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(UPDATED) Retaliation?

One of the Alexandria city hall employees who was asked by Mayor Beth Tripp to “go home” from work for the day Monday is speaking out against the mayor’s actions accusing her of retaliation.

Jessica Howard, the town recorder, property tax clerk, water clerk, and court clerk, told WJLE Tuesday morning that she believes Mayor Tripp had a reason for asking her to leave work for the day beyond what she put down on paper.

Howard claims she is a witness in a criminal summons case against Mayor Tripp and Richard Potter, the town’s water and sewer manager, who are charged with trying to get the police chief to cancel a ticket against persons in separate cases.

“I feel this is retaliation on me because I am the court clerk and Richard Potter called me and asked me to rip up the ticket. The police chief was standing there. I informed him (police chief) and he took it from there. I feel like I am being retaliated against,” said Howard.

After WJLE posted this story, Mayor Tripp contacted WJLE Tuesday afternoon to deny Howard’s allegations of retaliation saying she was unaware that Howard was a witness in the criminal summons case against her. Mayor Tripp said her only motive has been budgetary concerns and the lack of cooperation among some at city hall in getting answers about the budget. Mayor Tripp further claims special called meetings held since she has been absent were held illegally in violation of city regulations in that at least three aldermen had not requested them in writing and that in some cases neither she nor all the aldermen were made aware of the meetings. Mayor Tripp added that when she left city hall Monday the things she was observed leaving with were not city records or documents but her own personal pictures. Mayor Tripp contends that while she has been away, someone has rummaged through her office and desk and boxed up some of her things. Mayor Tripp did not explain for WJLE why she has missed city meetings of late, and she said she does not intend to resign.

Both Howard and financial officer Rhonda Conatser were sent home by Mayor Tripp Monday for the following stated reasons:

*Saving on the budget

*Not following the charter

*Not following chain of command

The mayor signed and dated the order and had both Howard and Conatser to sign it.

Mayor Tripp contacted WJLE Monday afternoon to say that she had first advised the two city hall employees by phone to work only half a day Monday apparently for budgetary reasons but found them still working when she went to city hall. She asked them again to leave for the day and then put it in writing for the reasons given and had them sign it.

“She (Mayor) did not give us any prior notice. She did not tell us we were only going to work half a day (Monday). We hadn’t heard from her since May 30,” said Howard.

“The allegation that I violated the chain of command was because I could not get a hold of her (Mayor Tripp) for two weeks and I reached out to the vice mayor, which I am supposed to do because I am the town recorder. She (Mayor Tripp) then said I posted an agenda for a special meeting and three aldermen were supposed to sign it but they posted their own agenda and four aldermen signed it,” said Howard.

Howard explained for WJLE her version of what happened Monday.

“We had not heard from Mayor Tripp since May 30 until yesterday (Monday, June 9). Ms Dora Stranathan (part time water clerk) who works with me received a phone call about 10:15 a.m. She brought the phone up to my ear because she said it was Beth calling and we had not heard from her. When she answered the phone Beth said Hey are you at the office? Dora said yes. She said is Rhonda (Conatser) there? Dora said yes. She said is Jessica (Howard) there? Dora said yes. She asked if (part time water clerk) Amber (Ahlgard) was there and she said no. Beth said Well, I am still mayor and I can still enact my mayor powers. She said I need you (Dora) to tell Jessica and Rhonda to go home. Dora just said OK. She said if there are any refusals to call me back on my mayor’s phone. Dora said OK and they hung up,” explained Howard.

“I immediately called Aldermen Bobby Simpson, Luke Prichard, and Sherry Tubbs. I told them what was going on and they said no do not leave, she cannot do that. She has to give you a written notice, so we stayed. About 15 or 20 minutes later Beth came in the office with one of her friends who was recording us. She came in the office, looked at Rhonda and she said I need y’all to go home. Rhonda said I need that in writing. Beth said OK. I turned around and said what is the reason? You need to give us a reason. Did we do something? She said no I don’t have to give you a reason. I was recording every word she said. I said actually you do have to give a reason, per charter. That’s when she wrote the note and gave it to us. We signed it and we left,” said Howard.

