Hickman County TN

Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. Proverbs 14:34

County Commissioners · Meeting · Aug 26, 2024

Mon, Aug 26, 2024

The elected legislative body for Hickman County. Sets county policy, adopts the budget, and represents residents across the county’s districts.

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Outline

This outline was generated by an LLM from a transcript and may contain errors or inaccuracies. Prefer the original recording when available.

The meeting’s main dispute was how to resolve the tied District 2 school board race between Ronald Gamm and Pippa Taylor. Commissioners debated whether they should break the tie themselves under state law or send it back to voters in the November election. After discussion about voter representation, precedent, turnout, and whether an appointment would disenfranchise District 2, the commission voted to send the matter back to the ballot, then approved a resolution requesting the election commission conduct the runoff.

Other substantive business included confirmation of Pete Tibbs as Emergency Management director, a $9,000 appropriation tied to the anticipated landfill closing, eight budget amendments, a solid waste fee resolution aimed at reducing a projected $170,000 shortfall, updates on nonworking tornado sirens, drought and burn-ban limits, the Mill Creek ballpark repair issue, the animal shelter project, pending litigation exposure in the James Beard case, and options for 74 Hidden Valley Lake tax-sale lots with roughly $46,000 in accumulated HOA charges.

Call to Order 9:42

  • 10:23 Quorum announced with 13 present and 1 absent.
  • Agenda approved without recorded controversy.
  • Public comment sign-up noted before debate on the school board tie.

Public Comments 11:57

District 2 school board tie comments 12:13

  • 12:20 Former commissioner Frankie Ward urged the commission to either send the tied race back to voters or, if commissioners insisted on deciding it themselves, choose Pippa Taylor.

    • 13:35 She cited the Tennessee code provision allowing the county legislative body to cast the deciding vote in a tie.
    • 15:37 She stressed the narrow turnout context: about 2,000 eligible voters in the district, about 270-something voting, with 98 votes for Taylor, 98 for Ronald Gamm, and 83 for a third candidate.
    • 16:20 Her preferred outcome was a new vote to avoid putting commissioners in an awkward position; alternatively, she argued Taylor had local roots, school experience, an MTSU degree and master’s, work history in the school system, and continuing involvement with East-end schools.

  • 18:14 Ronald Gamm also asked that the matter be sent back to the voters.

    • 18:35 He emphasized the 98–98 tie and argued voters should decide when given the chance.
    • 18:52 He said a November rerun would allow more people to participate than in the earlier election window.
    • 19:10 He outlined his own qualifications: prior county commission service, school system experience, prior teaching assignments, and longtime county residency.
    • 20:35 He argued philosophically against taking decisions away from voters.

  • 21:24 Pippa Taylor said she was prepared for whichever decision the commission made.

    • 21:55 She reviewed her school ties: teaching English and coaching basketball, a son who graduated from East in 2019, and continuing attendance and support at school activities.
    • 22:03 She framed the issue as one of county unity and said teachers and students needed a strong voice and better connection between the county’s east and west ends.

Approval of Minutes 23:47

  • 23:47 July 22 meeting minutes approved without notable dispute.

