Controversy over Budget Committee Chairmanship Lingers

February 25, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The controversy lingers over who should be chairman of the DeKalb County Budget Committee

During Monday night’s county commission meeting, County Mayor Tim Stribling said he has reached out to the County Technical Advisory Service (CTAS) on whether the budget committee can act unilaterally to replace its own chairman with someone else based on provisions of Tennessee’s Fiscal Control Acts of 1957 or whether DeKalb County is governed by the Local Option Budgeting Law of 1993 which does not specifically address the makeup of the budget committee.

First district county commissioner Dennis Slager has served in the position since taking office in 2018 but last Wednesday night during a budget committee meeting three of his fellow members voted to oust him as chairman and have County Mayor Tim Stribling take over as ex officio chairman of the budget committee. The following day, Jerry Adcock, one of the members who voted in the majority to remove Slager, said he never intended to do that.

The vote Adcock and others cast was on a motion made by fifth district county commissioner and budget committee member Anita Puckett to remove Slager as chairman. Puckett was frustrated with Slager over a recent meeting between the budget committee and the Board of Education concerning its request for funding to build new schools. Puckett claimed that Slager tried to control and manipulate the meeting and that he shared his own opinion and made it seem he was speaking for the committee

Slager denied the assertion saying he gave everyone who wanted to speak and have input an opportunity to do so.

Until CTAS renders an opinion as to whether the action to remove Slager is legal, County Mayor Stribling said the committee will continue to operate as it has with no changes.

The five members of the budget committee have historically served at the pleasure of the County Mayor who appoints them with the approval of the county commission.

In September 2018, County Mayor  Stribling appointed to the budget committee Dennis Slager, Anita Puckett, Jerry Adcock, Sabrina Farler, and Jeff Barnes and he named Slager as chairman.

In the motion to remove Slager as chairman, Puckett referenced the 1957 law which states that “The committee shall consist of five members, one of whom shall be the county mayor and the other four shall be appointed by the county mayor with the approval of the county governing body at its regular January session each year or at any subsequent session. The county mayor shall be the ex officio chair of the budget committee and the director of accounts and budget shall be the ex officio secretary of the budget committee”.

“Although he has not given an opinion on Puckett’s motion, Ben Rogers of CTAS has said that he is under the impression that we are under the 1993 act rather than the 1957 law,” said County Mayor Stribling.

For example, the 1957 Act states that the makeup of the budget committee includes a director of accounts and budgets who shall be the ex officio secretary. DeKalb County has no such director of accounts and budgets on the committee.

“This county has traditionally operated the committees where the chairman of the county commission who happens to be the county mayor has named the committees and has named the chairperson of the committees. I think it is a dangerous situation if we get into changing the structure of that committee because of some hard feelings,” said County Mayor Stribling.

“Are you saying that the vote is null and void,” said Puckett.

“I’m not saying anything until I get a ruling from CTAS. I sent them your motion and we will get a ruling one way or another from CTAS,” Stribling responded.

Fourth district commissioner Janice Fish Stewart said this incident only underscores the need for the county to adopt a set of policies and procedures for how business is conducted.

“We are in pretty dangerous territory here because whatever we do is going to set a precedent for everything else going forward. We have worked hard on developing policies and procedures and are having difficulty getting them passed but I am not giving up. I am chairman of the policies and procedures committee and we need them to address situations like this and others that come up. But we cannot allow ourselves to let emotional things get involved. I don’t think that is somewhere where we really need to go. We all have to work together and make decisions based on the people we represent. We need to make the right decisions and take the emotions out of it. We have to be adults. We have to come together as one body with one goal in mind and that is to do what is best for the citizens of DeKalb County,” she said.

Slager said that County Mayor Stribling should consider making changes on the budget committee.

“My concern is that the budget committee is becoming a committee that has personal agendas and motives. That is an extremely serious committee and we are there to represent the people of the county including every district and every citizen but when we start injecting personal opinions, motives, agendas, and carrying a banner for a certain group then it appears to me that the committee can no longer function. We cannot allow personal conflicts and things like that to enter into any committee meeting. We have to understand what our duties are in the committee and they are not to vote people in, appoint people, dismiss people, and ridicule people. That is not our job. This is a five member committee and I do not see how this committee moves forward with those types of motives and do the work of the people. It’s a serious situation this county is entering into financially. We have major issues coming up and we cannot have personal feelings involved in these decisions. I would ask you as chairman and county mayor to consider in the best interest of the county to look at maybe reappointing this committee and find five people, regardless of who they are, that can be independent with no motives or agendas and are serious about solving the problems of this county,” said Slager.

No action was taken.

February 25, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

A Smithville man was recently arrested after being indicted almost two years ago in a child sex crime investigated by the Smithville Police Department.

39 year old Hoss Lee Stith of Cripps Lane, Smithville is charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and sexual battery by an authority figure. His bond totals $100,000 and his court date is May 19.

Stith, who was arrested on February 19, appeared for arraignment Friday, February 21 in DeKalb County Criminal Court before Judge Wesley Bray.

According to the sealed indictments returned by the DeKalb County Grand Jury on July 23, 2018, Stith had sexual contact with a 16 year old girl on June 3, 2018. He also had less than 50 images of minors engaged in sexual activity.

February 25, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The Trustee’s Office is a busy place this week as taxpayers rush to beat the February 29 deadline to pay their 2019 county property taxes.

Because 2020 is leap year, taxpayers have an extra day to pay without penalty. The Trustee’s office is open Monday-Friday and will be open on Saturday, February 29 from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

As of today (Tuesday), Trustee Sean Driver said collections were at 76.77% of almost $10.7 million in DeKalb County property taxes to be collected by February 29, 2020 which includes property, residential, commercial, personal, and public utility taxes.

For budgeting purposes, the county expects tax collections each year to be at least 94.75% with a 5.25% delinquency.

Property taxes are now due and payable through February 29, 2020 before any interest becomes due on March 1, 2020.

The Trustee’s office offers up to 6 different options to pay your property taxes:

*Come in person to the office to pay

*Mail in your payment

* Pay online @ www.tennesseetrustee.org, then select DeKalb and follow the instructions to the next screens. The Vendor BIS (Business Information Systems) accepts Discover, MasterCard, or American Express-The Vendor convenience fee of 2.75% on the total tax bill will apply and fees are subject to change for using credit/debit cards. Also, a $2.75 fee will be assessed on an e-check payment of any amount.

* A QR (Quick Response Code) is also your means of accessing the website www.tennesseetrustee.org with your smart phone.

* Dropbox located on the outside of the building at the County Complex (County Offices Section) for your convenience after hours or on weekends. “If on the last day you can’t make it to the post office to postmark your payment, you can use the dropbox and when we gather the mail on Monday, March 2 in the office, if your payment is in there no interest will be applied to your 2019 tax,” said Trustee Sean Driver.

*Partial Payments are accepted and you the taxpayer sets the amount to pay until full payment is made.
The Trustee’s office is accepting applications for the Property Tax Relief Program through April 6, 2020.

If you would like to inquire more about a possible tax relief for property taxes, come by the Trustee’s office in the County Complex at 732 S Congress Boulevard-Room 103, Smithville or call 615-597-5176.