:32] I mean, I know we're not just rolling in
the dough around here,
[1:17:35] but This keeps coming back.
[1:17:38] And that's all.
[1:17:42] All right.
[1:17:43] Thank you.
[1:17:43] Before I take the next slide, I want to
add something real quick on a side note.
[1:17:47] You have multiple times tonight said
dangerous.
[1:17:49] And I've been to your office many times
and we've talked a lot over the years.
[1:17:53] But this is the first time that I've heard
that kind of language.
[1:17:56] So I would strongly recommend— and I'll
use this as the example—
[1:18:00] we just built a new judicial center.
[1:18:02] They have to go through multiple deputies
and a metal detector,
[1:18:05] and when they get up to Sandy's clerk
office,
[1:18:07] there's still an inch-thick piece of glass
separating them.
[1:18:10] I would strongly recommend you take some
of this fund and build yourself some
[1:18:14] bulletproof glasses all the way across
that front line and protect those people.
[1:18:18] So if danger is an issue, you've got funds
to do that,
[1:18:21] and I would use some of those funds.
[1:18:23] And I know we've talked about renovating
and using that fund for different things.
[1:18:27] But I would do something about the safety
of that place and put up some bulletproof
[1:18:31] glass for those girls because you don't
have deputies at the front door screening
[1:18:35] and all that. So that's my recommendation
and we can talk about it at a later time.
[1:18:40] But Commissioner Morrow, you're up next.
[1:18:42] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[1:18:43] I think the cleanest way for Joey to get
what he wants is for us to do some kind of
[1:18:49] study and upgrade his employees from grade
7s to grade 8s.
[1:18:53] That way you keep it by department.
[1:18:55] You— we can't do something across the
board for the county.
[1:18:59] We just passed a 3% raise for them. That
brings the total raises since 2000 to 28%.
[1:19:05] I've been in the workplace, in the
workplace for over 50 years.
[1:19:09] I never had a job where I went up 28% over
a 5 or 6 year period without either
[1:19:14] changing positions or increasing my skill
level. They're not doing that.
[1:19:19] I understand the economy stinks right now.
[1:19:22] I understand fuel is ridiculous right now.
[1:19:25] I'm paying fuel just like everybody else
is. I hate it.
[1:19:29] I love the county employees and I wish we
could do more for them,
[1:19:33] but we just added $1 million to the budget
for that 3% raise.
[1:19:37] That's every year going forward. That
don't— that's not a one-time expense.
[1:19:43] That's a, that's $1 million going forward
every year.
[1:19:46] You know, we, we can't keep doing that
unless we want to raise taxes,
[1:19:51] and I don't want to raise taxes.
[1:19:53] Because we started this year with a $6
million deficit. We're in the hole.
[1:19:58] We're looking at firehouses. We're looking
at, you know, land for a fire hall.
[1:20:03] We're looking at ball fields. We cannot
keep doing this.
[1:20:07] Part of the trade-off for working for the
government is job security.
[1:20:12] The government doesn't close. Murray
County government will be here from now
[1:20:17] County government will be here from now
on.
[1:20:17] I worked for a factory for 24 years,
[1:20:20] and one day corporate people from New
Jersey walked in at 10 o'clock in the
[1:20:25] Jersey walked in at 10 o'clock in the
morning.
[1:20:25] At 2 o'clock that afternoon, they said, 60
days from now, we're shutting her down.
[1:20:31] Didn't matter we'd been there 24 years.
Didn't matter we'd had all that.
[1:20:36] They can do that in the private sector.
[1:20:39] They can't do that in government because
you're not going to shut the government
[1:20:44] down. That's part of the tradeoff.
[1:20:46] My understanding from Dana, when she
talked about retention,
[1:20:50] her retention's down around 1% or less
turnover rate. That's where we were.
[1:20:56] That's why we have done the 28% over that
period of years, is to get it up.
[1:21:01] We want— we want to retain our employees.
I get that.
[1:21:04] But we can't keep doing this forever,
[1:21:07] and we can't keep doing countywide things
forever. Now, Joey's got issues.
