Lewis County Commission

The Lewis County Board of Commissioners met in regular session Monday evening, September 25th. Commissioners Kyle Bobo and Aren Ragsdale were absent. After the prayer and pledge, the commission appointed Jonah Keltner as Chairman, and Brian Peery as Chairman Pro Tempore of the Board of Commissioners, Bobo to the Airport Executive Advisory Board, Bill Dyer, Brian Peery, Kerry Cagle, Michael King, and Connie Sharp to the Lewis County Ethics Committee, and Austin Carroll to both the Lewis County Library Board and the Tennessee County Commissioners Association. All approved the minutes from last month, and the floor opened to public input.

John Risner of Buffalo Valley addressed the commission to clarify, “Buffalo Valley is not responsible for the homeless population.” He informed the center has vans that provide transportation in and out of Hohenwald 5-7 days a week.

The homeless population has been the topic of conversation in many circles lately. Several residents, business owners, along with members of the Lewis County Commission and law enforcement, have expressed their concern about the growing number of homeless individuals in our community. Because of this, the Board of Commissioners found it appropriate to create a volunteer study committee to research the issue and seek ways to address the growing problem. The committee is tasked to develop a report, make formal recommendations, and present their findings to the County Commission by February of 2024. All Commissioners approved the appointment of Laurie Wagner, Caleb Feichtinger, Kevin Baker, David Grimes, Tonya Woodward, Rita Duncan, and Connie Sharp as the Homeless Study Committee.

Another committee was established Monday night as well. The Lewis County Government has already received $66,836.90 from the State of Tennessee in Opioid Abatement Funds, and it has been reported that Lewis County will continue receiving such funds, although in smaller amounts, over the next 18 years. The funds are very restrictive, and they have to be carefully monitored and documented on how they are allocated and spent. A report also has to be regularly submitted about how they are being spent, even after they have been allocated to an entity. Due to the restrictive and labor-intensive nature, the Opioid Abatement Council, the State of Tennessee, and CTAS highly recommended that each county form a special committee that is responsible for participating in training and becoming knowledgeable about the funds, networking with others to improve the capability to abate the opioid crisis, reviewing the applicants, and making recommendations to the Commission on who should receive the funds. Approved to serve on the Lewis County Opioid Abatement Committee were Houston Hamblin, Christie Moore, Sasha Powers, Mike Webb, Denise Staggs, and Greg Smith, with Houston Hamblin being appointed the Chief Operating Officer.

Following these appointments was the resolution to extend the deadline for Industrial Park Property Owners. Darren Breaud, Ray Brewer, Nick Ramey, Summertown Metals, and Chris Trull all purchased property at the Lewis County Industrial Park in 2022, and were given a deadline of 18 months to have a facility built and 24 months to begin operating a business on that property, or the property would revert back to the county for the price which it was sold, pending improvements. However, due to a state mandated sewer moratorium on that side of town, and the lack of sewer availability at the Industrial Park, it has made it difficult for these property owners to get financing to build a facility, and if they did, they wouldn’t have access to a sewer system. The Commission required the attendance of these property owners at the Committee of the Whole earlier this month, during which time the owners requested an extension to the original deadline due to that sewer setback. The Committee agreed to a new deadline of 18 months to have a facility built and an additional 6 months after that to have a business open and operating beginning on the first day the sewer services are readily available for them to hook up to, at which time the owners would be responsible for paying a very large tap fee to pay for access to the extremely expensive sewer system having to be installed. “This is one of the reasons we sold the land so cheap,” stated Mayor Keltner. “There will be an approximately $800,000 fee to connect to that sewer line.”

Next on the agenda, five Commissioners approved, with two voting no, to authorize the County Mayor to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Horse Plus Humane Society regarding stray and abandoned dogs in Lewis County. The Certified Animal Control Agency offered the following terms: All stray or abandoned dogs are to be held at the County’s facility and in the custody of Lewis County during the mandatory 3-day stray hold time in accordance with Tennessee State Law’s minimum holding time. After the minimum holding time, dogs can be transferred to Horse Plus Humane Society Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Any rabies or bite cases are to be quarantined at the County’s facility until the animal is released from quarantine. Horse Plus Humane Society is offering these services free of charge through December 31, 2023.