Commission appoints Tara to fill retiring elected office; statute cited for replacement process

The Fayette County Commission voted to appoint Tara Tyree (referred to in the meeting as Tara) to the county office vacated by Eddie Young, following a review of applicants and supporting letters from office staff.

Commissioners discussed the legal process for filling elected‑office vacancies and noted a recent change to the state statute, which the meeting record identified by citation and said went into effect in April 2025. A commissioner said the revised statute requires the appointee to share the same political affiliation the departing official had at the time of election and referenced the code cited in an application letter.

“Second, we took applications through yesterday at 12:00. We had some people apply,” a commissioner said while describing the selection process. The motion to appoint Tara received a second and passed on voice vote. The chair congratulated the appointee and said Tara would serve through the end of the month in the current incumbent’s transitional period and would officially take over on the first of the next month.

Commissioners said staff would follow the statutory process for certified appointment when the vacancy involves an elected seat and that the governor’s office is involved if the vacancy occurs in certain legislative offices. The commissioners also noted a substantial number of support letters from staff in the assessor’s office backing the in‑house applicant and said that influenced their decision.

The commission recorded no additional conditions on the appointment at the meeting; commissioners thanked the outgoing official for years of service and welcomed the appointee.