Hickman County TN

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7

County Commissioners · Meeting · Sep 28, 2026

Mon, Sep 28, 2026

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

The meeting was largely organizational, with the commission electing its leadership, approving committee assignments, and filling several appointments. The only public comment raised a request for scrutiny of school and library books, but no action was taken on that subject during this meeting. The most substantive updates came from Economic and Community Development: a state-offered housing market study was abandoned because Hickman County did not meet eligibility criteria, while a $100,000 broadband grant-funded public Wi-Fi project was announced as going live on the square and at the Ag Pavilion, with service covered for 3 years and an estimated future operating cost of about $15,000 per year after grant support ends.

Other notable threads included approval of August financials without a finance committee meeting, approval of notaries and constable bonds, adoption of committee rosters with added members to comply with TCA requirements, a correction to prior meeting minutes, and appointment of a member to the 911 board. The session also introduced the commission’s tablet-based voting system and committee calendar.

Call to Order; Roll Call; Opening Prayer and Pledge 39:38

  • 39:38 Meeting called to order; all commissioners were present.
  • 40:04 Opening prayer and Pledge of Allegiance were led after roll call.
  • 41:01 The body moved directly into annual organizational elections.

Elections, Appointments, and Confirmations 41:01

Chair election 41:01

  • 41:06 Chris Chilton was nominated for chairman.
  • 41:17 Motion made to close nominations and elect by acclamation.
  • 41:31 No further nominations or discussion; Chris Chilton was elected chairman by voice vote.

Chair pro tem election 42:26

  • 42:33 Devin Pickard was nominated for chair pro tem.
  • 42:48 Motion made to close nominations and elect by acclamation.
  • 43:48 Devin Pickard was elected chair pro tem by voice vote.

Parliamentarian appointment 44:01

  • 44:05 Steve Gianakos was nominated as parliamentarian.
  • 44:20 Motion made to close nominations and elect by acclamation.
  • 44:30 Steve Gianakos was approved as parliamentarian by voice vote.

Agenda approval 44:54

  • 45:15 Agenda approved after the chair initially called for a voice vote, then corrected to roll-call/tablet voting.
  • 45:51 Vote outcome: 14–0 to approve the agenda.

Public Comments 46:03

  • 46:52 Barry McLaren spoke during public comment as a county resident and veteran, urging the county to investigate books available in school libraries and other libraries.
  • 47:16 He argued that schools had too many “irresponsible books,” contrasted current conditions with older schooling focused on reading, writing, and history, and said moral values and history were being neglected.
  • 48:39 He said he had looked for older history books from the 1960s and earlier in Hickman County libraries and was told none were available.
  • 49:38 He asked the commission to investigate school and library book collections.
  • 50:05 After time expired, he added an anecdote about a book brought home by his great-grandson and suggested outsiders selecting books may not understand local values.
  • 50:28 No commission action followed the comment during this meeting.

Approval of Minutes 50:45

  • 50:45 August 26 meeting minutes were presented for approval.
  • 51:18 Vote outcome: 14–0 to adopt the minutes.

Elections, Appointments, and Confirmations 51:38

Notaries 52:21

  • 52:21 The commission considered notary approvals for Tyler Dugger, Jessica Epps, Andrea Eubanks, Kayn King, Brianna Loveless, Nicole Martin, Jake Propst, and Jennifer Tally.
  • 52:43 Motion and second were made to approve the slate.
  • 53:02 Vote outcome: 14–0 to approve the notaries.

Constable bonds 53:21

  • 53:21 A missing agenda item was flagged: approval of constable bond compliance.
  • 53:46 The chair returned to appointments and confirmations to take up all constable bonds.
  • 53:57 Motion and second were made to approve the bonds.
  • 54:28 Constable bonds were approved by voice vote.

Department / Official Reports

County Mayor communications 54:47

  • 54:59 The new county mayor described the first month in office as busy and said the administration office staff had been essential in handling many details of the job.
  • 55:31 He said trainings and conferences were underway and asked commissioners and residents to continue reaching out with questions or concerns.

