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County to appoint judicial commissioners
Library implements outreach program
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The one-year terms of the county’s three judicial commissioners will end soon, and the county commission has begun the process to appoint commissioners for 2015-16.

 

The commission voted to allow the judicial committee, which consists of the county mayor, the general sessions/juvenile court judge, the sheriff, the circuit court clerk and a representative of the district attorney general, to take applications for the positions and make recommendations to the entire commission at their July meeting. County Mayor Tim Stribling said that an ad would be published seeking applicants for the three judicial commissioner positions until July 10 at noon.

 

The current judicial commissioners Taft Hendrixson, Hoyte Barrett, and Jerry Taylor. The positions pay $884 per month, and they are responsible for the issuing criminal arrest warrants if there is probable cause. Their terms of office can be one year to four years, by the county commission’s decision, and they are on call 24 hours a day.

 

The commission also discussed new offices for the judicial commissioners to write warrants for the public. Sheriff Patrick Ray recently gave notice to the county mayor that he will not provide office space for the judicial commissioners after June 30. Stribling said that Ray has since agreed to extend the deadline by one month.

 

Fifth-District Commissioner Anita Puckett made a motion that county officials send a letter to the City of Smithville asking them to provide space, supplies and equipment for the judicial commissioners at city hall. Puckett said that considering the fact that the county funds the judicial commissioners salaries to write warrants for the public and law enforcement, including the Smithville Police Department, she felt the city should help shoulder the burden. The motion passed on an 11-0-1 vote, with Seventh-District Commissioner Kevin Robinson, a city employee, passing on the vote.

 

The commission also approved a request authorizing the library system to use a room at the county complex for a for a one-year pilot program for library outreach, using books and other resources from the Liberty Library which is closing on June 26 because of lack of activity.

 

"We are already partnering with Motlow for computer classes at the complex." Library Director Kathy Hendrixson told the commissioners. "We're partnering with UT. We're doing art classes over there. We also want to use this space to get our bookmobile started back up again and do more outreach. We're close to the schools. We're close to the senior centers. We're close to preschools so we can outreach to them with the bookmobile. We can also use that as a satellite center to do our technology. We want to teach people how to use their eReaders, Nooks, etc. to download READS programs from the state. We're wanting to do more technology and that room would give us that opportunity. We really don't have the space in our library to do that right now."

 

Brenda Hooper and Annette Greek were reappointed to the DeKalb County Library Board of Trustees for three-year terms.

 

Leslie B. Enoch, II was appointed as a commissioner to the Middle Tennessee Natural Gas Utility District.

 

A travel policy was approved for the county highway department. It will be the same as used by the state and county. No policy for travel had previously been established for the highway department and state auditors recommended one be adopted.

 

A five-year agreement was approved to allow Motlow State Community College to continue using two rooms rent free at the county complex for a classroom and computer lab.

 

A one-year lease renewal was approved for the Tennessee Opportunity Programs, which pays $200 per month for a room at the county complex. The programs goal is to empower migrant and seasonal farm workers and other disadvantaged persons to achieve economic self-sufficiency.

 

A 2000 Ford Expedition with 177,000 miles belonging to the fire department was declared surplus property and will be disposed of on line.

 

A request from Circuit Court Judge Amy Hollars was discussed, Hollars sent an open letter to the county mayor and county commission, requesting that security at the courthouse be improved. Stribling said the sheriff is working on suggestions for a plan, and a committee will review them and make a recommendation to the commission.

 

Requests for speed limits on several county roads led Fourth-District Commissioner Wayne Cantrell to recommend that an official policy be adopted concerning the matter. Cantrell said that some sort of criteria should be adopted to decide where and when to post speed limits.