Claiborne County Commission appoints nine commissioners to Budget Committee after close votes

The Claiborne County Commission on Jan. 28 approved Resolution 2019-007 appointing nine commissioners to the county Budget Committee and added language allowing any commissioner serving on more than two committees or boards to resign to comply with a December 2018 resolution limiting committee service.

The nine commissioners named to the Budget Committee were Charlton Vass, Kim Walker-Large, Mike Campbell, Anthony Rowe, Mitchell Cosby, Steve Mason, Shawn Peters, David Mundy and James Hatmaker. The motion with the sponsor's amendment passed by roll-call vote, 20–1.

Earlier in the meeting, a separate motion to rescind the commission's December 2018 limit on committee service failed on a roll-call vote, 10 in favor and 11 opposed; the transcript records the names of commissioners who voted for and against that rescission. A later amendment to appoint the full commission to the Budget Committee was considered and failed, 3–18.

Commissioners discussed the need to set county budget priorities promptly; the new committee appointments and the resignation allowance were presented as steps to bring the budget process into alignment with vacancies and to comply with committee-service limits. The resolution assigns responsibility for budget work to the named committee and notes the public welfare as the basis for immediate effect.