“I am at the hospital today (Tuesday) with my son who is having knee surgery. I won’t be back until tomorrow (Wednesday) but I am afraid she (Mayor) is probably going to try to suspend me tomorrow because I reached out and tried to clear my name,” Howard concluded.

A site has been selected for a new state funded public safety telecommunications tower for the Liberty area.

During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, the DeKalb County Regional Planning Commission voted to give final subdivision plat approval for the property located on Tater Knob Road (DeKalb Emergency Communications District Division).

The purpose of the new tower is to improve emergency radio communication in that area of the county.

“This is the DeKalb County Emergency Communications District final subdivision plat creating one proposed new lot from property larger than five acres located on Tater Knob Road,” said Tommy Lee, Director of the Upper Cumberland Development District, who serves as UCDD staff planner and advisor to DeKalb County. “The proposed new lot would consist of 0.342 acres and is currently vacant. The proposed new lot would require a 28,675 square foot lot size variance and road frontage variance. Tater Knob Road is a public road not maintained by the county. It will be strictly for establishing a telecommunications tower. That’s the only thing it can be used for. It is not served by water and complies with all other DeKalb County subdivision regulations.

“Its right across the street from another communications tower in Liberty,” said DeKalb ECD 911 Director Brad Mullinax. “The only thing we really need is electrical power to it. It already has electrical power built out. The state of Tennessee is going to be building this tower. I already have a letter of intent from them. Its going to be about a two-million-dollar investment in Liberty. Its an imperative thing for emergency communications,” said Mullinax.

Original plans were to erect a 300-foot tower on the grounds of the Liberty Fire Station, which is jointly owned by both the towns of Liberty and Dowelltown but under a long-term lease with the county for use by the fire department and EMS. However, those plans were changed when in November the Liberty town council voted against erecting a tower on the site.

Jeff Gray, Director of the Tennessee Advanced Communication Network explained last fall that this new tower is needed and would be strictly for public safety. The tower is to be funded and maintained by the Tennessee Advanced Communications (TACN) network intended to provide first responders the ability to better communicate locally and have additional coverage to talk on the radio with surrounding state communication towers during major events and disasters. Last year the county began funding upgrades from its old analogue system to new state of the art portable, mobile and fixed radio transmission technology and it joined the Tennessee Advanced Communications Network (TACN) to eventually make the transition complete.

If a plan ever moves forward to establish county zoning outside the unincorporated areas, it’ll have to be enacted by the county commission.

According to Tommy Lee, Director of the Upper Cumberland Development District, who serves as UCDD staff planner and advisor to DeKalb County, the county commission already has a proposed resolution and county zoning map prepared by the DeKalb County Regional Planning Commission and now its up to them.

During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting of the planning commission, member Beth Pafford asked if the planning commission study would continue.

“Are we not going to do any more work on zoning until the commission looks at it,” asked Commissioner Pafford.

“We have gone as far as we can go without guidance from the county commission,” said Lee. “We have established the resolution and gave them a map and now in my opinion the ball is in their court and if they want us to continue, we will and if they don’t, we won’t,” said Lee.

County Mayor Matt Adcock explained that the county commission last month basically tabled the issue.

“At our county commission meeting (In May) we presented the idea (county zoning) and wanted a recommendation about what they felt like needed to be done with zoning and if they liked the map or didn’t like it and any suggestions going forward. The topic got tabled,” said County Mayor Adcock.

In April the planning commission sent a proposed resolution and map establishing zoning to the full county commission for review. The idea was if the county commission still wanted to move forward with zoning, changes could be made and sent back to the planning commission to improve the plan.

During the monthly meeting in May, the county commission made no decision on a review or recommendation. Two separate votes were taken but neither failed to get a majority from the 14-member body.

The first motion was made by Commissioner Larry Green to “send it back to the planning commission for further study”. Commissioner Tony Luna offered a second to the motion. Although the vote was 7 to 4 in favor it failed because 8 votes (of the 14-member commission) were needed to make it official.