[1:21:12] I think we need to station a deputy in his
office,
[1:21:15] let him get some bulletproof glass.
[1:21:18] And I think, you know, we need to look— if
people need to be reclassified,
[1:21:23] let's do it by department.
[1:21:24] But this countywide raise business is
going to have to slow down,
[1:21:29] or we're going to have to do tax increase.
Now, I'm not in favor of that.
[1:21:34] To me, tax increase is a last resort kind
of a deal.
[1:21:37] That's, that's the one thing you don't
want.
[1:21:40] is to raise people's taxes because it's
tough.
[1:21:43] You know, the people that are paying those
taxes are suffering from the economy too.
[1:21:49] They're suffering from fuel prices.
They're suffering from grocery prices.
[1:21:54] I don't know the answer,
[1:21:56] but I know that I don't think a countywide
increase right now is a solution.
[1:22:01] We just did one that was another million
dollars for every year going forward.
[1:22:06] But this is not a countywide—
[1:22:08] we're talking about a specific item for
him out of a Out of a specific fund.
[1:22:12] We are for him out of a specific fund, but
Doug was—
[1:22:14] when we were talking about the policy,
Doug said no,
[1:22:17] he wanted to make it countywide.
[1:22:18] Well, if it's countywide, it applies to
all employees.
[1:22:21] No, because this is a fund that is only
for him. This is his fund.
[1:22:25] I'm fine with that for him.
[1:22:27] I would rather see him upgrade his people
from 7 to 8 so that it's ongoing and it
[1:22:32] falls within the policy you get.
[1:22:34] But if he can do this out of a one— out of
his fund, fine.
[1:22:38] I'm— it's What I'm talking about is going—
is countywide increases.
[1:22:42] We've got to watch what we're doing
countywide.
[1:22:45] Okay.
[1:22:46] Because like I say, we, we have done a lot
in terms of raises over the years,
[1:22:52] and I'm probably making every county
employee in the world mad,
[1:22:57] and I'll apologize for that. But I know,
you know, I'm on Social Security.
[1:23:03] I feel the economy myself.
[1:23:05] But we can't keep— we just cannot keep
going up and up and up and up forever.
[1:23:12] But I need to get us back on this topic.
[1:23:14] All right, that's fine.
[1:23:15] Well, see, that's what got me stirred up
was when Doug said the countywide deal and
[1:23:20] he wants to make it a countywide policy.
[1:23:23] And I— that's what— that's what I'm
against right now is doing a countywide
[1:23:27] against right now is doing a countywide
deal.
[1:23:28] Okay.
[1:23:28] All right, thank you.
[1:23:29] Yes, sir. All right, Commissioner
Bridenbaugh, you're up, sir.
[1:23:32] Keep it short and To the, to the motion.
[1:23:34] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Absolutely. Joey,
thank you for being here again.
[1:23:38] You know, I supported you back in
November.
[1:23:41] I wish we'd have done it then so we
weren't back here tonight doing it all
[1:23:45] weren't back here tonight doing it all
over
[1:23:45] again. You did, and I appreciate it.
[1:23:48] And I, like Commissioner Previti, I've
been in your office a lot, and I've never—
[1:23:52] I've not seen the danger, but I've seen
the crowds.
[1:23:55] And wherever you have that many people and
there's frustration,
[1:23:59] Who knows what's going to happen, but this
is,
[1:24:02] this is a fund that the state legislature
granted to you.
[1:24:05] We, we had no say-so in that. We don't
have anything to do about it.
[1:24:09] It'd be nice if they did it for every
department, but they haven't.
[1:24:13] But that should not prevent you from being
able to do with it what you feel
[1:24:18] necessary to reward your employees, and
that's what this is. This is a
[1:24:22] that's what this is. This is a
recognition.
[1:24:22] It is a, it is a reward to them for their
service to you,
[1:24:26] and the long and the short of it is,
that's what it is. It is your
[1:24:30] that's what it is. It is your
appreciation.
[1:24:30] You have the ability to do that.
