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Resident alleges road commissioners were paid for missed meetings; county says lawsuit underway
Summary
A resident told the commission five road commissioners received $4,600 in 2020 for meetings they did not attend and urged repayment; the mayor responded the matter is the subject of active litigation and will be resolved in court.
During the public-comment period, Gwen Holden told the Hamblen County Commission she reviewed documents showing five road commissioners were paid for meetings they did not attend and urged the county to recover the funds. "Five road commissioners ... got paid $4,600 for meetings in 2020 that they did not attend," Holden said, and she asked when county leaders would require repayment.
The mayor responded that the issue is the subject of a lawsuit that is currently under way and that the legal process is handling it. "That is a subject of a lawsuit that is currently underway," the mayor said, and added the matter is in "the hands of others at the moment."
Chair (speaker 1) affirmed the general principle that anyone receiving funds they should not have should repay them and said he would address a commissioner who he said owes repayment. Commissioners did not take additional public action on the floor; the mayor and the chair indicated they expect the courts or internal processes to resolve the matter.
The resident named five commissioners (Charles Anderson, Danny Bale, Gail Free, Tom Hyde and Deborah Nicks) and asked the county attorney and county leaders to demand repayment. County leaders said they would defer to the pending litigation and did not announce a timetable for recovery or administrative discipline.