Finance / financial summary 56:13

  • 56:42 Because committees had not yet been set, no finance committee meeting was held, but the August financial summary was included in the packet.
  • 56:54 A motion was made to approve the August financial summary despite the absence of a finance committee meeting.
  • 57:27 Vote outcome: 14–0 to approve the finance report.
  • 56:54 No substantive debate on revenues, expenditures, or fund balances appears in this transcript segment.

Health Foundation board report 57:35

  • 57:35 The Health Foundation materials were in the packet.
  • 57:43 No questions or additional discussion were raised at that point.

Economic and Community Development 57:53

  • 58:05 ECD reported two updates: the county did not proceed with a free state housing market study application, but its public Wi-Fi project was about to launch.
  • 58:16 The housing market study had been described previously as a free study valued at $30,000–$35,000.
  • 58:32 After prior commission approval to apply, ECD learned the state wanted applicants with three traits: 3% to 5% recent population growth, a developer’s contract already in hand for housing construction, and a job announcement of 200 or more positions.
  • 59:07 Because Hickman County did not fit that profile, staff did not move forward with the application.
  • 59:15 ECD said housing remains an important economic-development issue and staff will continue watching for opportunities better matched to county conditions.
  • 59:39 ECD announced the free public Wi-Fi project would officially go live on Wednesday on the square and at the Ag Pavilion, timed for festival season.
  • 59:56 The project was funded through a state $100,000 Broadband Ready Communities grant.
  • 1:00:18 The purpose was described as improving connectivity in a rural community and helping residents, visitors, downtown businesses, and vendors, especially for mobile payments during events.
  • 1:00:59 The grant covers equipment plus managed services for 3 years with no cost to the public during that period.
  • 1:01:14 ECD highlighted the launch timing ahead of the Banana Festival and the arts and crafts festival.
  • 1:01:37 A commissioner asked what happens after the 3-year grant-supported period ends.
  • 1:01:44 ECD said the county hopes to use the initial term to find a sponsor, replacement grant, or another entity willing to assume the ongoing cost.
  • 1:02:19 A commissioner asked about estimated annual operating cost after the grant.
  • 1:02:22 ECD said about $50,000 of the grant paid for equipment, architecture, and engineering, while the remaining $50,000 supports the service and managed support over the grant term.
  • 1:02:37 The estimated ongoing cost was described as about $15,000 per year.
  • 1:02:58 A commissioner asked that ECD’s local business contact database also be shared with emergency management.
  • 1:03:16 ECD said new CRM software is being implemented to capture business contacts, executives, phone numbers, email addresses, key contacts, last discussions, and needed follow-up.
  • 1:03:44 ECD agreed that the database would be useful to emergency management as well.
  • 1:03:52 No formal motion or vote was taken on the ECD report.

Library Board 1:04:26

  • 1:04:35 The Library Board had met, and its minutes were included in the packet.
  • 1:04:35 No questions were raised from the commission.

Committee Reports

Nominating Committee 1:04:49

  • 1:04:49 The Nominating Committee reported its September 3 meeting, attended by all 14 commissioners plus the mayor.
  • 1:05:06 The report reviewed committee and board assignments for the new term so the public record would reflect the rosters.
  • 1:05:14 Health and Safety/Properties/Budget/Gear Board committees: all 14 commissioners serve.
  • 1:05:22 Finance Committee appointments: Dusty Jordan, Nick Bentley, and Shelley Farinato.
  • 1:05:31 Oakwood Committee: Ryan Rogers.
  • 1:05:31 Health Foundation Board: Tony Essery, Zack Bentley, and Devin Pickard.
  • 1:05:39 Planning Commission: Ethan Hudgens, Karen Graves, and Jim Tanner.
  • 1:05:46 Agricultural Committee: Steve England, Jonathan Lucas, and Shelley Farinato.
  • 1:05:46 Solid Waste Committee: Shelley Farinato, Nick Bentley, Tony Essery, Steve Gianakos, Dusty Jordan, Devin Pickard, and Steve England.
  • 1:06:04 Motion made to approve the committee assignments with additions: Steve Gianakos, Nick Bentley, Crystal Fitzgerald, and Steve Heathcoat to the Health Foundation, plus Steve Gianakos to the Finance Committee.
  • 1:06:42 The additions were justified as necessary to comply with TCA provisions after it was discovered that extra slots had to be filled beyond what was adopted at the earlier meeting.
  • 1:07:03 The Health Foundation additions included two non-commissioner members, Crystal Fitzgerald and Steve Heathcoat, who were said to already be serving and willing to continue.
  • 1:07:37 Vote outcome: 14–0 to approve the assignments and additions.
  • 1:07:56 A separate motion corrected the September 3 minutes to show that the Health Foundation motion had been made by Steve Gianakos rather than Devin Pickard.
  • 1:08:35 The amendment to the prior minutes passed by voice vote.