Elections, Appointments, and Confirmations 24:17

District 2 school board tie procedure and vote 24:40

  • 24:40 The chair explained the two-step process: first decide whether the commission would appoint someone or send the race back to voters; if appointing, then conduct a roll-call choice between Ronald Gamm and Pippa Taylor.
  • 25:22 A motion was made to proceed toward an appointment process and, if that prevailed, to hold a roll-call vote between the tied candidates.
    • 25:52 Supporters argued the commission had legal authority and should act now so the school board would remain fully staffed and operational rather than carry the vacancy for roughly three months until November.
    • 26:07 The argument referenced Tennessee Attorney General Opinion No. 12-63, dated June 7, 2012.
  • 27:35 Opponents said appointing either candidate would disenfranchise District 2 voters because commissioners from outside that district would be choosing their school board member.
    • 28:31 Several said they would support sending the race back to the ballot, but would abstain or object if the body moved to choose the winner itself.
    • 29:31 It was argued there would be no cost to putting the runoff on the existing November ballot.
  • 30:32 Others responded that state law was clear and that the commission routinely fills vacancies for offices when an elected official cannot serve, so acting here would not be unusual.
  • 31:53 A question was raised about whether party labels would appear on the November ballot if the issue went back to election; the transcript indicates discussion with election staff/counsel, but the answer is unclear in the transcript.
  • 33:35 One commissioner stressed that the 279 voters who had already turned out should not be diminished, noting 98 votes for Taylor, 98 for Gamm, and 83 for the third candidate, with 181 votes cast for someone other than the incumbent.
  • 35:17 Another commissioner, citing 17 years on the school board and 17 years on county court/commission, said anonymous accusations against Gamm should be disregarded and emphasized that a school board’s core roles are policy-setting and hiring the director of schools.

Vote to appoint or return to ballot 36:38

  • 36:38 Roll-call vote held on whether to appoint or send the race back to voters.
  • 39:19 Final tally was 6 for appointment and 8 for returning it to the ballot, after a commissioner changed a vote.
  • Outcome: the commission chose to send the District 2 school board tie back to voters rather than appoint a winner.

Resolution 24-21: runoff election request 40:59

  • 40:59 Because the body chose the ballot option, Resolution 24-21 was presented to request that the Hickman County Election Commission conduct a runoff election on November 5.
  • 41:17 The resolution had been sponsored by Todd Collins and Danny Clark; Collins asked to remove his name from the resolution after the prior vote.
  • 42:12 Roll-call vote held on Resolution 24-21.
  • 43:16 Resolution 24-21 passed 10 yes, 4 no.
  • Outcome: the election commission was formally asked to place the District 2 school board runoff on the November ballot.

Notaries 43:27

  • 43:27 Seven notary applications were presented and approved.
    • Names read into the record: Jamie Kumbler, Camy Dugger, Carl Grimes, Britney Amber Kelly, Lorie M. [unclear], Susan A. [unclear], and Connie Wilson.
  • 44:03 Roll-call approval followed; no substantive opposition was reflected in the transcript.

Department / Official Reports

County Mayor 44:54

  • 45:01 Mill Creek ballpark repair update: the mayor said he had spoken with TCAT about repairs and expected more information for the next Properties Committee meeting.
  • 45:16 Animal shelter project update: a recent meeting indicated work was moving along, but there were still questions about utility locations on the property that the mayor was investigating.
  • 45:23 Tornado sirens: only about half had been working; B Electronics was scheduled to begin work that week so that when dispatch activates the system, the entire county will sound.
  • 45:49 Drought and burn-ban issue:
    • The mayor said he had received several calls about open burning.
    • 46:06 Hickman County was said to be the number three county in Tennessee for drought conditions.
    • 46:30 The county was at a state drought/burn metric of roughly level 2 or 3; he said a county burn ban would likely require reaching level 5 under state rules.
    • He noted that Dickson could impose a local ban because it has a full-time fire marshal; Hickman must follow state guidance.
    • EMA was using social media to urge caution while burning.

County Attorney 47:02

  • 47:09 James Beard litigation:

    • Trial set for September 24.
    • The attorney said any settlement proposal would need to be made before then if the commission wanted to pursue one.
    • He said Beard’s demand remained generally in the same range previously discussed.
    • He was not recommending settlement at that point.
    • 47:58 He warned that insurance coverage in this type of case would not cover much of the exposure, so an adverse judgment could leave the county responsible for payment.

  • 48:25 Hidden Valley Lake tax-sale property issue:

    • The county acquired 74 lots through the 2022 tax sale process.
    • Three options were outlined:
      • deed them back to Hidden Valley Lake trustees and avoid HOA charges and penalties;
      • formally take ownership and pay assessments, making the county a voting member of the association;
      • prepare some kind of public sale or auction.
    • 49:01 Accumulated homeowners-association charges and penalties were estimated at about $46,000 on the 74 lots.
    • 49:49 No decision was requested that night; the matter was expected to return at a later meeting.

