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County manager and mayor disagree over statute on electric board appointments
Summary
At the Oct. 21 Benton County meeting, BCES manager Raymond Barnes cited TCA 7‑52‑108 saying only one commissioner should serve on the Benton County Electric Company board; Mayor Brett Lashlee disagreed and invited Barnes to legally challenge the decision.
Raymond Barnes, manager for Benton County Electric Service (BCES), read Tennessee Code Annotated 7‑52‑108 at the Oct. 21 Benton County Commission meeting and told commissioners he believes the statute was intended to limit the governing body's appointments to a single commissioner on the Benton County Electric Company board.
Mayor Brett Lashlee responded that he believes the statutory language guarantees that at least one commissioner serve on the board but does not limit appointments to only one commissioner. Lashlee said Mr. Barnes was welcome to challenge his interpretation of the code.
The exchange was recorded in the minutes but did not produce a legal ruling or a formal motion directing county counsel to seek an interpretation. The disagreement came near the end of the meeting during a segment of other business; no change to board appointments was announced at that time.
The minutes show multiple appointment resolutions were approved earlier in the meeting (for example, Janet Higdon and Doug Vickers to committees and Angela Jones to the BCAS Board), but the statutory question about appointment limits to the electric board remained unresolved in the session record.
Ending: The meeting closed without a formal vote or referral on the statutory interpretation; the record shows the parties noted their differing views and left the matter for potential further action outside this meeting.
