County to mull contract for part-time planner

Published 4:17 pm Wednesday, January 17, 2018

The Claiborne Commission will be discussing, during its next meeting, whether to contract for a part-time certified planner through the East Tennessee Development District (ETDD). If the resolution is adopted, the contract for advisory services would help the Claiborne Regional Planning Commission in addressing the recent upswing in county land development.

Resolution 2018-001 would allow for the transfer of $1,700 from the debit fund balance to the credit contracted services fund. The resolution also authorizes county mayor Jack Daniels to sign the three-page contract with ETDD.

If adopted, the county must pay a total $5,614.58 on Feb. 1, the date in which the contract goes into effect, to cover the necessary dollars to carry out the provisions set forth in the contract. This initial agreement will continue for five months, to the end of the current fiscal year — June 30.

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As written, the contract would allow ETDD to receive and expend funds from any sources for staffing, research, planning, coordination, economic development, demonstration projects and other activities “deemed necessary to promote the efficient, harmonious and economic development of the region.”

Enactment and enforcement of county ordinances would remain with the corresponding local governmental entity. The ETDD planner would serve only in an advisory position.

The county would be under no obligation to continue past the initial five month contract, although a new 12 month one will be presented to the county for fiscal year 2018-19.

Currently, the cities of Tazewell, New Tazewell and Harrogate retain their own full-time city planners.

In other action, the commissioners will be considering a few balance transfers of recovered funds. The recent repairs to the roofs of the CEASE building and U.T. Extension Office cost the county $7,284, which was initially paid out of the building repair budget. Daniels apparently worked with the insurance company to recover $6,934 of that cost. The resolution calls for this amount to be moved from the debit insurance recovery fund to the one for credit county building maintenance.

The commission will be voting on two Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office resolutions that call for the transfer of funds from the sales of seized vehicles and guns. The county netted $19,425 during a recent vehicle auction. One resolution calls for $9,000 of those funds to be transferred from the motor vehicles revenue to the expenditure account. The remaining $10,425 would be moved from the law enforcement equipment revenue account to the corresponding expenditure account.

The second resolution calls for the transfer of $19,280 in collected gun auction funds to the law enforcement equipment expenditure account.

Resolution 2018-005 asks that the county allow the Claiborne Highway Department to declare scrap pieces of metal piping and other scrap metal as surplus in preparation for sale to the highest bidder.

The last item on the agenda has to do with the acceptance of the county road list, which is submitted annually for approval.

As is usually the case, items could be added or deleted from the agenda during the opening moments of the meeting.

The Claiborne Commission will meet in regular session at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 22, inside the large courtroom of the Claiborne County Courthouse. The public is invited to attend these informative monthly meetings.