Commissioner Tony Luna later in the meeting moved to table the discussion until the next county commission workshop in June and Commissioner Green seconded the motion. But again, the result was 7-4 in favor with 8 votes needed for approval.

The issue may still be revisited by the county commission later. If not, a proposal for county zoning could be on life support

Sent home for the day!

Alexandria Mayor Beth Tripp earlier today (Monday) ordered two city hall employees to go home for the day.

City recorder Jessica Howard and financial clerk Rhonda Conaster were sent home by Mayor Tripp for the following reasons:

*Saving on the budget

*Not following the charter

*Not following chain of command

The mayor signed and dated the order and had both Howard and Conaster to sign it.

Mayor Tripp contacted WJLE Monday afternoon to say that she had first advised the two city hall employees by phone to work only half a day Monday apparently for budgetary reasons but found them still working when she went to city hall. She asked them again to leave for the day and then put it in writing for the reasons given and had them sign it.

Mayor Tripp herself remains on the hot seat with the Board of Aldermen. During a rare Saturday special called meeting, May 31 the town council, in the absence of Mayor Tripp, cast a “no confidence” vote in her leadership.

The vote was 4-0 with Aldermen Sherry Tubbs, Bobby Simpson, Luke Prichard, and Jeff Ford all voting together. Alderman Jonathan Tripp, Mayor Tripp’s husband was also absent.

The aldermen, with this vote, were hoping Mayor Tripp would get the message and offer her resignation. She has not resigned.

Three days later on Tuesday, June 3 Mayor Tripp and the town’s water and sewer manager Richard Edward Potter turned themselves in at the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department after being named in a criminal summons for trying to get the police chief to cancel a ticket on someone.

Both will make an appearance in DeKalb County General Sessions Court on June 26th.

The Grandpa Fair of the South, the DeKalb County Fair in Alexandria will return for its weeklong run Monday, June 23 through Saturday, June 28.

Since 1856, the DeKalb County Fair has been offering entertainment, Midway rides, food, exhibits, pageants, livestock shows and other action-packed events. Now in its 169th year, the Grandpa Fair of the South is sporting a new “Go Hog Wild” theme for 2025.

Fair events during the week this year include a bump n run derby, rodeo, tractor and truck pull, along with other old favorites, a demolition derby and motorcycle and ATV racing, among others. Lions Club Pavilion entertainment will feature a hot sauce challenge, OBC children’s choir, singer Bryli Durtschi, American Idol finalist Isaac Cole, Zone Status, and square dancing by Smithville Select, Caney Fork Circle Eight, DeKalb Dancing Delights and Center Hill Hoedown Square Dancers. Other attractions include a cattle show, pageants featuring babies to senior ladies, bingo, corn hole tournament, lamb cook-off, kiddie tractor pull, poultry show, senior day & Century Farms, junior goat show, DTC games (ages 3-12), ice cream contest, SRO dunking booth, and a nightly cash drawing. Midway rides by James Gang Amusements. Live demonstrations nightly at the Kenneth Sandlin Center featuring canning, quilting, flowers, pottery, sourdough bread, and cake making.

Non-perishable exhibit items only may be brought to the fairgrounds Saturday, June 14 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and perishable exhibits may be brought Saturday, June 21 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

For information visit https://www.dekalbcountyfairtn.com/

Many people have longed for a safe place in DeKalb County where kids could hang out and have good, clean healthy fun. Justin and Kendra Cantrell have made that dream a reality with the help of the court system, city and county governments, and the generosity of local folks.

On Saturday (May 31), “The Spot” officially unveiled its cool digs at the grand opening in the former Rotary Club building, across from the Smithville Golf Course and Swimming Pool.

“One day we drove by here and my husband said the Lord told him that this is going to be our building and within a couple days, it was,” Kendra Cantrell recalls. She and her husband Justin had helped with “The Spot” in Smith County, which opened in 2011.

“Justin and Kendra came to work there and have been working with me in Smith County with students there doing a lot of our after school programs,” explains Program Director Barbara Kannapel. After becoming certified in social/emotional learning curriculum and working with kids in Smith County for several years, the couple wanted to bring the idea back home.

