Hickman County TN

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

Health, Safety & Properties · Meeting · Jan 5, 2026

Mon, Jan 5, 2026

Advises on public health and safety initiatives, emergency preparedness, and the care and use of county-owned buildings and grounds.

Watch the recording on YouTube

Join the Substack

Outline

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

The committee handled a mix of routine departmental reporting and a long, consequential discussion about how county commissioners want to revisit the county’s future land use plan. The main financial action was EMS: the committee approved two patient-account write-offs and advanced a $555,625.54 cardiac monitor purchase to the Budget Committee, with debate focused on whether buying all 7 units at once creates another future replacement cliff. The sheriff also outlined operational and facility issues, including a courthouse space plan for Judge Lane, jail upgrades, and a proposal to dedicate jail nicotine-pouch revenue to a restricted account for justice-center improvements.

A large share of the meeting turned into process debate over the land use plan. Commissioners argued that the plan should reflect what the full County Commission can support, that one-acre standards and infrastructure language may need clarifying edits, and that future revisions should be worked through this committee over the next few months before final county action. Other notable items included EMA/911 radio interoperability progress, a donated 2017 Kenworth truck for federal surplus access, a Pinewood emergency building update, surplus property approval, a pending road reconsideration because of private litigation, and an update on a $189 theft case tied to Southern Waste.

Call to Order / Approval of Agenda 1:21

  • 1:29 Roll call recorded 10 present, 4 absent; quorum confirmed.
  • 2:16 Agenda approved by motion and second; no opposition stated.
  • 2:35 No public comments.
  • 2:48 Minutes were not adopted because the committee realized the November minutes had not been properly handled; item deferred to the next meeting.

Department / Official Reports

EMA report 3:35

  • 3:44 EMA submitted its monthly report late but said the packet contained the needed information.
  • 4:11 Update on 911 / communications interoperability: legal documents and state contracts are still being finalized; most have been signed, with one remaining.
  • 4:33 Once contracts are complete, the county will begin moving onto some state towers while the state comes onto county towers to improve communications coverage and system capability.
  • 4:46 Final batch of radios for fire departments has been ordered and is reportedly en route.
  • 5:05 Fire departments will not receive those radios until training is completed; training is expected in January.
  • 5:12 Other departments already have radios, though EMA said some smaller issues still need to be worked out.

EMS report 5:31

  • 5:57 EMS said October statistics were unavailable because of a system issue during a software split; those numbers will be reported next month.
  • 6:03 November activity: 232 calls, $67,398.24 collected, and $165,249.73 charged.
  • 6:13 December activity: 280 calls, $8,818.19 collected, and $147,775.23 charged.

EMS patient-account write-offs 6:37

  • 6:37 EMS requested approval of two bad-debt/write-off accounts:
    • 6:45 $877.50 for a family with a 4-year-old child diagnosed with a seizure disorder; the father was out of work, the family had no insurance during the service period, and TriStar had already fully written off its portion because of the family’s financial hardship.
    • 7:11 $2,232 remaining balance for a 57-year-old woman injured in a wreck and now disabled; insurance paid most of the bill, but disability payments had not yet begun.
  • 7:38 Motion made and seconded to approve both write-offs.
  • 8:05 Roll-call vote approved the write-offs 11–0, with 3 absent.

