The term of one of the members of the DeKalb Utility District Board of Commissioners will expire on Aug. 31.
The term of Joe Foutch, one of three members who serves DeKalb County on the board is approaching the end of a four-year term. By law, the board must submit the names of three nominees to fill the position to the county mayor, listed in order of preference. Plans are to certify the list at its July 2 meeting.
Customers may submit a name for consideration by the board for the list of nominees. Any names to be considered should be provided to the District’s General Manager at least one week before this meeting.
The general provisions of Tennessee Code Annotated (State Law) TCA § 7-82-307 provide that the utility board members must submit three nominees, listed in order of preference, to the county mayor (where the vacancy exists). The county mayor has the authority to appoint one of the nominees to the vacant position on the board or reject all of the nominees. If the county mayor rejects all three nominees, then the board of (utility) commissioners has to submit three additional nominees to the county mayor for consideration.
If the county mayor rejects these nominees, then the process would continue until the position is filled. There are, however, exceptions to these general provisions in the statute. Any order either appointing or rejecting a list of nominees shall be entered of record on the minutes of the county legislative body and a certified copy of the order shall be furnished to the board of (utility) commissioners and to the appointee; provided, that upon the rejection of any entire list of nominees by the county mayor, the board of (utility) commissioners shall continue to submit new nonidentical lists of three (3) nominees to the county mayor within sixty (60) days after each such rejection until such procedure shall result in the vacancy being filled for the remainder of the term or for the new term, as provided in this section.
The DUD Board is made up of five members, three from DeKalb County (Foutch, Jimmy Womack and Hugh Washer), one from Cannon (Roger Turney), and one from Smith County (Danny Bass). Their terms are staggered.