“I saw the need in DeKalb County and just thought I’d tackle it,” Justin Cantrell said. “The community has been a big help. Everybody that I have encountered has been a big help with it. We just hope to see kids’ lives more stable, families more stable, and just have a safe place for kids to hang out and have a good time together.”

“I grew up in the foster care system myself,” adds Kendra Cantrell. “So, I’ve always had a passion to want to help kids. and we’ve prayed about it and talked about it for years now about having our own program here in DeKalb County.”

The couple first opened the doors for “The Spot” on April 30. Thirteen children came that first Wednesday, and the program has rapidly taken off.

“Justin and Kendra are wonderful because they can relate to those kids in a way that a lot of us can’t. So, they’re seeing great results,” Kannapel says. “We have a program that we do for kids who have been through juvenile court. We work with them for about eight weeks and get them back on track hoping to prevent them from being adult offenders. We proposed a five-year plan to DeKalb County folks. That was two years ago, and we’re way ahead of the game on our five-year plan.”

The Cantrell’s have been working with kids in juvenile court and seeing great results. They’ve extended their teaching to kids in the school system in 5th grade and up with building healthy relationship skills, solid communication, and learning refusal skills to help in making wise choices.

The Spot is open to 5th through 12th graders on Wednesday’s after school.

“Everything is free. So we’ll be offering some camps this summer. we’ll be offering some swimming and some summer activities. or they can just come and bring their friends and have a good time,” Kannapel says. “Justin and Kendra have worked really hard with the community to bring in game tables and video games, everything that’s going to be fun for kids and have a safe place to bring their friends.”

“They come and hang out,” Kendra adds. “It gives their parents a break, and it gives us time with them just to kind of pour into them and try to love on them and help them anyway we can.”

“I come from a broken home,” Justin said. “Both my parents were very young when they had me, and they struggled. They also had addiction, alcoholism, things like that in my family and if it wasn’t for sports, I probably would have been way worse off than I really was. But I think if I had a place like this, I could have found comfort and peace and more understanding than what was going on in my home life.”

The vision of The Spot is to see families with the assets they need to thrive as positive, contributing members of their schools and community.

“Our end goal is to see stronger families, have more family engagement,” Kannapel said. “We know that some of the kids that come to our programs, their parents have been incarcerated or have had some kind of brokenness in their families. We want to strengthen families for the next generation.”

“I’m just overjoyed,” Kendra said, as a large group of kids played in the background. “I told my husband today I think I literally prayed in my sleep last night. I’m just blown away with the people and the support we have.”

For more information about “The Spot” Youth Center call Kendra Cantrell at 931-854-6172.

Put on hold again!

The budget committee, Tuesday night, again tabled adoption of the ambulance service budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year until perhaps next week. The final proposal will be submitted to the full county commission when it acts on the consolidated budgets for all departments later this summer.

EMS Director Trent Phipps had initially requested as one option a $5.00 per hour increase in pay for the 20 EMS medical personnel employed by the ambulance service and that his own pay be increased from $61,040 to $90,000 in 2025-26.

The proposed EMS budget request has since been revised to include only step pay increases for personnel and for the director’s pay to go to $70,000. The EMS budget would also include another $6,000 to cover an increase in pay for medical death investigators.

“We proposed making my salary higher than the highest paid paramedic on the list”, said EMS Director Phipps during his initial meeting with the budget committee in April.

According to payroll records provided by a county commissioner, the highest paid EMS employee for the period of July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 was $71,971 (gross amount) including hourly pay and overtime. The same employee earned $60,177 (gross amount) during the period from July 1, 2024 to April 10, 2025.

During Tuesday night’s meeting, County Mayor Matt Adcock recommended setting the EMS director’s pay at the same level as the DeKalb County Administrator of Elections which for the 2025-26 fiscal year will be $84,699 per year. And every time the state gives a raise to the election administrator, the EMS director would get the same raise.

Again, the budget committee has not yet voted on the EMS budget requests.