[1:24:32] The state legislature has given you the
ability to do that.
[1:24:36] The other issues that have been discussed,
those can,
[1:24:39] those can be addressed through the salary
study or whatever else needs to be done,
[1:24:44] but the long and the short of it is, the
question tonight is,
[1:24:47] are we going to let you do with the money
that the state legislature has allocated
[1:24:52] to you through this fee to be able to
reward your employees for a job well done.
[1:24:57] I will tell you this, I said it last
November, I'll say it again.
[1:25:01] I have the opportunity from time to time
to talk to other employees,
[1:25:05] and I would ask every one of them, what do
you think?
[1:25:08] And all of them said, we're not offended,
[1:25:10] we think it's a great thing for Joey to
have the ability to do that.
[1:25:14] I wish we could do it too,
[1:25:16] but our feelings are not hurt just because
Joey can do it for his own people.
[1:25:20] They deserve it. And so I think,
[1:25:22] not even getting into the issue of
fairness or anything else,
[1:25:26] you have the ability to do it.
[1:25:28] I support you in this,
[1:25:29] and I implore the commission to support
you as well and pass this through the full
[1:25:34] commission later this month. Thank you,
Mr. Chairman.
[1:25:37] Mr. Green, you're up, ma'am.
[1:25:38] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Out of this fund,
can we put a security person in there?
[1:25:43] I mean, if we've got one at the library,
[1:25:46] I think he needs one more than even the
library.
[1:25:49] Well, that's up to him and his fund. I
mean, that's not part of this motion.
[1:25:54] But can that fund be used for—
[1:25:56] He can do whatever he wants. It's for
whatever his need out of his office is.
[1:26:01] Well, I think—
[1:26:02] If he's using the county clerk's office,
we can do—
[1:26:04] The security needs to be improved.
[1:26:09] Thank you.
[1:26:09] Yes, ma'am. Uh, Commissioner Kozlowski.
You're up, sir. Thank you, Chairman.
[1:26:14] Uh, thank you, Joey.
[1:26:15] I, I can say I definitely appreciate your
passion for your employees, uh,
[1:26:19] your fight for your employees.
[1:26:21] Um, I don't work in your office,
[1:26:23] but I was ready to quit after hearing your
stories on there.
[1:26:26] Um, the bad behavior is obviously
unacceptable, um, with, with all of that,
[1:26:31] that something's got to be done.
[1:26:33] I appreciate you standing up for them,
doing what needs to be done on there.
[1:26:37] To be honest with you, when this
conversation first started,
[1:26:41] I was kind of hesitant of being supportive
of it just because of the timing of
[1:26:45] everything. The more you talk, the more I
listen on this stuff.
[1:26:49] You know, I can understand that you've got
those funds there available to do that.
[1:26:54] I can see both sides of all the arguments
that are coming through here.
[1:26:58] One of the commissioners had brought up
about the timeframe as far as whether
[1:27:02] employees should be there 1 year, 2 years,
3 years, whatever it is.
[1:27:06] From my understanding, you only have 2
people that won't get this bonus.
[1:27:10] Is that correct?
[1:27:11] That's correct.
[1:27:13] Okay. And besides those 2 people,
everybody else has been there at least 2
[1:27:18] everybody else has been there at least 2
years?
[1:27:18] Yes.
[1:27:20] Okay. So I think that's where the
confusion on the wording of that was, you
[1:27:25] confusion on the wording of that was, you
know,
[1:27:26] was, hey, if we just made this for 2 years
or whatever, either way, regardless,
[1:27:32] we do it for 1 year or 2 years,
[1:27:34] So this is going to include everybody
except for those 2 people.
[1:27:39] Again, as it's been brought up, you know,
[1:27:42] this is very clear that it is a
one-and-done bonus.
[1:27:46] And so for that, I can support this.
[1:27:49] I do hope that future security will come
into play as well for that office,
[1:27:54] because I'll be honest with you,
[1:27:57] $2,700 would not keep me at a job if I
felt like I was being threatened and in
[1:28:03] danger.
[1:28:03] Yeah.