  • 50:09 A commissioner raised a legal question about whether unimproved raw land might avoid HOA obligations; the attorney said he had not yet surveyed all lots or their improvement status.

Committee Reports 51:22

Health, Safety, and Property Committee 52:12

  • 52:19 Commissioners were reminded about an upcoming property-related meeting and the need for broad participation.
  • 52:52 Emergency Management director confirmation:
    • A commissioner said the mayor’s plan had been to promote Pete Tibbs and not hire another person beneath him, but argued the commission should formally confirm Tibbs as Emergency Management director.
    • The justification referenced a prior period when Jim Tanner’s status as director had been affected by a commission vote, making formal confirmation appropriate here as well.
  • 53:24 Motion made to confirm Pete Tibbs as director of Emergency Management.
  • 54:24 Roll-call vote approved the confirmation; the exact tally is unclear in the transcript, but the motion passed.
  • 54:51 Landfill closing appropriation:
    • A commissioner said the long-anticipated landfill closing would occur on Wednesday.
    • 55:06 Motion made for the county legislative body, rather than just budget or public safety committees, to appropriate $9,000 for the matter, described as being for the finance director’s benefit/processing.
    • 56:42 The appropriation passed 13 yes, 1 no.

Finance Committee 56:50

  • 57:10 Motion to approve June and July financial summaries; both were approved.
  • 58:08 Approval was unanimous at 14 yes.

Budget Committee 58:29

  • 58:29 The commission took up eight budget amendments from the August 12 budget meeting and approved each one.

Budget Amendment 25-03 58:36

  • 58:36 Amendment 25-03 in the amount of $1,290.
  • 58:45 Explained as a judge salary adjustment.
  • 59:27 Approved 14 yes.

Budget Amendment 25-04 59:45

  • 59:45 Amendment 25-04 in the amount of $827.
  • 59:53 Described as an EMA line adjustment.
  • 1:00:49 Approved; tally appears unanimous though the exact spoken count is partially obscured.

Budget Amendment 25-05 1:00:57

  • 1:00:57 Amendment 25-05 in the amount of $1,500.
  • 1:01:03 Described as a salary adjustment for a county office; the specific office is unclear in the transcript.
  • 1:01:40 Approved 14 yes.

Budget Amendment 25-07 1:01:50

  • 1:01:50 Amendment 25-07 in the amount of $6,000.
  • Purpose is unclear in the transcript due to garbling.
  • 1:02:53 Approved.

Budget Amendment 25-08 1:02:53

  • 1:02:53 Amendment 25-08 in the amount of $20,000.
  • The line-item purpose is unclear in the transcript, though it appears to relate to a local operating/carrying item.
  • 1:03:50 Approved.

Budget Amendment 25-09 1:03:56

  • 1:03:56 Amendment 25-09 concerned payroll for the Highway Department.
  • The dollar amount is unclear in the transcript.
  • 1:04:52 Approved.

Budget Amendment 25-10 1:04:58

  • 1:04:58 Amendment 25-10 in the amount of $2,759.76.
  • Described as a school Innovative School Model Grant item.
  • 1:05:53 Approved 14 yes.

Budget Amendment 25-11 1:06:13

  • 1:06:13 Amendment 25-11 in the amount of $2,459.
  • Described as relating to the school mobile bus.
  • 1:07:04 Approved 14 yes.

Public Records Committee 1:07:23

  • 1:07:23 No need to meet was reported.

Board of Zoning Appeals 1:07:35

  • 1:07:35 A meeting had been held, though the speaker was unsure whether the minutes were in the packet.