EMS cardiac monitor purchase request 8:31

  • 8:31 EMS asked the committee to advance a purchase for new cardiac monitors and CPR devices.
  • 8:36 Total quoted cost: $555,625.54.
  • 8:42 Financing options presented:
    • 3-year lease at 0% interest for $185,208.34 annually.
    • 6-year loan at 2% interest for $97,453.52 annually.
  • 9:00 Pricing is locked through March 1; EMS expects a price increase after that date.
  • 9:24 EMS said the county has been approved for roughly $30,000 in state equipment grant funding that could be applied toward the purchase/payment, and it has also applied for opioid-board funding that might help offset the first payment.
  • 10:05 Warranty coverage is included, and EMS said the chosen monitor had the best warranty and avoided some proprietary consumables and accessories required by a competing model.
  • 11:02 EMS confirmed the request covers 7 monitor/CPR-device sets, effectively one per vehicle.
  • 11:20 Existing monitors have all passed the 10-year mark; EMS said they paid an extra $10,000 last year for extended warranty coverage and expect that to rise another $5,000–$6,000 this year.
  • 12:02 Discussion centered on whether replacing all units at once creates a recurring future budget spike instead of staggering purchases.
  • 12:57 EMS responded that staggered replacement creates supply and compatibility problems because models and pads/accessories change every couple of years; some pads can cost about $100 each, making mixed fleets harder and costlier to support.
  • 15:39 A question about hospital communications brought out that old and new monitors can both communicate with hospitals, but the preferred model also has built-in Wi-Fi for direct transmission.
  • 16:24 Cost per combined monitor/CPR-device set was described as about $78,000.
  • 17:03 EMS said the selected proposal was not the lowest initial quote, but the cheaper option required recurring consumables such as a $150 CPR band each time CPR is performed, plus other proprietary items. EMS argued the higher quote is cheaper over time.
  • 18:30 Finance clarified the difference between the two cooperative quotes was about $34,000 total.
  • 18:51 EMS also said the lower-priced Zoll monitor had unresolved integration issues with the county’s ESO reporting software, meaning it would not properly download patient-care data into the ePCR system.
  • 19:38 A commissioner asked whether ambulance billing rates are already at the maximum allowed. EMS and finance said Medicare’s allowable amount had recently increased, and the billing contractor is reviewing county rates now under a contract clause requiring automatic adjustment to the Medicare maximum.
  • 20:41 Motion made and seconded to send the monitor financing request to the Budget Committee for further review.
  • 21:00 Motion to refer the request to Budget passed by voice vote; no opposition recorded.

EMS financial report approval 21:12

  • 21:24 After handling the write-offs and monitor referral, the committee also took up formal approval of the EMS financial report.
  • 21:30 Motion and second to approve the financials.
  • 21:36 Roll-call vote approved the EMS financials 11–0, with 3 absent.

Sheriff’s report 22:07

  • 22:28 The sheriff said his written report was not submitted in time and gave oral updates instead.
  • 22:34 Sheriff’s Office activity for the month: 1,328 calls.
  • 22:40 Jail population reported at 138 inmates.
  • 22:45 The sheriff reported a recent courthouse meeting with Judge Lane and courthouse staff; they believe they have identified office space for Judge Lane and his assistant.
  • 23:06 Some minor work is still needed on that office arrangement, but the sheriff said progress is being made.
  • 23:13 The courthouse stakeholders also held a roughly 2½-hour meeting on broader courthouse improvements, including security issues and deferred general maintenance that needs upgrading.
  • 23:39 Personnel status: Brady Turner remains deployed to Memphis with the National Guard and may be there for a few more months, though there had been some hope he might return by the end of January.
  • 24:06 Despite that deployment, the sheriff said both patrol and the jail are now fully staffed.
  • 24:24 The sheriff reported that STR had donated a 2017 Kenworth truck to the department.
  • 24:30 He said the truck opens access to more federal surplus opportunities, including equipment that could assist not only the Sheriff’s Office but also disaster response and landfill operations; a trailer is the next need.
  • 25:02 The sheriff said he has been working with Commissioners Danny Clark and Keith Nash, plus Finance Director Crystal Fitzgerald, on a resolution to route revenue from nicotine pouches sold in the jail into a restricted criminal/justice line item.
  • 25:22 Proposed use of that dedicated revenue: upgrades at the jail and justice center, and possibly inmate-related equipment, with the sheriff stressing that the money would stay in-house rather than support patrol operations.
  • 26:07 The sheriff highlighted a low-cost K-9 training success:
    • 26:15 Detective Martinez returned after 3 months in Virginia and is now certified to train new dogs.
    • 26:28 He used his military college benefits to pay for the school, so the county only covered his salary during training.
    • 26:45 An additional dog was trained during that process.
    • 26:53 Deputy Turner also received a scholarship to the same school, but deployment interrupted it; the program nonetheless agreed to send another dog for local training and later certification.
    • 27:17 The sheriff said the county should soon have 4 dogs at minimal county cost.
    • 27:35 He also said Purina has arranged to provide free dog food, eliminating that recurring expense.
  • 27:56 Jail medical spending update: the sheriff contrasted this year with last year, when he had to request large additional funding because medical and food costs had pushed the jail about 25% over budget by December.
  • 28:28 After overhauling the jail medical process and involving the county attorney on some issues, he said spending is now at 21% of budget at the halfway point of the fiscal year, which he described as a major improvement.
  • 28:52 He asked commissioners to consider, if that trend continues, whether year-end savings could be moved into a line item for needed jail and courthouse upgrades rather than simply reverting away.
  • 29:39 Commissioners praised the sheriff’s work and specifically noted the improvement in management and costs.

