DeKalb Animal Coalition to Present Volunteer Orientation

February 8, 2018
By: 2

The DeKalb Animal Coalition & DAC Shelter will be presenting their first Volunteer Orientation on Monday, February 12 at Smithville City Hall, 2nd Floor. The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m.. and is open to the public. Attendees will learn the history of how the Animal Shelter came to be, who & what DAC is, the services the DAC Shelter provides, basic rules and safety regulations for volunteering onsite at the Shelter and the wide variety of options available for volunteering both onsite at the shelter or behind the scenes.

Please note: All volunteers (current and future) are required to attend one DACS Orientation prior to volunteering onsite at the Shelter.

The next orientation will be held Thursday, February 22, also at Smithville City Hall, 2nd Floor, 6 p.m. Future orientations will be held once each month (based on need) beginning in March.

For more information on the event, please visit our Facebook page at: facebook.com/dekalbanimalcoalition

February 8, 2018
By:

With one week left before the qualifying deadline, the DeKalb County Election Commission has released an updated list of persons who have obtained petitions for either the May 1 DeKalb County Democratic Primary or the August 2 DeKalb County General Election. The last day candidates for county wide offices and the county commission may qualify to run is NOON February 15, 2018. That applies to Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.
DeKalb County Democrats will be nominating candidates in a primary set for May 1. Republicans will nominate candidates by caucus on Sunday, February 11 at 2 p.m. at the courthouse. Nominees of both parties and any independents will run in the August General Election. Winners will take office September 1 and serve for four years.
The following county offices are up for election in 2018: Road Supervisor, County Mayor, Circuit Court Clerk, Sheriff, Register of Deeds, County Clerk, and Trustee and for the county commission in each of the seven districts (two per district for a total of 14).
PETITIONS FOR MAY 1 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY (*) MEANS RETURNED AND VERIFIED
COUNTY CLERK:
*JAMES (JIMMY) POSS—(INCUMBENT)- PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
COUNTY MAYOR:
*BRADLEY HENDRIX—PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*MIKE FOSTER—PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*TIM STRIBLING—(INCUMBENT)- PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*RANDY PARIS- PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED FOR AUGUST 2 GENERAL ELECTION AS INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE
SHERIFF:
*MICHAEL AGEE—-PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED (POST CERTIFIED)
ROAD SUPERVISOR:
*JIMMY SPRAGUE— PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED (CERTIFED WITH TENNESSEE HIGHWAY OFFICIALS CERTIFICATION BOARD)
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK:
*NICOLE WRIGHT—PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*MARK MILAM—PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
REGISTER OF DEEDS:
*JEFF MCMILLEN— (INCUMBENT)-PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
COUNTY COMMISSION-FIRST DISTRICT
*DENNIS SLAGER—(PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED)
*JULIE YOUNG— (INCUMBENT)-PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
COUNTY COMMISSION-SECOND DISTRICT
*NORA HARVEY— PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*OE JOHNSON— (INCUMBENT)-PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*MYRON RHODY—PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
COUNTY COMMISSION-THIRD DISTRICT
*JENNY TRAPP—PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*JACK BARTON—(INCUMBENT)- PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*BOBBY JOHNSON—PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
COUNTY COMMISSION-FOURTH DISTRICT
*JONATHAN NORRIS-(INCUMBENT)-PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*WAYNE CANTRELL—(INCUMBENT)- PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*SCOTT LITTLE—PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*BOBBY TAYLOR— PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*JANICE FISH-STEWART–PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
