Benton County commissioners approve telecommuting policy, apply for multimodal grant and pass multiple budget moves

Benton County commissioners gathered at the Benton County Courthouse on Oct. 19, 2020 and approved a package of resolutions that included adopting a county telecommuting policy, authorizing a Multimodal Access Grant application and budgeting several state and private grants for schools, public safety and infrastructure.

The commission voted to adopt Resolution 20201019-02, a telecommuting policy the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office requires during the COVID-19 outbreak, after a motion by Commissioner Dayna Ferguson and second by Commissioner Darrell Hicks. Mayor Brett Lashlee and county staff had prepared the policy for the FY2020–21 audit requirement, commissioners said.

Commissioners also approved Resolution 20201019-01, authorizing Mayor Brett Lashlee to submit an application for FY2020–21 Tennessee Multimodal Access Grant funds to benefit Holladay and Big Sandy and to serve as the county’s designated financial officer for the grant. The resolution notes Benton County will provide the required local cash match from the general account.

The meeting’s consent and budget calendar included a string of routine and pandemic-related appropriations. The commission budgeted $158,886 received from the State of Tennessee (Resolution 20201019-12) into Fund 178 to support the Holladay and Big Sandy multimodal project, a sheriff transport van and highway paving projects. Schools received multiple targeted allocations: a $5,000 donation from Chemours for nurse medical supplies (20201019-06); $9,288.64 in insurance recovery to repair Big Sandy School’s fire-alarm system after a lightning strike (20201019-07); $16,000 in federal funding for an Edmentum coursework package (20201019-08); and $55,700 from a Transition School-to-Work grant to cover salaries and benefits (20201019-09).

Public-safety and emergency management items included a $2,500 annual contribution from Waste Management for the county Code Red weather-alert system (20201019-10) and a $500 revenue entry to the sheriff’s budget for September (20201019-11). The commission also approved transfers to cover two sheriff capital projects — security cameras and a sally port — by requesting a $60,000 transfer from the debt service fund into capital projects (20201019-05).

Several internal budget corrections and transfers were approved: a $30,000 transfer from Community Development to provide the City of Big Sandy a local match for a park grant (20201019-04); a $20,000 reclassification within Fund 171 to correct a coding error (20201019-16); and a $3,300 appropriation from the archives reserve for preservation supplies (20201019-18). The highway department had two items approved: re-appropriation of a $50,000 balance for building upgrades at the new highway facility (20201019-19) and budgeting a $1,248.07 overpayment into crushed-stone expenditures (20201019-15).

Not all items were routine: Resolution 20201019-03, the mayor’s recommendation to re-appoint Ward Plant to the Board of Public Utilities, was pulled from the agenda by Mayor Lashlee and was not voted on. During the commissioners/forum portion of the meeting, Commissioner Rachelle Hill urged forming a planning committee to advance a proposed workhouse program. Sheriff Kenny Christopher urged swift action on purchasing land adjacent to the jail and said, “The asking price was $100,000 but the seller come down to $55,000,” noting no appraisal had yet been done; Mayor Lashlee said any purchase would require negotiating price and selling other county land if necessary.

Votes at a glance

• Resolution 20201019-01 (Multimodal Access Grant authorization): approved (motion Hicks; second Ferguson; voice vote — all present Aye).

• Resolution 20201019-02 (Telecommuting policy): approved (motion Hicks; second Ferguson; voice vote — all present Aye).

• Resolution 20201019-03 (Re-appointment of Ward Plant to Board of Public Utilities): pulled by the mayor; no vote.

• Resolution 20201019-04 ($30,000 transfer to City of Big Sandy for park grant): approved (motion Hicks; second Ferguson; roll call result reported as 15 Aye, 1 Pass).

• Resolution 20201019-05 ($60,000 transfer from Debt Service to Capital Projects for sheriff projects): approved (motion Ferguson; second Patton; roll call — all present Aye).

• Resolution 20201019-06 (Chemours donation $5,000 for school medical supplies): approved (motion Ferguson; second Patton; roll call — all present Aye).

• Resolution 20201019-07 ($9,288.64 insurance recovery for Big Sandy School alarm): approved (motion Ferguson; second Patton; roll call — all present Aye).

• Resolution 20201019-08 ($16,000 Federal Projects for Edmentum): approved (motion Ferguson; second Patton; roll call — all present Aye).

• Resolution 20201019-09 ($55,700 Transition School-to-Work grant): approved (motion Ferguson; second Patton; roll call — all present Aye).

• Resolution 20201019-10 (Waste Management $2,500 for Code Red): approved (motion Ferguson; second Hicks; roll call — all present Aye).

• Resolution 20201019-11 (Sheriff’s $500 September revenues budgeted): approved (motion Ferguson; second Hicks; roll call — all present Aye).

• Resolution 20201019-12 ($158,886 Governor’s grant budgeted across projects): approved (motion Ferguson; second Hicks; voice vote — carried).

• Resolution 20201019-13 (Library $4,250 from City of Camden): approved (motion Patton; second Ferguson; roll call — all present Aye).

• Resolution 20201019-14 (Mental Health Transport grant accounting $93,184): approved (motion Patton; second Nunnery; roll call — all present Aye).

• Resolution 20201019-15 (Highway overpayment $1,248.07): approved (motion Ferguson; second Hicks; roll call — all present Aye).

• Resolution 20201019-16 ($20,000 transfer within capital projects to correct coding): approved (motion Ferguson; second Hicks; roll call reported 15 Aye, 1 Nay).

• Resolution 20201019-17 ($10,000 transfer to Emergency Management for Schaus, LLC consulting): approved (motion Patton; second Ferguson; roll call reported 15 Aye, 1 Nay).

• Resolution 20201019-18 (Archives $3,300 appropriation): approved (motion Ferguson; second Hicks; roll call — all present Aye).

• Resolution 20201019-19 (Highway $50,000 re-appropriation for building upgrades): approved (motion Ferguson; second Hicks; roll call — all present Aye).

• Resolution 20201019-20 (Health Department $900 pay increase for state employee; county to be reimbursed): approved (motion Ferguson; second Hicks; roll call — all present Aye).

Other business and next steps

The commission approved October notaries, suspended rules to consider bond business and approved the bond for Clerk and Master Timothy Burrus. With no further business, the commission adjourned. Several agenda items reflect one-time grants and transfers required to accept state or private funds; the telecommuting policy adoption responds to a state audit requirement tied to COVID-19 remote-work planning.