Discussion of restricted jail revenue account 30:39

  • 30:39 A commissioner explained the intent of the nicotine-pouch resolution in more detail: create a special account for that revenue so it can only be spent on jail and justice-center infrastructure improvements.
  • 31:15 He said he was open to drafting the resolution but wanted committee feedback first so concerns could be aired before formal county action.
  • 31:45 He cautioned that one County Commission cannot permanently bind future commissions; a later body could reverse the earmark and return the revenue to the general fund.
  • 32:30 No specific objection was raised during this meeting; the item remained in development rather than being voted on.

Unfinished Business 33:03

Pinewood emergency building update 33:17

  • 33:23 On request, the committee received a construction status update on the Pinewood Emergency building.
  • 33:29 Remaining interior work includes a small amount of painting.
  • 33:35 Exterior is complete except for the ramp and front concrete pad.
  • 33:43 Floors still need a resin finish.
  • 33:46 Cabinets must be installed.
  • 33:52 Lighting was said to be nearing completion, after which fixtures and trim remain.
  • 33:59 No completion date was given, but the project was described as getting close.
  • 34:06 In response to a question, officials said no Fire Marshal issue was known to be outstanding.

Four-way collection / “boot drive” resolution follow-up 34:25

  • 34:25 A commissioner asked about the status of an earlier agreed resolution regarding money collection at the four-way, saying it had been about a year and the last update was that it had gone to legal review.
  • 34:49 The chair said that was also his last recollection.
  • 34:55 A request was made to check with County Attorney Dan Mecklenborg on the status of the “boot drives” resolution.
  • Outcome: no action taken at this meeting beyond asking for a legal status check.

New Business / Agenda Items 35:14

Surplus property 35:14

  • 35:14 The committee took up a surplus-property item circulated by the Finance Department via email.
  • 35:23 Motion and second made to declare the listed property surplus.
  • 35:43 Roll-call vote approved the surplus declaration 11–0, with 3 absent.
  • 36:09 One commissioner corrected his recorded response from “here” to “yes.”

Planned reconsideration of a cemetery road approval 36:28

  • 36:34 A commissioner disclosed that a road added in November to a county road list, serving a cemetery in his district, appears to cross property now under private litigation.
  • 37:02 He said that fact had not been disclosed to him at the time, and if he had known, he would not have brought the matter forward.
  • 37:15 He announced he will bring a motion to reconsider at the full County Commission meeting later in January so the county can undo the prior action.
  • 37:21 His stated reason was that the county should not create or recognize a county road while family litigation over the property is pending, because doing so could appear to favor one side.
  • 38:23 In later clarification, he said the intended parliamentary path is:
    • move to reconsider because he was on the prevailing side;
    • if reconsideration passes, the road item returns to the floor;
    • he would then vote no so the prior approval is undone and the matter reverts to its earlier status.
  • Outcome: notice given only; no committee vote on the reconsideration itself at this meeting.

Southern Waste theft update 39:36

  • 39:36 A commissioner asked about an email indicating a theft at Southern Waste.
  • 40:14 Clarification was given that the incident occurred on December 4, 2025, though an audit or related review happened in 2024.
  • 40:38 The theft involved inmate lunch money and landfill petty cash totaling $189.
  • 40:44 Officials said the perpetrators were caught and are now serving time; one was said to be incarcerated for the third time.
  • Outcome: informational update only.

