September 27, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
County Mayor Matt Adcock was elected Chairman of the DeKalb County Commission Monday night.
It was the first regular monthly meeting of the new county mayor and county commission since taking office September 1.
First District Commissioner Tom Chandler moved to name County Mayor Adcock Chairman of the Commission. Second District member Myron Rhody offered a second to the motion. The vote was unanimous.
The county commission reorganizes each September naming a chairman and chairman pro temp to serve for the ensuing 12 months.
Fifth District Commissioner Larry Green was named Chairman Pro Temp. He would preside over county commission meetings in the absence of the chairman. Fourth District Commissioner Tony (Cully) Culwell moved to make Green the Chairman Pro Temp and Commissioner Chandler offered a second to the motion. The vote was unanimous.
Sixth District member Jeff Barnes, the longest serving member of the commission at 20 years, had been Chairman Pro Temp for several years.
In other business, the commission approved the county mayor’s committee appointments as follows:
Budget Committee: Jeff Barnes (Committee Chairman), Sabrina Farler (Vice-Chairman), Susannah Cripps Daughtry, Larry Green, Greg Matthews, Beth Pafford, and Daniel Cripps.
Audit Committee: Tom Janey (citizen member), Tony Luna, Beth Pafford, and Daniel Cripps
Community Economic Development: Glynn Merriman (Chairman), Tom Chandler (Vice Chairman), Justin Adcock, Tony Culwell, and Tony Luna. (Luna’s name was added at the suggestion of Commissioner Tony (Cully) Culwell).
UT Agriculture Extension Committee: Myron Rhody, Jeff Barnes, and Daniel Cripps.
Purchasing Committee: Matt Adcock (County Mayor), Danny Hale (Road Supervisor), Patrick Cripps (Director of Schools), Tom Chandler, Myron Rhody, and Jeff Barnes.
Public Works Committee: Myron Rhody (Chairman), Timothy Reynolds (Vice Chairman), Tony Luna, Tom Chandler, Tony Culwell, Glynn Merriman, and Justin Adcock
Health, Education, and Public Welfare Committee: Larry Green (Chairman), Greg Matthews (Vice Chairman), Susannah Cripps Daughtry, Tim Reynolds, Justin Adcock, Daniel Cripps, and Sabrina Farler.
Government Services Committee: Janice Fish Stewart (Chairman) citizen member, Beth Pafford (Vice Chairman), Sabrina Farler, Larry Green, and Susannah Cripps Daughtry
Planning Commission: Rick Cantrell (Chairman)- citizen member, Harold Bain (Vice Chairman)-citizen member, Alan Webb-citizen member, Danny Pirtle-citizen member, Jack Barton-citizen member, Glynn Merriman, Tom Chandler, Justin Adcock, and Tony (Cully) Culwell
Ethics Committee: Debra Malone (Clerk and Master), Greg Matthews, Tony (Cully) Culwell, Timothy Reynolds, and Glynn Merriman.
911 Committee: Jeff Barnes and Sabrina Farler
Other appointees also confirmed by the commission are County Attorney Hilton Conger, County Fire Chief Donny Green, County EMS Director Hoyte Hale, and County EMA Director Charlie Parker
In other business, the commission upon the recommendation of the county mayor, amended the body’s policies and procedures by changing from October to September, the month when committee appointees are to be named and begin serving. The vote was unanimous.
The commission adopted a budget amendment as recommended by the county mayor to transfer $15,000 within the solid waste budget to create a full-time solid waste director position at a salary of $40,000 per year. The county formerly had a supervisor in the department at a salary budgeted of $25,000 per year but he recently resigned.
“We have lost our landfill supervisor,” said County Mayor Adcock. “Instead of replacing someone in that position, I felt like this was a great opportunity to make a solid waste director to be over the transfer station, landfill, and convenience sites and he would report to the commission just like any other department head on revenue, equipment and maintenance,” added Mayor Adcock.
No new money will be needed to fund the full-time position.
The commission also approved a National Joint Powers Alliance Master Agreement Resolution, which County Mayor Adcock said would allow the county to make purchases through the competitive bidding process “through federal consortiums on a national level”.
A private road, Scarlett Court was also officially named such by the commission upon the recommendation of the E-911 director.
A list of county property was declared surplus by the commission and those items will be sold during the sheriff’s department’s public auction in October.