Full-Court Tackles Topics New and Old

White County Commission met for one of its first Full Court meetings as new commissioners. With Dakota White as the new chairman of the commission, they tackled problems both new and old. The meeting went by rather quickly, all things considered, with the commission quickly approving a handful of resolutions both new and old.

The White County Sheriff’s Department has gained a new asset after the meeting, with the Commission approving an agreement between them and the School Board. The Sheriff’s Department will use the old Central View Elementary School as a training facility for staff both old and new. Commissioner Hutchings did attempt to have the resolution amended and looked over again, but the amendment failed due to lack of a second.

Chris Brewington, Derrick Hutchings, Cain Rogers, and Bryan Cole voted no on the resolution. All other commissioners voted yes.

The Sheriff’s Department was once again brought up during budget resolutions, when the topic of a drone was discussed. Some commissioners wanted to know more about the drone, and Captain Will Randolph gave more information on it.

“The drone we’re looking to buy is a man-piloted drone that requires a pilot at all times,” said Captain Randolph. “The online platform that’s connected to it allows us to have boots on the ground of the scene to be able to see from that drone’s perspective for situational awareness or surveying the area, triangulating areas for search and rescue, so on so forth. It is us in control. It is not doing any automatic response.”

Captain Randolph also clarified that it is the same type of drone that the fire departments use, and Matt McBride confirmed those are not online, cloud based.

Commissioner Hutchings had a constituent who requested to speak for three minutes on the topic of the drone. She voiced concerns about privacy and claimed the information gathered by the drone is connected to an AI database. Commissioner Hutchings did correct her on one matter, saying the flight logs, not flight videos, are what the drone keeps record of for public request.

The drone was approved, with Andy Davis being the only commissioner to vote against it.

A matter that was started by the previous commission, the Full Court voted to establish a 300-foot minimum for beer sales. This resolution was adopted near unanimously, with Bill Templeton being the only “no” vote.

Kyle Goff’s title has slightly changed, too. The commission voted to change the title from County Executive to County Mayor. This was done to reflect the rest of Tennessee, where most counties use the term mayor rather than the small few that still use executive. This was approved unanimously.

The property on Doe Creek Lake Drive was approved for continued government usage as well, with Mayor Goff saying they will investigate the adjacent property as well. On top of this, surplus equipment was declared unanimously.

Like always, amendments from the Budget Committee were some of the most pressing and discussed matters. There were many of them, ranging from simple gathering of funds to Animal Shelter matters.

Commissioner Hutchings, on the first resolution, raised concerns about the General Fund. Four of the amendments presented on the resolution were grant funding, but the fifth amendment related to hiring a new position at the Animal Shelter.

“I don’t feel like we should vote on all of those together,” said Commissioner Hutchings. “I would make a motion to separate section one (the Animal Shelter) from the other five, to vote on it separately since it affects maintenance of effort.”

Commissioners agreed to split Section One from the rest of the Resolution and further discussed the matter of an undesignated fund balance to an Animal Shelter manager position for $29,943, which would bring the new position’s pay to $48,000 a year.

Commissioner Golden wanted to know what paid, non-volunteer employees the shelter already had. Mayor Goff confirmed director Mike Sparks and two full-time employees. Commissioner Fowler also asked if this new position was full-time, and Mayor Goff confirmed that as well.

The position for a full-time manager for the Animal Shelter failed on a 1-13 vote. Erick Dildine was the only commissioner to vote yes.

The rest of the General Fund amendment resolution did pass, as did the amendments to the Solid Waste/Sanitation Fund, General Purpose School Fund, and another set of amendments to the General Fund.

The Commission also recognized the White County Warrior Marching Band during the meeting. Chairman White said, “This talented group has represented our school and community with excellence, earning superior ratings at every competition this season… Beyond their accomplishments, these students have shown tremendous dedication, school spirit, and pride in their community.”

All commissioners were present for this meeting, something not achieved in over a year. The meetings are open to the public, occurring on the first and third Monday of the month for committees and Full Court, respectively. They are also streamed on the Commission’s YouTube channel, White County TN Commission.