COUNTY COMMISSION-FIFTH DISTRICT
*ANITA PUCKETT—(INCUMBENT) PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*LLOYD EMMONS- PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*WILLIAM RUTHERFORD- PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED TO RUN AS AN INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE AUGUST 2ND
COUNTY COMMISSION-SIXTH DISTRICT
*BETTY ATNIP—(INCUMBENT)- PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*JEFF BARNES— (INCUMBENT)- PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
COUNTY COMMISSION-SEVENTH DISTRICT
*KEVIN ROBINSON—(INCUMBENT)-PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*LARRY SUMMERS— (INCUMBENT)-PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*BETH PAFFORD— PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
REPUBLICAN NOMINEES FOR AUGUST 2, 2018
SHERIFF:
PATRICK RAY—(INCUMBENT)- POST CERTIFIED
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK
SUSAN MARTIN
TRUSTEE:
SEAN DRIVER—(INCUMBENT)
ROAD SUPERVISOR:
DANNY HALE—(CERTIFED WITH TENNESSEE HIGHWAY OFFICIALS CERTIFICATION BOARD)
COUNTY COMMISSION-FIRST DISTRICT
TOM CHANDLER
COUNTY COMMISSION-SECOND DISTRICT
SABRINA FARLER
COUNTY COMMISSION-THIRD DISTRICT
RENEE STEFF
COUNTY COMMISSION-FOURTH DISTRICT
GREG MATTHEWS
COUNTY COMMISSION-FIFTH DISTRICT
JERRY ADCOCK—(INCUMBENT)
COUNTY COMMISSION-SIXTH DISTRICT
MATT ADCOCK
COUNTY COMMISSION-SEVENTH DISTRICT
BRUCE MALONE
The qualifying deadline for five school board seats, municipal elections in Smithville, Dowelltown, Liberty, and Alexandria, and for the August state primaries is noon April 5.
Up for election in August will be school board seats in Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7.
City seats up for grabs in August are: In Smithville the Mayor and two aldermen positions; in Dowelltown three aldermen seats; in Liberty the Mayor and five aldermen spots and in Alexandria the Mayor and four aldermen positions including one alderman to fill a two year unexpired term.
State primary races in August will include State Senator in District 17, State House in District 40 and 46, Sixth District Congressman, Governor, and US. Senator.
ISSUED FOR AUGUST ELECTIONS: (*) MEANS RETURNED AND VERIFIED
SMITHVILLE MAYOR:
*JIMMY POSS—(INCUMBENT)-PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*JOSH MILLER—PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
SMITHVILLE ALDERMAN:
BRANDON COX-
*JASON MURPHY—(INCUMBENT) PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*GAYLA HENDRIX—(INCUMBENT) PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
LIBERTY MAYOR:
*DWIGHT MATHIS-(INCUMBENT)-PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
*DARRELL JOHNSON—PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
LIBERTY ALDERMAN:
EDDIE DWAYNE BLAIR- (INCUMBENT)
JASON RAY–(INCUMBENT)
*DEREK JOHNSON— PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
WILLIAM H. REYNOLDS— (INCUMBENT)
J.D. BRATTEN- (INCUMBENT)
BOARD OF EDUCATION-FIRST DISTRICT:
DANNY PARKERSON—(INCUMBENT)
BOARD OF EDUCATION-SECOND DISTRICT:
JERRY WAYNE JOHNSON—(INCUMBENT)
ALAN HAYES
C.D. (CARL) WEBB
ORVIL HENDRIX
BOARD OF EDUCATION-THIRD DISTRICT:
*JIM BESHEARSE—(INCUMBENT) PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
BOARD OF EDUCATION-FOURTH DISTRICT
KATE MILLER—(INCUMBENT)
BOARD OF EDUCATION-SEVENTH DISTRICT
*SHAUN TUBBS—(INCUMBENT) PETITION RETURNED AND VERIFIED
(CLICK LINK BELOW FOR COMMUNITY CALENDAR, CHURCH NEWS, CLASSIFIEDS AND MORE)
http://www.wjle.com/community

February 7, 2018
By: 2

Smithville Aldermen have become frustrated with the lack of enforcement of the city’s property maintenance ordinance and want things to change immediately.

For months, Alderman Danny Washer has called for the city to force those with unsightly and unkept properties to clean them up or be subject to civil penalties. Now Aldermen Josh Miller and Shawn Jacobs have joined Washer in calling for enforcement.

“I don’t see why this has taken so long. It is completely unacceptable. I am not blaming anybody but somebody is responsible for taking so long to come up with a resolution,” said Alderman Jacobs during Monday night’s monthly city council meeting.

