Gwen Holden, a resident of Talbott, told the Hamblen County Commission that five named road commissioners failed to repay unlawful payments they received for road commission meetings they did not attend in 2020 and that she has filed suit seeking recovery. "The truth is that 5 road commissioners have kept over 4,600 in unlawful payments for 4 meetings they did not attend," Holden said during the public comment period.

Holden said those payments were shown in county payroll records and that invoices allegedly sent by the county finance department did not fully bill the five commissioners for the missed meetings. She named Charles Anderson, Danny Bail, Gail Free, Tom Hyde and Deborah Nicks as commissioners she says did not repay the funds and urged the commission to address the matter.

Chair Bobby Hahn responded in the commission's closing remarks, saying the county's official records show "5 of the 7 road commissioners have a 0 balance. 2 road commissioners still owe, but they are paying monthly." Hahn said the figures he cited were the official information provided by county staff and defended his earlier statement to the commission.

Commissioner Edna Green (who has previously pursued recovery on related matters) and other commissioners discussed settlement and recovery efforts in separate agenda items earlier in the meeting; Green asked that minutes for a special-called meeting record docket numbers and settlement amounts so the public record is clear.

No formal action to audit or recover the specific amounts Holden described was recorded on the meeting agenda beyond the public comment and subsequent remarks. Holden said she has filed suit; the commission did not announce a follow-up investigatory directive during the meeting.

The commission did, elsewhere on the agenda, approve a motion to retain outside counsel related to recent litigation (see separate article), but the motion and staff comments did not specify a new audit of road commission payroll records. The meeting ended with the chair reiterating a request for adherence to public-comment rules and a schedule of upcoming committee meetings.