Meanwhile the budget committee voted to fund the purchase of a new remounted ambulance which is not what EMS Director Phipps had originally requested. Phipps had asked the committee to include $275,000 for a new ambulance which if approved would not be expected to arrive for another two to three years. Instead, the committee budgeted $158,600 (from capital projects) for a remounted ambulance with options of $16,800 and $700.

The county is expected to take delivery this summer on another ambulance which was authorized for purchase and ordered during the 2022-23 budget year but not yet paid for at $225,000. These two ambulance purchases ($225,000 for one on the way and the remounted ambulance) puts the total EMS local capital projects funding at $401,100 for 2025-26. The budget committee Tuesday night added a little cushion to make the total appropriation $415,000.

In other business, the budget committee raised the hourly county employee part time pay across the board from $12 to $13 per hour. Pay for each of the three judicial commissioners would go from $14,900 to $20,000 per year.

In 2024, the county funded a full-time courthouse security officer for a portion of the year through a $37,440 budget amendment with benefits including (social security, retirement, health insurance, unemployment, and Medicare) Constable Mark Milam was hired to fill the position. This year the cost would be $49,030 including benefits for the entire year. Meanwhile a part time unfilled security guard position at $18,720 was also funded last year to assist Constable Milam and is to be included in the 2025-26 budget.

Meanwhile work is underway to make the entrance doors to the courthouse more secure. According to County Mayor Adcock, panic bars and related hardware have already been installed, and the project should be completed by the end of July.

The committee adopted the sheriff’s department and jail budget and granted Sheriff Patrick Ray’s request for the addition of two deputies and one secretary to his operation. In making his request in April, Sheriff Ray explained how he had taken steps to minimize budgetary impact of the additional staff.

“We are adding 2 deputies to the sheriff’s department and the 3% salary increases plus tier jumps. I have made deductions from the sheriff’s budget to try to offset expenses for the extra 2 deputy positions. We have also lost high tier deputies and detectives, so our salaries line item is less this year than last year. With the deductions from Sheriff’s Department budget line items and the pay decreases, I feel the impact of the extra 2 deputies along with the 3% increase in pay with the employee tier jumps will have a minimal impact to the budget,” said Sheriff Ray.

“I have also made deductions from the Jail’s Budget to try to offset expenses with the extra secretary position. We have also lost high tier correctional officers, so our salaries line item is less this year. One of the major cuts, is with the jail’s inmate food line item. The food item line cut is where our contract for feeding 85 inmates and over has gone down to 52 inmates because of the TCI bed count cut. That food cut alone was $103,000,” said Sheriff Ray

The budget committee also approved an expenditure of $600,000 from capital projects for courthouse heating and cooling repairs and transferred $100,000 from interest income in capital projects to help support the county general fund.

The capital projects fund includes up to $450,000 for either a used or demo fire engine to allow placement of an engine at the new Wolf Creek Public Safety Building that may be constructed within the next 12 months.  The capital projects fund also has a total of $250,000 in seed money for the Wolf Creek Public Safety building. Four new sheriff’s department patrol cars totaling $175,000 would also be funded from capital projects in 2025-26.

The budget committee will continue its work Tuesday, June 10 at 6 p.m. in the lower courtroom of the courthouse.

The county budget committee Tuesday night adopted the election commission budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year but denied a request by election administrator Dustin Estes for a second full time employee for his office. Instead, the committee voted to fund a part time position at $18,096.

Estes, as he had done in April, tried to make his case for the second full time deputy and he cited statistics to back up his request.

“I am requesting to add one deputy to my staff. I operate with a staff of one,” said Estes during his previous remarks in April. “Some statistics to back up the need for the extra support, from 2017 to 2025 we have seen a 21% growth in our voter rolls,” explained Estes. “In the last four years DeKalb County has increased 8% in its total residents and our voter rolls have increased 11%. Looking at similar counties to DeKalb County, Smith County has two deputies. I think they have operated with two deputies for some time. Adding a second deputy would potentially alleviate any comp time and it would also support our office in vacation and sick time. We have been fortunate so far but with a staff of one I feel like we run the risk during election time. Heaven forbid but if something were to happen to myself or that one person during an election, we would really have liability with such an important task,” explained Estes.