[1:28:04] So I do appreciate you—
[1:28:05] Something I didn't say is I think a lot of
this is caused by so many people that's
[1:28:10] moved in here from other states. And we
hear this every day.
[1:28:14] Well, that ain't how we done it in
Oklahoma or Nevada or California.
[1:28:18] And we have to tell them, but you're not
in California anymore.
[1:28:22] You know, you're in Tennessee.
[1:28:24] I agree. And like I said, I appreciate
your passion for your people.
[1:28:28] I think that's got to be commended, and
hopefully this will go through.
[1:28:32] So thank you, Chairman.
[1:28:33] Thank you, Joey.
[1:28:34] All right. Seeing no other lights, we are
going to move forward.
[1:28:37] Doug, you want to add something? Go right
ahead.
[1:28:40] But otherwise, we're going to take a vote.
Yeah. Okay.
[1:28:43] So we have a motion from Commissioner
Bridenbaugh. It was amended.
[1:28:47] It was seconded by Commissioner Miller,
and it was amended. That passed.
[1:28:51] All in favor say aye to pass this to
budget. Aye. Any opposed?
[1:28:55] That passes unanimously to budget. Thank
you for that. We'll move on.
[1:28:59] We're done, Joey. That's it.
[1:29:01] All right, thank y'all. Thank every one of
you.
[1:29:03] All right, next item of business is the
Historical Courthouse Committee.
[1:29:07] This is something that I brought to the
mayor and to the county archivist,
[1:29:11] and we do have Tom Price here as well this
evening.
[1:29:14] So several field trips over the past few
years have been taken over to Rutherford
[1:29:19] County to look at their museum and how
their old courthouse was turned into a
[1:29:24] museum. And they supplied us with the
documentation and stuff on how their
[1:29:28] documentation and stuff on how their
museums
[1:29:29] were created and everything.
[1:29:31] And so, you know, it says in the
resolution itself that the Murray County
[1:29:35] resolution itself that the Murray County
Commission
[1:29:36] and other historians deem it necessary,
critical,
[1:29:38] and pertinent to tell the story of Murray
County.
[1:29:41] And because Murray County Commission
approved renovations of the historic
[1:29:46] approved renovations of the historic
courthouse
[1:29:46] in 2022 under Chairman Eric Previti,
[1:29:49] for this reason and to keep the history of
our county alive and ever-present,
[1:29:53] Murray County is creating the Courthouse
Historic Museum Committee.
[1:29:57] Now, this is not the steering committee
that has been working with the renovations
[1:30:02] of the courthouse, and this is not the
operations of the, uh, of the museum
[1:30:07] operations of the, uh, of the museum
either.
[1:30:07] This is just to create the committee to
set the policy. It's an advisory
[1:30:12] set the policy. It's an advisory
committee.
[1:30:12] There's no compensation. The mayor will
appoint the members of the committee.
[1:30:17] The list of where that pool will come from
is there.
[1:30:20] And I need to take a motion to pass this
on to—
[1:30:23] there's no compensation for any of this.
[1:30:25] And so I just— I need a motion and a
second to send this to the full
[1:30:29] second to send this to the full
commission.
[1:30:30] The mayor has a point.
[1:30:32] The mayor, your light's on, ma'am. Go
ahead.
[1:30:33] Yes.
[1:30:34] And we may talk about this in the full
commission if you send it on,
[1:30:38] but I didn't view that as a policymaking
committee.
[1:30:41] But as an advisory committee,
[1:30:43] because the museum will be under the
auspice of the Archives.
[1:30:47] So I think the policy would come from the
Archives,
[1:30:50] but this would be an advisory committee
with a different role than setting policy.
[1:30:55] That's the way I understand it.
[1:30:57] Yes, ma'am. All right, I'll make a motion
for discussion. Do I have a second?
[1:31:01] I have a second from Commissioner Miller.
Any lights on discussion for this?
[1:31:05] Commissioner Sumner, is your light on?
[1:31:10] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Can I talk to—
can I ask Mr. Price a question?