Future land use plan / committee process debate 41:08

  • 41:14 A commissioner introduced an extended discussion about how the County Commission should handle the proposed land use plan and its amendments.
  • 41:42 He stressed that the draft plan reflects public input gathered through hearings and countywide meetings and that the Planning Commission and consultant Gresham Smith did not simply invent it.
  • 42:28 But he argued that the final land use plan is ultimately the County Commission’s document, not the Planning Commission’s, because only the County Commission can approve it.
  • 43:23 He said significant public concern and unanswered questions have arisen since the draft was released.
  • 43:29 He referenced edits previously circulated by Commissioner Steve Gianakos and said those should be incorporated into a broader county-led revision process.
  • 44:46 He contrasted the new plan with the county’s old plan, which he said has not been strictly followed over the years, and argued there is a public misconception that everything written in the new document would automatically become mandatory.
  • 46:37 He read through several draft goals from the plan, including rural preservation, agricultural protection, varied housing, tourism and job growth, sewer/water expansion in northeast Hickman, and increased shopping/recreation access.
  • 47:50 His concern was that, if the county is now treating the plan as a real guide with practical force, the text must more clearly match what commissioners actually support.
  • 49:17 He noted the old plan references 1-acre zoning standards and related procedural safeguards, and he said he wants clearer language added to the new plan to say that 1 acre is the standard.
  • 50:29 He argued the document should not be sent back to the Planning Commission for these revisions because county commissioners, not planners, answer directly to the public and should shape what they can collectively support.
  • 51:25 Motion: he moved that for the next 2 to 3 months, this committee be used to work through edits and motions on the future land use plan, with those committee changes later going to full County Commission and then back to Gresham Smith for cleanup/rewrite before final adoption.
  • 52:49 A commissioner asked for clarification on the intended sequence. The maker answered that the committee would redline and vote on changes first, then full County Commission could still edit further, and only then would the consultant prepare a polished final version.
  • 57:53 Opposition / caution:
    • another commissioner said many of the changes he had already drafted addressed the concerns raised at the prior public work session;
    • he argued that because his amendments are already tabled to the next full Commission meeting, those should be handled first rather than bypassed or sent around them;
    • he warned that working additional changes in committee before taking up the existing amendments could look “underhanded” to the public.
  • 58:30 Parliamentary discussion followed on whether the January full Commission must first revive and act on the previously tabled motion to amend the land use plan.
  • 1:00:10 Commissioners and the parliamentarian discussed whether a motion tabled to a time certain automatically returns as pending business and what additional motions could then be made.
  • 1:02:47 The maker of the new motion explained his broader concern: if people are going to treat the land use plan as a binding guide, then wording on infrastructure, density, and development needs to be more precise so future bodies are not boxed in unintentionally.
  • 1:04:52 He pointed specifically to language about selectively expanding infrastructure and increasing the tax base, warning that some might read it as a commitment to public spending for developer-driven growth.
  • 1:08:33 He argued forcefully that growth and infrastructure expansion do not automatically lower taxes and cited surrounding counties as cautionary examples.
  • 1:09:35 He said Hickman County’s debt per capita is now about $500, down from about $1,500 when he became Budget Committee chair in 2007, and warned against approving language that could support debt-heavy growth policies.
  • 1:14:37 He also cited Williamson County as carrying almost $4,500 per person in debt tied to property taxes, despite its larger tax base.
  • 1:15:02 Another commissioner asked whether the adopted land use plan would be locked for a certain number of years before revision. Discussion suggested 5 years was the likely interval before formal reconsideration, though the state also recommends reviewing and updating plans more frequently as conditions change.
  • 1:19:33 Several commissioners reiterated that they wanted the previously tabled amendments to be publicly considered first so constituents could review them.
  • 1:21:05 The chair restated the pending motion: use this committee for up to the next 3 months to take up additional land use plan changes.
  • 1:21:19 A motion was made and seconded to table that committee-process motion until February.
  • 1:22:29 Roll-call vote on tabling failed, 6 yes to table and 5 no, according to the chair’s ruling that the tabling motion failed.
  • 1:23:23 The original motion therefore returned to the floor.
  • 1:23:36 Clarification was requested and given that neither this committee-process motion nor the previously tabled full-Commission amendment motion necessarily eliminates the other; both could still be handled in sequence.
  • 1:25:17 Roll-call vote on the underlying motion to use this committee over the next few months for land use plan revisions passed, though the clerk briefly lost track of one vote and had to confirm it verbally.
  • Outcome: committee approved using this committee for future land-use-plan work over the next 2–3 months, while acknowledging the January full County Commission will still need to take up the previously tabled amendment motion.