Industrial Board / Opioid Settlement Grants 1:08:00

  • 1:08:09 Update given on the opioid settlement funding program ahead of the August 31 application deadline.
  • 1:08:23 There was $400,000 available.
  • 1:08:31 As of that day, 8 applications had been received totaling close to $300,000.
  • The speaker encouraged remaining organizations to keep submitting applications so funds would be put into programs rather than sitting unused.

Animal Control / Animal Shelter Committee 1:09:03

  • 1:09:03 The animal shelter committee report was effectively incorporated into the mayor’s earlier update; no additional detail was added.

New Business / Agenda Items 1:10:38

Resolution 24-19: solid waste fee changes 1:10:46

  • 1:10:46 Resolution 24-19 amended Resolution 17-07 on solid waste regulations.
  • 1:11:15 Sponsors said the measure followed prior work with the Solid Waste department and focused on fee changes.
  • 1:11:33 The Solid Waste director had reported a projected $170,000 budget shortfall entering the year.
  • 1:11:51 The proposed fee changes were expected to generate between $45,000 and $65,000 in new revenue, reducing the shortfall by about $35,000 according to the speaker’s phrasing in the transcript.
  • 1:12:07 One change was revised from the packet:
    • class-one tipping for Perry County had been proposed at $60 per ton/load unit as stated in the transcript;
    • Perry County said at $60 it had other disposal options;
    • to avoid losing that business, the recommendation became increasing that category to $33 instead.
  • 1:13:18 Resolution 24-19 was approved; exact tally not clearly stated, but the motion carried.

Resolution 24-20: county road name change 1:13:37

  • 1:13:37 Resolution 24-20 concerned a county road name change in one district.
  • 1:13:52 Sponsors said it did not rename the whole road, only a short cutoff segment, to resolve an addressing or identification problem.
  • 1:14:58 Passed unanimously 14 yes.

Announcements 1:15:06

  • 1:15:27 Announcement made that Congressman Mark Green would be at Homestead on Friday at 1:30.
  • 1:15:50 A commissioner defended his vote on the school board tie, saying it reflected calls, visits, emails, messages, and constituent requests from District 2 since August 7, and was grounded in protecting voters’ right to decide.

Adjournment 1:17:53

  • Meeting closed shortly after the final remarks.

