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Commissioners discuss ADA compliance, form accessibility committee and name representatives
Summary
County commissioners reviewed ADA compliance paperwork, clarified a missing designee signature on a prior form, and proposed an accessibility committee including county staff and school-district representation.
Polk County commissioners addressed American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance paperwork and the county’s designated ADA contact during the August meeting.
The discussion arose after staff reviewed an open-records submission and related correspondence showing a previous ADA designee’s paperwork lacked a recorded signature. The presenter said the former designee’s termination left duties effectively shifted to a county employee who had not formally signed the required form.
As a next step, commissioners proposed forming a committee to inventory county accessibility needs and to coordinate with the Southeast Tennessee Development District (referred to in meeting materials) and school officials. The presenter said he had asked James Jones, director of schools, to recommend school-district representation and proposed committee members including William Wallace, Ben Brown (maintenance), Adam Stone and Commissioner Pittenger. The presenter also suggested adding an East-side school representative if recommended by the superintendent.
Meeting participants emphasized that the ADA-designation role for the county is unpaid and that some prior recordkeeping gaps—specifically a missing signature—needed correction. Commissioners discussed whether the ADA designation required a formal appointment by the full commission; one participant said they believed the role fell under an existing county job title rather than requiring a separate commission vote.
The group asked the buildings-and-grounds committee to walk the courthouse and other county buildings to compile a prioritized list of accessibility and repair needs and to report back. The transcript shows discussion and planning, but no recorded formal vote on an ADA appointment in the provided excerpt.
Ending: Commissioners agreed to pursue coordinated review with the development district and the school system and to assemble a buildings-and-grounds review; no formal appointment vote is recorded in the excerpt.