Adjournment

  • 41:00 A motion to adjourn was briefly made during discussion, but the committee instead moved into the land use plan debate; no clear final adjournment time appears in the transcript excerpt.

Key figures and statistics

Figure Type Context / topic Timestamp
10 present Attendance Roll call present count 1:46
4 absent Attendance Roll call absent count 1:51
232 Call volume EMS calls in November 6:03
$67,398.24 Collections EMS collections in November 6:03
$165,249.73 Charges EMS charges in November 6:03
280 Call volume EMS calls in December 6:13
$8,818.19 Collections EMS collections in December 6:21
$147,775.23 Charges EMS charges in December 6:21
$877.50 Write-off EMS account write-off for family hardship case 6:37
4-year-old Age Child in seizure-disorder EMS write-off case 6:45
57-year-old Age Patient in wreck/disability write-off case 7:11
$2,232 Write-off Remaining EMS balance for disabled patient 7:29
11–0 Vote Approval of EMS write-offs 8:24
3 absent Attendance Absences on EMS write-off roll call 8:24
$555,625.54 Purchase cost Total EMS cardiac monitor/CPR device request 8:36
3-year Financing term Lease option for monitors 8:42
$185,208.34 Annual payment EMS 3-year lease option 8:48
0% Interest rate EMS 3-year lease option 8:48
6-year Financing term Loan option for monitors 8:53
2% Interest rate EMS 6-year loan option 8:53
$97,453.52 Annual payment EMS 6-year loan option 8:53
March 1 Deadline Price-lock expiration for monitor quote 9:00
$30,000 Grant State equipment grant expected for EMS 9:24
7 Equipment count Number of monitor/CPR-device sets requested 11:02
10 years Lifespan Age/replacement point of current EMS monitors 11:20
$10,000 Warranty cost Extra EMS warranty paid last year on aging monitors 11:27
$5,000–$6,000 Expected increase Additional warranty increase expected this year 11:35
$100 Supply cost Approximate cost of some monitor pads 13:18
$78,000 Unit cost Approximate cost per monitor/CPR-device set 16:24
$150 Consumable cost CPR band cost on lower-priced competing system 17:15
$34,000 Quote difference Approximate gap between cooperative monitor quotes 18:30
11–0 Vote Approval of EMS financial report 21:53
3 absent Attendance Absences on EMS financial roll call 21:53
1,328 Call volume Sheriff’s Office calls for the month 22:34
138 Jail population Current inmate count 22:40
2½ hours Meeting length Courthouse improvement/security meeting 23:13
2017 Vehicle year Donated Kenworth truck 24:24
3 months Training duration Detective Martinez’s K-9 instructor training in Virginia 26:15
4 dogs K-9 count Expected number of certified dogs at minimal county cost 27:17
25% over budget Budget variance Jail medical/food position in December of prior year 28:03
21% Budget usage Current jail medical spending at halfway point 28:34
$189 Theft amount Inmate lunch money/petty cash taken at Southern Waste 40:38
December 4, 2025 Date Date of Southern Waste theft occurrence 40:14
2 to 3 months Time period Proposed committee work period on land use plan 51:25
8 of 14 Vote threshold Number needed in County Commission to approve land use plan 42:55
1 acre Lot size standard Standard commissioners discussed clarifying in land use plan 49:17
2007 Year Year cited for county debt comparison 1:09:35
$500 Debt per capita Approximate current Hickman County debt per person 1:09:35
$1,500 Debt per capita Approximate Hickman County debt per person in 2007 1:09:40
$4,500 Debt per capita Approximate Williamson County debt per person, as cited 1:14:37
5 years Review interval Likely period before formal land use plan reconsideration, as discussed 1:15:16
20 years Plan age Age of old land use plan discussed as context 44:46
6–5 Vote tally Motion to table Nash land-use-process motion failed, per roll call and ruling 1:22:29