County Commission Encourages Public to Attend Forum with CTAS Consultant Ben Rodgers

August 11, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

As part of an effort to promote more transparency, the DeKalb County Commission is encouraging the public to join them in a forum Thursday night to learn more about services available to the county by the UT County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS).

CTAS County Government Consultant Ben Rodgers will be the featured speaker at the meeting which starts at 6 p.m. at the County Complex Auditorium.

Everyone is encouraged to attend including the citizens of DeKalb County and all local elected public officials, county employees, and other stakeholders.

(ClICK LINK BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CTAS SERVICES)

http://www.ctas.tennessee.edu/content/our-services

Rodgers joined CTAS in 2005 and assists counties in the Upper Cumberland area (Region 3). He graduated from Tennessee Technological University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in accounting. Rodgers worked in public accounting for over two and half years prior to joining CTAS.

CTAS is not new and DeKalb County officials have often sought guidance, advice, and services from it over the years. CTAS offers assistance in every aspect of county government finance — budgeting, purchasing, investing, debt management, insurance and risk management. CTAS attorneys author many CTAS publications, draft and review legislative proposals, monitor General Assembly action, and compile private acts of each county.

After recently defunding the county’s financial advisor position, the county commission expects to rely more on CTAS, specifically Rodgers, in assisting the county with budgeting and financial matters and other services going forward, much of which CTAS offers the county at no charge.

First District Commissioner Julie Young said Rodgers will be a valuable asset to the county as he has been for other counties in the region.

“He will tell us what he (CTAS) offers not just for our county but almost every county surrounding us. Already many of our elected officials use his services. They (CTAS) provide training that we can all go through free and Mr. Rogers can also do for the county the same on our budgets for free that Mr. (Steve) Bates was doing and being paid by the county. We are trying the save the county money and be more transparent. Our county is in good shape (financially) but we have to be financially responsible to our constituents. I encourage everyone to join us for this meeting and meet Mr. Rodgers,” said Commissioner Young.

“County government can only work if we all work together and that includes the taxpayers and the commission. We have to work together,” said Fourth District Commissioner Janice Fish Stewart. “ We want to be as transparent as we can be and we want to encourage the participation of our citizens. We want them to meet Mr. Rodgers and ask him questions. He is already a valuable resource. If we have questions about a procedure or the Tennessee Code that we deal with as commissioners we can call him and he has the answers for us and if he doesn’t he gets back to us. I want to encourage people to come to this meeting and participate with us,” said Commissioner Stewart.

August 11, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

Barring another delay, DeKalb County Schools plan to re-open on Monday, August 17.

The Director of Schools and Board of Education have issued some reminders for employees, parents, and students.

PARENTS:
Each day before leaving your home you should check your child’s temperature and ask the following questions:

*Have you been in close contact with a person with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19?
*Have you had an unusual cough or shortness of breath?
*Have you had a sore throat or other flu like symptoms?
*Have you had a new loss of taste or smell?
*Have you had vomiting or diarrhea in the last 24 hours?

If your child can answer yes to any of these above questions or has a fever, please do not send your child to school that day.

Employees should also answer the above questions.

COVID-19 REQUIREMENTS:

10 DAY SICK WINDOW:
Anyone testing positive for COVID-19 must isolate themselves at home for 10 days from the onset of their symptoms or 10 days from the date their test was done if they never developed symptoms, Fever must be gone and they must be feeling better for at least 24 hours.

14 DAY QUARANTINE:
Anyone who has been within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for 10 minutes or more must quarantine themselves at home for 14 days from the last time they were with that person. These time periods do not change with a doctor’s note or with a negative test.

Do not return to school if you live in a household with someone who is awaiting test results

MASKS:
Effective August 17, 2020, all students, staff and visitors to DeKalb County Schools are required to wear a face covering when entering the building. These are required in all common areas. If you chose for your child not to wear a mask or face covering you need to contact your child’s school to sign your child up for remote learning.

August 11, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The Smithville Municipal Judge position is up for appointment next month and resumes are currently being accepted.

Mayor Josh Miller said local attorneys interested in the appointment may bring their resumes to him or to City Administrator Hunter Hendrixson at city hall by Wednesday, August 26. The judge earns a salary of $1,000 per month.

The position has been held for several years by local attorney Hilton Conger and he is also eligible to submit a resume for reappointment.

The Municipal Judge’s jurisdiction is mostly minor traffic offenses and city ordinance violations. The court usually convenes once per month.

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