“Last year we had one (location in particular) and three different times they put mattresses, couches, and chairs outside and we sent an officer over there to talk to them. They cleaned it up and two weeks later there would be another set out there. It went on just about off and on all summer. That’s just one street. I know there are property values that have dropped simply because of that,” said Alderman Washer.

“I had a lady come in the office to pay her water bill last week and she named me two properties, one on Forrest and one on Earl Avenue of garbage and junk laying outside and asked me “what can you do”, added Mayor Jimmy Poss.

The city’s existing property maintenance ordinance provides for enforcement stating that “It shall be the duty of the Building Inspector of the City of Smithville to serve notice upon the property owner of record in violation. The property owner shall be notified in writing specifying the nature of the violation, specifying the corrective measures to be taken, and require compliance within not more than 30 days. The notice may be served upon the owners of the premises where the violation is located by:

Posting notice in plain view on the property in violation, or sending notice by mail.

The date the notice is posted or received by the offender shall serve as the beginning of the specified time period allowing for corrective action.”

The ordinance further states that “Failure by the property owner to take corrective action to bring the property within compliance shall constitute a violation and be a civil offense.”

“Any person violating this chapter shall be subject to a civil penalty of $50 for each separate violation of this chapter. Each day the violation of this chapter continues shall be considered a separate violation,” according to the ordinance.

In recent months city officials were to have contacted MTAS (Municipal Technical Advisory Service) about crafting a new ordinance with stricter enforcement provisions and penalties but nothing has yet come of that.

During Monday night’s meeting, Alderman Miller said he contacted officials at the City of Sparta to inquire about how they deal with property maintenance.

“This is what I was told. They don’t go out looking but they act on complaints. The building inspector does it there. He goes out and confronts the homeowner. When he confronts the homeowner, he gives them 10 days to clean their place up. If its not cleaned up in 10 days they are cited into court. My question was what if it’s a renter?. They told me that they go on the tax card and they send that person (landowner) a certified letter and when they get the receipt back they have 10 days. Then if its not cleaned up then the homeowner is cited into court. They have very few people who ever get to court because they (violators) don’t want it to go that far. But if it (violations) continues they have the city to clean it up and they put a lien on their property. If they (Sparta) can do it, we can do it,” said Alderman Miller.

In the case of renters, the city could go in and clean up the properties if violators don’t comply and the landlords can be assessed a tax lien to recover the city’s costs, but City Attorney Vester Parsley said those landowners must be given due process.

“A majority of the people we have had problems with in the past are out of state landowners. Some of the properties were even owned by corporations and we could not trace an actual person who owned it. We sent letters and got no response from any of them. You have to give the landlord due process before taking action against them,” said Parsley.

While the city has had the city building codes inspector to act as the enforcement officer in the past, it may choose to direct the police department to serve citations to violators in the future once a citizen complaint is made, notices have been issued by certified letter, and violators still refuse to clean up their properties.

The mayor and aldermen discussed having a workshop to possibly come up with amendments to the existing property maintenance ordinance. In the meantime, City Administrator Hunter Hendrixson suggested that the city start enforcing what is already on the books.

“If we get a complaint and if the city has to go in after a certain amount of days and clean it up (property) we’ll put a tax lien on them but lets enforce something now, issue certified letters and then a citation,” said Hendrixson.

The city’s “Minimum Property Maintenance Requirements” states that “no person owning, leasing, renting, occupying, including vacant lots, shall maintain or allow to be maintained on such property, except as may be permitted by any other city ordinance, any of the following conditions visible from any public street or alley:

Junk, litter and trash;
Outdoor nuisances dangerous to children, including but not limited to abandoned, broken or neglected equipment, machinery, or any appliance with a latching door;

Shopping carts in any front yard, side yard, rear yard or vacant lot of any property;

Dead, decayed, diseased or hazardous trees, or any other vegetation a majority of which (excluding vegetation located in flowerbeds, or trees, or shrubbery or existing hayfields) exceeds twelve (12) inches in height, or which is dangerous to public health, safety, and welfare, located in any front yard, side yard, rear yard, or upon any vacant lot”.