DeKalb Fire Dept reminds you to change your clock and change your smoke alarm battery this weekend

November 1, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, November 5 and while you are changing your clocks, the DeKalb County Fire Department wants to remind you to change your batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms also. The message is simple and it’s easy to do. Please take a few minutes to make sure life-saving alarms have fresh batteries so you, your family, and your home are protected.

Lieutenant Dustin Johnson, the DeKalb County Fire Department’s Fire Prevention and Safety Officer, reminds DeKalb County residents that after batteries are changed in alarms, take a few extra minutes to test your alarms and remind family, friends, and neighbors to do the same. Not all smoke alarms have batteries that have to be replaced each year. Some newer model alarms have batteries that last up to 10 years. However, it is still very important to test and clean your alarms. You can clean and maintain them simply by using compressed air to remove dust residue that accumulates on alarms that can cause the alarm’s sensor to not operate properly.

Eighty percent of child fire fatalities occur in homes without working smoke alarms. It’s a tragic statistic that can be prevented. Changing smoke alarm batteries at least once a year, testing those alarms, and reminding others to do the same are some of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce these tragic deaths and injuries. “The vast majority of our house fires happen between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most families are sleeping,” said Lt. Johnson. “Smoke alarm installation and maintenance is a simple, effective way to reduce home fire deaths. Children and senior citizens are most at risk, and a working smoke alarm can give them the extra seconds they need to get out safely.”

“A working smoke detector doubles your chance of surviving a home fire. So, why would you not want you and your family to have this protection?” For more information about fire safety, visit the DeKalb County Fire Department’s FaceBook Group page or the department’s website at www.dekalbfire.com.

If you need smoke alarms installed in your home, the DeKalb County Fire Department will provide and install them for free. Call Lt. Dusty Johnson at 615-598-2080 to schedule your free delivery and installation.

November 1, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

DeKalb County’s local option sales tax collections for September rebounded from August but were still short of the numbers for July.

According to the Tennessee Department of Revenue, DeKalb County collected $192,082 in September, up from $106,885 in local option sales taxes for August 2023 but down from $210,447 just a month earlier in July 2023.

Although local option sales tax collections in September were up for the county as a whole, the four towns in the county saw decreases from August.

In Smithville, September collections were $334,428, down from $365,273 in August and below collections of $422,519 in July.

Alexandria’s collections dropped from $30,418 in August to $28,894 in September and were down from $29,741 in July.

Dowelltown’s collections were at $3,001 in September, below $4,437 in August and $3,044 in July.

Liberty’s went from $11,496 in August to $9,906 in September and were below July’s collections of $10,528.

Net collections of local option sales taxes for the county and cities combined in September were at $568,313 in September, down from $518,510 in August and below July collections of $676,282.

Comparing September 2022 and September 2023, DeKalb County’s collections were up this year.

For September 2023, DeKalb County saw collections of local option sales taxes at $192,082, up from $167,806 in September 2022.

Collections were also up in two of the four towns in September compared to last year in the same month.

In Smithville, September 2023 local option sales taxes totaled $334,428 compared to $306,096 in September 2022. Collections for Alexandria in September 2023 were $28,894, up from $28,805 collected in September 2022.

Dowelltown took in $3,001 in September 2023, down from $3,070 in September 2022.

Liberty saw a decrease to $9,906 in September 2023, down from $13,630 in September2022.

Net Collections with the county and cities combined showed an increase in local option sales tax collections in September 2023 at $568,313, up from $519,409 in September 2022.

September sales tax collections reflect previous month activity.

October 31, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Three more people have obtained qualifying petitions for the March 5th DeKalb County Republican Primary including Danny Adamson for Constable-District 2, and Travis Bryant-Incumbent Constable-District 3.

Recently governor appointed judge Shawn Fry of Cookeville has also filed his petition in the six counties including DeKalb that make up the 13th Judicial District to seek a full eight-year term to the newly created criminal court judgeship.

Four others had already obtained petitions for the GOP Primary. Two of them plan to be in the race for Property Assessor including incumbent Shannon Cantrell and challenger Amy Clare Lockhart. Fourth district constable Lane Ball will be seeking a full four-year term as Constable in District 4 and Incumbent fifth district constable Mark Milam has picked up and returned his petition for re-election with the required number of signatures and he is now a qualified constable candidate for the primary.

Both the DeKalb County Republican and Democratic Parties will be holding primaries simultaneously on Tuesday, March 5th for the offices of Property Assessor, Constable (districts 1-7), and Board of Education (5th & 6th) districts along with the newly created position of criminal court judge-Part III in the 13th judicial district. The primaries will be held in conjunction with the Tennessee Presidential Preference Primary.

The qualifying deadline is Thursday, December 14 at 12 noon. The voter registration deadline for the March 5th primaries is February 5 and the early voting period will be Wednesday, February 14 through Tuesday, February 27. The Absentee ballot request deadline is Tuesday, February 27, 2024.

Independents wishing to run for Assessor of Property or Constable (districts 1-7), Board of Education (5th & 6th) districts, or for criminal court judge-Part III in the August 2024 County General Elections must also qualify by noon on Thursday, December 14.

Party nominees and independents for these offices will run in the DeKalb County General Election on Thursday, August 1, 2024 and those elected will take office September 1, 2024.

The incumbents in these offices are Assessor of Property Shannon Cantrell and Constables- 1st District: Waylon Kyle, 2nd District: Darrell Johnson, 3rd District: Travis Bryant, 4th District: Lane Ball, 5th District: Mark Milam, 6th District: Jason Brown, and 7th District: Johnny King.

The school board seats up for election in 2024 are currently held by Jamie Cripps in the 5th district and Jason Miller in the 6th district.

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