Key figures and statistics

Figure Type Context / topic Timestamp
13 Attendance Commissioners present at roll call/quorum announcement 10:23
1 Attendance Commissioner absent at roll call/quorum announcement 10:23
16 years Tenure Frankie Ward’s prior service on the commission 14:28
2-8 d111 Statute reference Tennessee code cited during school board tie comment 13:42
2023 Year Year cited for tie-vote legal provision 13:42
2,000 Voter count Approximate eligible voters in District 2 school board race 15:37
270-something Voter turnout Approximate turnout in District 2 race as described in comment 15:37
98 Votes Votes for Pippa Taylor in tied District 2 race 15:46
98 Votes Votes for Ronald Gamm in tied District 2 race 15:54
83 Votes Votes for third candidate in District 2 race 15:54
2019 Year Year Pippa Taylor said her son graduated from East 22:52
August 7 Date Date constituents began contacting commissioner about tie, per discussion 25:52
12-63 Opinion number Tennessee Attorney General opinion cited on tie procedure 26:07
June 7, 2012 Date Date of attorney general opinion cited 26:07
3 months Time period Approximate delay if school board seat were left to November ballot 27:10
no cost Cost claim Claim that adding runoff to November ballot would not cost extra 29:31
279 Voter turnout Number of people said to have voted in the District 2 race 33:35
181 Votes Combined votes cast for candidates other than the incumbent 34:09
17 years Tenure Commissioner’s prior school board service 35:17
17 years Tenure Commissioner’s prior county court/commission service 35:26
6 Vote tally Votes for appointment in tie-resolution procedural vote 39:19
8 Vote tally Votes for ballot option in tie-resolution procedural vote 39:19
24-21 Resolution number Runoff election request resolution 40:59
November 5 Date Election date requested for school board runoff 41:08
10–4 Vote tally Final vote approving Resolution 24-21 43:16
7 Count Number of notary applications approved 43:27
half Operational status Portion of tornado sirens previously working 45:23
number three Ranking Hickman County drought ranking in Tennessee 46:06
level 2 or 3 Status level Drought/burn condition level cited by mayor 46:30
level 5 Threshold Level at which county burn ban could likely be issued 46:30
September 24 Trial date Scheduled trial date in James Beard case 47:09
74 Property count Hidden Valley Lake lots acquired through tax sale 48:36
2022 Year Tax sale year tied to Hidden Valley Lake lots 48:36
$46,000 Liability estimate HOA charges and penalties on Hidden Valley Lake lots 49:01
$9,000 Appropriation Landfill-closing appropriation approved by commission 55:06
13–1 Vote tally Vote approving the $9,000 landfill appropriation 56:42
14–0 Vote tally Vote approving June and July financial summaries 58:08
August 12 Date Budget meeting date for presented amendments 58:29
8 Count Number of budget amendments considered 58:29
25-03 Budget amendment Judge salary adjustment amendment number 58:36
$1,290 Expense Judge salary adjustment 58:36
14–0 Vote tally Vote approving budget amendment 25-03 59:27
25-04 Budget amendment EMA line adjustment amendment number 59:45
$827 Expense EMA line adjustment 59:45
25-05 Budget amendment Salary adjustment amendment number 1:00:57
$1,500 Expense Salary adjustment for county office 1:00:57
14–0 Vote tally Vote approving budget amendment 25-05 1:01:40
25-07 Budget amendment Amendment number 1:01:50
$6,000 Expense Budget amendment 25-07 amount 1:01:50
25-08 Budget amendment Amendment number 1:02:53
$20,000 Expense Budget amendment 25-08 amount 1:02:53
25-09 Budget amendment Highway payroll amendment number 1:03:56
25-10 Budget amendment Innovative School Model Grant amendment number 1:04:58
$2,759.76 Grant School Innovative School Model Grant item 1:04:58
14–0 Vote tally Vote approving budget amendment 25-10 1:05:53
25-11 Budget amendment School mobile bus amendment number 1:06:13
$2,459 Expense School mobile bus item 1:06:13
14–0 Vote tally Vote approving budget amendment 25-11 1:07:04
August 31 Deadline Opioid settlement application deadline 1:08:09
$400,000 Funding available Opioid settlement funds available 1:08:23
8 Application count Opioid settlement applications received 1:08:23
$300,000 Funding requested Approximate total of opioid settlement applications received 1:08:31
24-19 Resolution number Solid waste fee amendment resolution 1:10:46
17-07 Resolution number Prior solid waste regulation being amended 1:10:58
$170,000 Budget shortfall Solid waste projected shortfall entering the year 1:11:33
$45,000 Revenue estimate Low-end new revenue from solid waste fee changes 1:11:51
$65,000 Revenue estimate High-end new revenue from solid waste fee changes 1:11:51
$35,000 Budget effect Shortfall reduction estimate cited in discussion 1:11:59
$60 Proposed fee Originally proposed class-one solid waste fee for Perry County 1:12:14
$33 Revised fee Recommended class-one solid waste fee to retain Perry County business 1:12:32
24-20 Resolution number County road name change resolution 1:13:37
14–0 Vote tally Vote approving Resolution 24-20 1:14:58
1:30 Time Time announced for Congressman Mark Green event at Homestead 1:15:27

External vendors, brands, and software

Name Type Context / topic Timestamp
TCAT Company Contacted about Mill Creek ballpark repairs 45:01
B Electronics Company Scheduled to repair nonworking tornado sirens 45:33
MTSU Brand Mentioned in public comment as Pippa Taylor’s alma mater 16:59

Personnel changes

Name Role / office Change Context / topic Timestamp
Pete Tibbs Director, Emergency Management Confirmed Commission formally confirmed Tibbs as Emergency Management director after discussion of prior appointment process; motion passed 53:24

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