Approval of all committee reports 1:08:49

  • 1:08:49 Motion made to approve all committee reports as presented.
  • 1:09:20 Vote outcome: 14–0 to approve the committee reports.

Committee calendar 1:09:38

  • 1:09:38 A schedule/calendar was distributed now that committee memberships had been set.
  • 1:09:50 One change was noted: the Opioid Board meeting date on the calendar was not its normal date but reflected a previously approved special meeting date.
  • 1:10:08 No other calendar changes were raised.

New Business / Agenda Items 1:10:27

911 board appointment 1:10:39

  • 1:10:39 A commissioner asked whether the county would make its 911 board appointment during this meeting, noting it had not been finalized in the nominating committee minutes.
  • 1:10:51 The chair acknowledged the omission.
  • 1:11:07 Ryan Rogers was nominated for the 911 board.
  • 1:11:13 Motion was made to approve the appointment.
  • 1:11:41 Motion before the body was to appoint Ryan Rogers to the 911 board.
  • 1:11:47 Appointment was approved by voice vote; no numerical tally was given.

Announcements 1:11:56

  • 1:12:06 Commissioners briefly welcomed Matthew Barnhill back and said they were glad to see him present and looking better.
  • 1:12:21 No further announcements were made.

Adjournment 1:12:24

  • 1:12:24 Motion to adjourn was requested.
  • 1:12:40 Meeting adjourned after light closing remarks.

Key figures and statistics

Figure Type Context / topic Timestamp
14 Vote tally Commissioners present / participating in votes throughout the meeting 45:51
14–0 Vote Approval of agenda 45:51
3 Time limit Public comment speaking limit in minutes 46:36
1960s Time period Public commenter said older history books from the 1960s and earlier were not found in libraries 48:39
14–0 Vote Approval of August 26 minutes 51:18
14–0 Vote Approval of notaries 53:02
$30,000–$35,000 Grant value Estimated value of free state housing market study the county considered applying for 58:24
3% to 5% Percentage Population growth sought by the state for housing-study applicants 58:48
200 Jobs threshold Minimum job announcement level the state wanted for housing-study applicants 59:00
$100,000 Grant Broadband Ready Communities grant funding public Wi-Fi project 59:56
3 years Time period Public Wi-Fi service and managed support covered by the grant 1:00:59
$50,000 Grant allocation Portion of broadband grant for equipment, architecture, and engineering 1:02:22
$50,000 Grant allocation Remaining portion of broadband grant for service and managed support 1:02:31
$15,000 per year Operating cost Estimated annual Wi-Fi cost after grant support ends 1:02:37
14 Headcount Commissioners present at September 3 nominating committee meeting 1:04:57
14–0 Vote Approval of committee assignments and added members 1:07:49
14–0 Vote Approval of all committee reports 1:09:26
911 Board designation Board seat filled by appointment of Ryan Rogers 1:10:39

External vendors, brands, and software

Name Type Context / topic Timestamp
CRM Software ECD said new customer relationship management software will be used to track business contacts and follow-up 1:03:16

Personnel changes

Name Role / office Change Context / topic Timestamp
Chris Chilton Chairman, County Commission Appointed Elected chairman by acclamation/voice vote 41:31
Devin Pickard Chair Pro Tem, County Commission Appointed Elected chair pro tem by acclamation/voice vote 43:48
Steve Gianakos Parliamentarian, County Commission Appointed Approved as parliamentarian 44:30
Ryan Rogers 911 Board member Appointed Nominated and approved to fill county appointment to the 911 board 1:11:47

Laws and policies

Citation / name Level Type Context / topic Timestamp
TCA State Statute Cited as the reason additional committee/board slots had to be filled beyond the original nominating committee action 1:06:42

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