[1:31:13] You sure may. That's why he's here. Thank
you for waiting so late, Tom.
[1:31:16] Yeah, how you doing?
[1:31:22] Fine.
[1:31:23] Good evening.
[1:31:23] Good. I don't— I hate to put you on the
spot here, but I'm going to.
[1:31:27] Uh, do you— I mean, do—
[1:31:29] does—
[1:31:30] does your department—
[1:31:32] do you feel like you need an advisory
[1:31:35] committee For the museum?
[1:31:38] So if you look at who the committee is
composed of,
[1:31:41] they're people in the community that have
a vested interest in the history of Murray
[1:31:46] County. I think it's always wise in a
museum setting.
[1:31:50] I think it's typical within the museum
world to have community input.
[1:31:54] So the folks that are going to be on this
advisory role would meet intermittently to
[1:32:00] help really with content issue.
[1:32:02] So when we're talking about how we're
going to develop this museum out,
[1:32:06] we basically have 2 galleries, right?
[1:32:09] I foresee one gallery being one that
interprets the whole history of Murray
[1:32:13] interprets the whole history of Murray
County
[1:32:14] using 3-dimensional objects as your, as
your guide.
[1:32:17] Those objects can be traded out and
changed over time.
[1:32:20] The other gallery I foresee as being a
changing exhibit gallery where we'll do 3
[1:32:26] changing exhibit gallery where we'll do 3
or
[1:32:26] 4 exhibits a year that will be
thematic-based.
[1:32:29] We want to do the history of Mule Day in
Murray County or the history of James K.
[1:32:34] Polk in Murray County, you know,
thematically.
[1:32:37] I think that's where that committee comes
into play.
[1:32:40] They're members of the community.
[1:32:42] It brings community voice into the
interpretation of the museum.
[1:32:46] I'm happy to have an advisory board for
that.
[1:32:49] Okay.
[1:32:50] All right.
[1:32:50] Yeah. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mr.
Chairman.
[1:32:52] All right. I see no other lights.
[1:32:53] All in favor of moving this to the full
commission say aye.
[1:32:56] Aye.
[1:32:57] Any opposed?
[1:32:59] All right.
[1:32:59] That passes. Next, let's see here.
[1:33:05] Hang on just a second.
[1:33:10] Next item on the agenda is public comment.
[1:33:13] Is there anyone that wishes to speak
publicly? Tim, you're the only public
[1:33:19] publicly? Tim, you're the only public
here.
[1:33:20] Okay. All right, uh, next is, uh, item 15,
appointments and announcements.
[1:33:26] Excuse me. Item A, announce—
[1:33:28] announcement of 5 members' terms expiring
on the Admin Committee.
[1:33:33] B, announcement of 3 members expiring on
the Audit Committee.
[1:33:38] C, announcement of 2 members expiring on
the Regional Planning Commission.
[1:33:44] Item D is the announcement of a public
hearing for an amendment to the approved
[1:33:50] planned development, comma, let's see,
that's Firefly located at 3071 Highway
[1:33:56] that's Firefly located at 3071 Highway
431.
[1:33:57] The meeting will be held in the
Barner-Prym Commission Room Monday,
[1:34:02] August 17th at 6:00 PM.
[1:34:04] Item E, announcement that a public meeting
will be held to develop a new Murray
[1:34:10] County Comprehensive Land Use Plan on
Thursday, August 13th at 5:30 PM.
[1:34:16] The meeting will take place in the
cafeteria at Battle Creek High School
[1:34:22] cafeteria at Battle Creek High School
located at
[1:34:23] 130 Battle Creek Way, Spring Hill,
Tennessee 37174.
[1:34:27] The purpose of this meeting is to
establish a new comprehensive land use
[1:34:33] establish a new comprehensive land use
plan which
[1:34:33] develops a planning guide for the most
appropriate use of land in the
[1:34:39] appropriate use of land in the
unincorporated
[1:34:40] county. And do I have any other lights for
announcements?
[1:34:45] Commissioner Bridenbaugh, you had the
floor, sir, for announcements.