The budget committee’s recommendation will be included in the 2025-26 budget subject to final adoption by the full county commission later this summer.

Meanwhile plans are moving forward to eventually relocate the election commission office from the courthouse to unused office space at the county complex. In January a budget amendment in the amount of $110,000 was appropriated from the fund balance of capital projects. A bid was recently awarded to make the renovation, and the work is expected to be completed perhaps by the first of July.

The Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the 24th Annual “Jamboree Project Welcome Mat” contest, held in conjunction with the 54th Annual Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree and Crafts Festival. This cherished tradition invites local businesses with changeable signs or marquees to display fun, festive, and welcoming messages to greet the thousands of visitors expected during this year’s Jamboree.

Chamber Director Suzanne Williams highlights the value of this initiative, saying, “With thousands of visitors coming into town for our 54th celebration, this is an opportunity to show our guests that we appreciate them and welcome their business.”

All businesses are encouraged to take part in Project Welcome Mat. To recognize their creativity and community spirit, awards will be given in the following categories:

Best Worded
Most Original
Most Creative
People’s Choice Award

Winners will receive a commemorative plaque and media recognition for their outstanding efforts.
To enter, businesses should submit a photo of their sign to the Chamber by Friday, June 20 at 12 PM. Entries can be emailed to director@dekalbcountychamber.org or texted to 615-464-7760.

Let’s join together to extend a warm DeKalb County welcome and showcase the hospitality and charm that make Smithville and the Jamboree experience unforgettable.

A California man has been charged with a recent theft.

43-year-old Benjamin James Einfeldt of Fresno California is charged with theft of property. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court June 12.

Sheriff Ray said that on June 1 a deputy was dispatched to Dale Ridge Road on an unwanted guest complaint. Upon arrival the officer spoke with the victim who reported that he lived at the residence with the owner and his son, Einfeldt. According to the victim, he and Einfeldt began arguing after Einfeldt tried to destroy the house. The victim further stated that Einfeldt carried a handgun everywhere he went. The deputy confronted Einfeldt behind the house and asked about the gun. Einfeldt said the weapon was on the truck bed. A background check of the serial number revealed that the gun had been reported stolen in Cumberland County, Tennessee. Einfeldt was placed under arrest.

37 year old Wesley Hall Scott of McMinnville is charged with evading arrest in a motor vehicle, a 5th offense of driving on a revoked or suspended license, and reckless endangerment. His bond totals $20,000

Sheriff Ray said that on September 9, 2024 a deputy was patrolling Sparta Highway when he spotted a black motorcycle without a license plate. The officer activated his blue lights and sirens signaling for the bike to pull over but instead it sped up and crossed the double yellow line in curves almost hitting other automobiles head on. As the motorcycle crossed into White County the deputy terminated the pursuit and radioed the White County Sheriff’s Department. Later the White County notified the DeKalb officer that the motorcycle operator had ditched the bike and took off on foot. The local deputy assisted the White County officers in searching for Scott and he was found hiding in the woods. When asked why he ran, Scott said because he was on probation and he did not have a driver license. A background check of his license confirmed they were revoked with four prior offenses.

62-year-old Johnny Michael Howard of Billings Road, Sparta is charged with aggravated criminal trespassing and possession of a handgun while under the influence. He is under an $11,000 bond and his court date is June 26.

Sheriff Ray said that on June 2 a deputy was dispatched to Howard Redmon Road to assist EMS where a man and woman had gotten into an altercation. The officer spoke with the man, Howard who smelled of alcohol. His eyes were bloodshot and watery. Howard said he had been drinking. The deputy found a 38-caliber special revolver on his person and learned that Howard had gone onto the property at Howard Redmon Road without consent which caused Howard and the homeowner, 54-year-old Cassandra Lynn Dykstra to get into an altercation.

During the incident Dykstra assaulted and EMT. Her bond for assaulting a first responder is $10,000 and she will be in court June 26.

Sheriff Ray said that while speaking with EMS workers, the deputy called to the scene learned that Dykstra and Howard man had gotten into a physical altercation and that as an EMT tried to get in between them the EMT was assaulted by Dykstra injuring her left wrist.