Revenue Collections Continue Upward Trend in DeKalb County Clerk’s Office

July 24, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

Revenue collections in the County Clerk’s Office have increased within the last six years due partly to additional services offered.

“Since the end of the 2014 fiscal year, our office has seen significant growth in total revenues receipted, services provided, and transactions completed. The fiscal year ending June 30, 2020 provided to be another productive year for the DeKalb County Clerk’s Office. Motor vehicle transactions alone increased by 2,983. For 2020, the office completed 26,118 motor vehicle transactions compared to 23,135 in 2019,” County Clerk James L. (Jimmy) Poss told WJLE.

The upward trend also continues in overall revenue collections. “In 2016 annual receipts were $1,407,473.80; $1,621,099.18 in 2017; $1,779,622.48 in 2018; $1,834,038.60 in 2019; and $1,928,076.43 for the year fiscal year ending June 30, 2020,” Poss said.

Excess fees collected in 2020 totaled $183,915.29, an increase from $173,711.02 in 2019.

Title production has also steadily increased over the last six years. “In 2013 a total of 2,897 were issued locally. By 2015 it had almost doubled at 5,589 and for the last three years, 2017, 2018, and 2019, we have seen an average increase of 6,104 in locally issued titles. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020 our office issued 6,686 titles, an 11.4% increase over 2019”.

More people have been taking advantage of the driver license/ID renewal kiosk in recent years. For example, 502 kiosk transactions were successfully completed in 2014 and that grew to 1,653 in 2019.

“Although this machine is designed to be for self service use, a majority of the kiosk transactions require assistance in order for them to be successfully completed and we often have to contact the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Office to resolve kiosk operation issues or to keep it maintained and in proper working order,” said Poss.

“While revenues are important, we are happy to be able to offer a wider variety of services than ever before without the benefit of additional fees for the operation of our office. Services for which we receive no payment or office fees include completing certain tasks for the public at the kiosk, assistance in completing computer processed driver license reinstatements, payments, and fines for customers, handgun carry renewals, obtaining FEIN numbers, filing 2290 forms required for the federal heavy vehicle use tax on all plates involving vehicles exceeding 55,000 pounds, filing and payment of business tax renewals, monthly filing and payment of sales and use taxes, and more. These are just a few of the many tasks we perform daily in the county clerk’s office as a courtesy to our citizens,” said Poss.

July 24, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

After much thought and consideration, DeKalb Middle School Principal Lacey Foutch has announced that DMS will host a 6th Grade Orientation. However, it will look different than previous years. Please view the following guidelines below:

Only the Parents/Guardians and the student are allowed to attend.

Parents/Guardians and the student will be screened and their temperature will be taken before entering the building.

“We encourage everyone to wear a mask and practice social distancing while on DMS campus,”  Principal Foutch told WJLE.

“Parents/Guardians will need to view their child’s schedule on Skyward BEFORE coming to 6th grade Orientation. We will provide a map of the school to help you navigate through to your new teachers. If you have not registered your student online, there will be computer access to do so before leaving. (All of this can be completed online at home.),” she said.

6th Grade Orientation will begin at 3:00pm and last until 8:00pm on Tuesday, July 28th. Students whose last name starts with A-L are urged to come between the hours of 3:00pm – 5:00pm. Students whose last name starts with M-Z are urged to come between the hours of 5:00pm – 8:00pm. A translator will be present, if needed.

Note: 6th Grade Orientation is NOT MANDATORY. If you do not feel comfortable coming, your child will not be penalized.

Open Registration – Only 7th & 8th Grade Parents/Guardians & Students

DMS will also be offering Open Registration from 3:00pm – 5:00pm on Wednesday, July 29th for 7th Grade students and Thursday, July 30th for 8th Grade students. Only parents/guardians of students that do not have the capability of registering their students online (Skyward) are urged to attend. Please view the following guidelines below:

Only the Parents/Guardians and the student are allowed to attend. Parents/Guardians and the student will be screened and their temperature will be taken before entering the building.

“We encourage everyone to wear a mask and practice social distancing while on DMS campus. If you need translation services, they will be provided on both nights,” said Foutch.

Note: Attending Open Registration is NOT MANDATORY, as registering at home online is strongly urged. This is only for parents/students that may not have the capabilities of registering their student at home.

Remote Learners:

Any student enrolled at DMS but participating remotely will need to pick up their Chromebook and classroom supplies on Tuesday, August 4th from 8:00am – 2:00pm. You will need to have completely registered your student on Skyward before pick-up. Upon arrival to DMS, you will need to enter through the main doors in the front, where you will be screened and your temperature taken before entering into the main building.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call the DMS office at (615)597-7987.

July 24, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

DTC Communications is proud to announce the addition of five new Wi-Fi hotspots located throughout DeKalb County for public use. These new hotspots can be found at the community centers in the Belk, Blue Springs, Keltonburg, Midway and Temperance Hall. DTC now provides thirteen (13) free, driveup hotspots throughout its service territory.

Additional hotspots are located at DTC retail stores in Alexandria, Gordonsville, Smithville and Woodbury, and also at DeKalb West School in Liberty, Smithville Elementary, Northside
Elementary, and DeKalb Middle School, in Smithville.

DTC Communications previously joined hundreds of companies across the United States in signing the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Keep Americans Connected Pledge, in response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this pledge, DTC initially promised to keep open public Wi-Fi hotspots to the general public through the month of June.

“We understand the pandemic has negatively affected many families and businesses in our communities. To ensure that everyone has access to essential broadband internet connectivity, DTC initially provided four free drive-up hotspots within our service territory for use by any community member,” noted Chris Townson, CEO of DTC Communications. “After further conversation with school leadership, and based upon identified need in the communities, our board of directors approved extending access to the free hotspots, as well as adding additional sites at the schools and community centers throughout DeKalb County, as requested. We appreciate all our schools are doing for our kids, and we’re thankful Mr. Patrick Cripps and Mr. Joey Reeder asked DTC to help in this capacity. We’re also appreciative of Mayor Tim Stribling and the DeKalb County Commission for allowing access at each of the community centers. It means a lot to our board and employees to be able to work together to serve our schools and communities.”

DTC Communications is a member owned telecommunications cooperative established in 1951. DTC provides world-class broadband and technology solutions to improve the quality of life of our members and communities in the regions we serve.