[1:34:50] Is your light— no, it's not him.
[1:34:53] I'm sorry. Scott Saunders.
[1:34:55] Commissioner Saunders.
[1:34:56] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[1:34:57] The public meeting at Battle Creek is
actually going to be taking place at the
[1:35:03] actually going to be taking place at the
same
[1:35:03] time the I-65 corridor study is going to
be taking place in Spring Hill, uh,
[1:35:08] for Murray County residents.
[1:35:10] That corridor study is going from Thompson
Lane in Nashville all the way to Bear
[1:35:15] Creek.
[1:35:16] I've seen the map.
[1:35:16] Yeah, and so this couldn't be at a worse
time.
[1:35:19] This meeting right here couldn't be at a
worse time because I-65 is a,
[1:35:24] is a huge issue in Murray County. And of
course, this is a critical issue too.
[1:35:28] And you can't— I'd love to be at both of
them, but—
[1:35:31] Well, we talked to Robert and then we'll
see how it goes.
[1:35:34] This involves the school building as well.
He's already published it.
[1:35:38] Yeah, it's been published.
[1:35:39] So, I mean, it couldn't be at a worse
time, but I was just, you know,
[1:35:44] there's an announcement here too that
there is an I-65 corridor meeting at the
[1:35:49] Spring Hill Event Center at the same time
as that, as that meeting.
[1:35:54] Thank you.
[1:35:55] All right, uh, Commissioner Vara, your
light's on, sir.
[1:35:57] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[1:35:58] Do we know which members of the Planning
Committee or Planning Commission are
[1:36:02] expiring which ones' terms?
[1:36:04] Not at this time.
[1:36:06] Not at this time. It's just an
announcement.
[1:36:09] Okay, thank you.
[1:36:09] All right, all right.
[1:36:11] So that said, before we adjourn, um,
again, as I did last night, you know,
[1:36:16] this is the last meeting for this
committee.
[1:36:19] On this commission, and I want to thank
everybody for allowing me to serve as
[1:36:24] chairman. I've been on this committee for
the past 12 years,
[1:36:28] but I want to turn the spotlight over here
on Miss Lisa,
[1:36:31] and I want to thank Miss Lisa because she
has been—
[1:36:35] if you've ever chaired a committee with
Lisa,
[1:36:38] she's like a professional ball catcher on
the team here.
[1:36:41] She's got her hand signs that she signals
the pitcher, and you know, you,
[1:36:46] you either get the swipe Or the point, or
the point, or the nudge.
[1:36:50] You get the nudge, okay?
[1:36:52] And so I want to thank Lisa, you know, so
much for you to— Patty,
[1:36:56] in my chair right there is a bag, if
you'll run that over here to me.
[1:37:01] And so I've known you for a long time, and
so Cindy didn't spill the beans, did she?
[1:37:06] No.
[1:37:07] Okay, good.
[1:37:10] Thank you, dear.
[1:37:11] So this is my gratitude and thank you
Thank you for the years and everything.
[1:37:15] Thank you so much. You're welcome.
[1:37:17] And everybody, everybody give— I mean,
because Lisa,
[1:37:20] Lisa keeps these committees flowing and
she keeps the full commission flowing.
[1:37:24] And so, so that's, that's, uh, anyway,
thank y'all so much.
[1:37:28] And you get to start all over again with a
new group next month.
[1:37:32] And so, yeah, I can't wait.
[1:37:33] And And, um, and I know— and while I've
got the floor here,
[1:37:37] I don't know if you're coming next to the
Budget Committee or not,
[1:37:40] but I want to thank Chairman Grooms for
serving as chairman because you're not
[1:37:45] serving as chairman because you're not
going
[1:37:45] to be here at the full commission meeting
this month. I'm going to be in Alaska.
[1:37:50] And so Vice Chairman Grooms, yeah, you're
going to be in Alaska catching fish,
[1:37:54] brother. So I want to thank you for your
service as chairman and, and all that.
[1:37:59] And with that said, seeing no other
lights, I take a motion to adjourn.
[1:38:03] I have it from Miller and a second