The Wayne County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, January 19th, 2021. County Executive Jim Mangubat presided over the meeting. Commissioners in attendance, either in-person or virtually, were Herbert Brewer, Tom Mathis, Phillip Casteel, Vickie Petty, Stephen Pevahouse, Tim Prater, John McDonald, Kathryn Staggs, Sherrie Powers, David Martin, Mary Lauren Garner, and Rickey Kelley. Also in attendance were County Clerk Stan Horton and County Attorney Andy Yarbrough. Commissioner Tim Powell was absent.
Commissioner Kelley first made a motion to approve the minutes of the previous commission meeting and committee meetings. Commissioner Staggs seconded the motion, and all minutes were approved.
County Clerk Horton presented the following to serve as notaries with approved bonds: Elizabeth Daniel, Stacy E. Baker, Mark Hacker, Carol Warren, Shari Lewis, Carl E. Nutt, Tami Hurst, and Shawna Rich. Commissioner Mathis made a motion to approve, and the motion was seconded by Commissioner Pevahouse. The notaries were unanimously approved.
Next, Commissioner Brewer made a motion to appoint County Executive Jim Mangubat to serve as Chairman of the Commission, and to appoint Ricky Kelley to serve as Chairman Pro-Tem. Commissioner Mathis seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously.
Commissioner Prater next made a motion to approve the recommendation as presented to the commission concerning the transference of county water lines to cities. The City of Clifton and City of Waynesboro have already approved within their councils to accept the proposals as presented, and the City of Collinwood has presented a proposal to be approved by the County Commission before approval by their City Commission. Commissioner Casteel seconded the motion, and it was unanimously passed on roll call vote.
Commissioner Martin made a motion to move forward with the release of water lines to the City of Waynesboro and City of Clifton. Commissioner Staggs seconded, and the motion was unanimously passed on roll call vote.
Next on the agenda, Commissioner McDonald made a motion to accept bids on the project to reduce flooding at the Franklin Cole property. The bids will be used to determine the construction cost of the project, and once the bids have been received, the county will determine whether or not to move forward with the repairs. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Prater, and carried unanimously.
Commissioner Mathis then made a motion to approve the bid from Hassell and Hughes in the amount of $250,000 for the former Angelica building in Collinwood. Commissioner Casteel seconded, and the motion passed on roll call vote with Commissioners Mathis, Casteel, Garner, Pevahouse, McDonald, Petty, Powers, Martin, and Staggs voting yes, and Commissioners Brewer, Prater, and Kelley voting no.
Next, Wayne County Sheriff Shane Fisher presented a request to change the name of the Wayne County Jail to the Wayne County Workhouse, due to the inmate work force that is readily available. Commissioner Mathis made a motion to approve, and Commissioner Garner seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously on roll call vote.
Next on the agenda was an update on the Collinwood Medical building. The commission was informed that a preliminary design for the new building has been completed, and will soon be sent to the commissioners for their review.
Following was an update on the proposed Ag Center. Jeff Minatra stated that the steering committee has looked at both floor plans and outside view plans, and will present the more favorable options at the next commission meeting.
As a point of interest for the future, Commissioner Powers noted that once a motion is made to table a topic, that motion is only good for that meeting. Therefore, if the topic comes up again at a future meeting, there is no need for the “table” motion to be rescinded in order to move forward.
Commissioner Mathis next suggested that the county, along with the management of Lincoln Brass, look into the clean-up needs at the plant. Commissioner Mathis noted that the clean-up could be costly due to oils that have been used at the facility for many years.
Next, Election Commissioner Lillie Ruth Brewer presented to the commission the need to approve whether or not the inmates at the South Central Correctional Facility in Clifton should be counted in Wayne County’s population once the results are in from the 2020 Census. Commissioner Brewer made a motion to leave as-is, which is to count the inmates in the county population. Commissioner Prater seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
Road Superintendent Chuck Moser next presented the commission with requests from the families of Walter Brown Smith, PFC Jay F. Wright, BJ Kilburn Eaton, and J.W. & Bernice Hickerson to name bridges on Ross Creek, Dave Rich Rd., Kilburn Hollow Rd., and Big Opossum Creek Rd. in honor of their loved ones. American Legion Post 254, Collinwood and Post 130, Waynesboro have requested that a bridge be named in honor of PFC Samuel J. Prince, U.S. Army, WWII at the intersection of Berlin Hollow and Rocky Ford Rd.; and one to be named in honor of PFC Wilmer L. Alley, U.S. Army, Korea at Old Beech Creek Rd. and Jessy Hollow. Commissioner Garner made a motion to approve, and the motion was seconded by Commissioner Prater. The motion carried unanimously.
Commissioner Garner then made a motion to approve the resolution supporting the merger of Martin Methodist College into the University of Tennessee system. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Staggs, and passed unanimously.
The commission was then informed that the City of Waynesboro is renaming the street beside Hall Medical Clinic in honor of the late Dr. Joe Irwin Hall. Commissioner Mathis made a motion to add Joe Hall to the sign on the bridge spanning Hurricane Creek on State Route 64. Commissioner Prater seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved.
County Executive Mangubat next clarified that any vacant seats on the commission should be filled within 120 of becoming vacant. The appointment request should be published in the local newspaper seven days prior to the appointment. It was requested that those desiring to be appointed be present at a commission meeting to make their request known.
Commissioner Mathis made a motion to accept the form required by the federal government for the TDOT consultant engineering committee. Commissioner Casteel seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.
County Executive Mangubat next presented budget amendments for the Board of Education. Commissioner Prater made a motion to approve as presented, and Commissioner Pevahouse seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Garner made a motion to receive usable pallets at the Solid Waste Facility at no cost. Commissioner Prater seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved.
Commissioner Powers made a motion to approve a free day of disposal of residential furniture and lightweight construction material at the Solid Waste Facility. The free day will be the second Saturday of each month. Commissioner Petty seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously.
Road Superintendent Chuck Moser requested to extend the length of Holt Lane by .14 miles from Last Butler Road, for a total of .29 miles. Commissioner Casteel made a motion to approve the request, and Commissioner Prater seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously.
Commissioner Casteel then made a motion to approve the county road list as presented. Commissioner Prater seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously.
With no further business to come before the commission, Commissioner Brewer made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Mathis seconded the motion, and the meeting was adjourned.
