(UPDATED) Early Voting Sees DeKalb Countians Casting Ballots at Record Pace

October 19, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

In just four days, the early voting turnout in DeKalb County for the November 5th election has already eclipsed the entire number of votes cast in the August 1st elections.

Sample Ballot

From Wednesday through Saturday, October 16-19 the election commission reports that a total of 1,961 people has voted early. The turnout on Saturday was 323 including 314 in person and 9 by absentee. On Friday 530 voted including 521 in person and 9 by absentee. On Thursday, 465 cast ballots including 452 in person and 13 by absentee. And on Wednesday, 643 voted including 492 in person, 100 by absentee, and 51 at the nursing home/Webb House.

In the August 1 election, a total of 1,404 voted in DeKalb County including 700 on election day, 100 paper absentees, and 604 walk-in early voting. DeKalb County had 13,607 registered voters in August.

Early Voting continues through October 31.

In the Presidential election in 2020 a record number of voters turned out locally totaling 8,542 including 4,606 early voters, 511 absentees and 3,425 on election day. DeKalb County had 12,509 registered voters at that time.

On the ballot this year is the Presidential election as well as races for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives (District 6), Tennessee Senate (District 16), and Tennessee House of Representatives (District 40).

In DeKalb County, two referendums are on the ballot regarding a $50 wheel tax and the issuance of general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $65 million for a judicial center and jail.

In Smithville at the courthouse, early voting times will be as follows:

Mondays: 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Tuesdays: 12 noon until 6 p.m.
Wednesdays: 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Thursdays: 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Fridays: 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Saturdays: 9 a.m. until 12 noon

In Alexandria at the Sandlin Building on the Fairgrounds, early voting times will be as follows:

Tuesday, October 22: 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Tuesday, October 29: 12 noon until 6 p.m.

October 18, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Replacing a fire truck!

During Tuesday night’s meeting, the county budget committee voted 5-0 to recommend to the full county commission that $425,000 be allocated from the capital projects fund to purchase a demo fire truck for the fire department in order that one of the older trucks in the fleet can be used to replace a reserve truck, which has been out of service for two years.

County Fire Chief Donny Green had made this request of the budget committee earlier in the year and plans at that time were to fund a new fire truck from capital projects. But upon the advice of the county’s fiscal agent Steve Bates in May, the budget committee decided instead to use proceeds for this purchase from the proposed bond for the judicial center/jail project.

“You might want to consider taking some of these expenditures out of capital projects and adding them within the bond resolution in the event you don’t need all the money you are going to borrow for this judicial center,” said Bates. “I think we will earn enough interest income and to the extent you have some monies left over you might be able to pick up these costs without taking this (capital projects fund) into cash. You would leave the project description in the bond resolution broad enough to capture anything you would have had to deplete your cash for just as a back-up. If there should not be enough money left over, we could always come back and amend the budget and put it back into capital projects. The bond resolution project description can be for construction of the judicial center, county buildings, land acquisition, and emergency response vehicles,” said Bates.

However, due to uncertainties now about the bond issue because of the referendum and the need to expedite the purchase, the budget committee Tuesday night decided to ask the county commission for passage of a budget amendment in the amount of $425,000 for the fire truck from capital projects.

For several years, Chief Green has presented the county budget committee with a fleet replacement cycle plan in his budget presentations.

“The department has had a history of purchasing retired vehicles from other departments, but this has only been a temporary fix,” said Chief Green. “Without occasionally purchasing new apparatuses, the department could be facing having to replace several pieces of apparatuses in the aged fleet at once. Five of our 12 front line fire engines are over 20 years old and the reserve engine that is out of service is 37 years old. The department’s only vehicle rescue truck is 30 years old,” he said.

Green said the concern with the reserve truck is one example of why a replacement schedule is needed.

“Our reserve engine that we have right now has been out of service for two years,” explained Chief Green.

“It’s a 1987 truck that we got from Brentwood when Mike Foster was County Mayor and the manufacturer that built this truck has been out of business for 18 years. We cannot find parts for it now. When we had our last fleet apparatus check done that we do annually through a third-party company, they failed the truck and told us to not put it back on the road, so we don’t have a reserve truck,” said Chief Green.

“ISO (Insurance Services Office) gives us points in our insurance rating for having a reserve apparatus in our fleet, so we need to have a reserve truck. Operational wise, if I have any one of our 12 stations fire trucks go out of service without a reserve truck, I don’t have a spare to slide in and take care of that which happens frequently. Last year we had an engine go down and we were without it for about eight months and that station was without coverage. Its important to have a reserve truck especially for a fleet our size with 12 stations that covers 305 square miles. This demo fire truck will let us take one of our oldest apparatuses out of service, put it into reserve status, and get rid of the old reserve truck that is not working,” added Chief Green.

Even obtaining a demo truck could take time. “We can’t buy any kind of new truck for $425,000 and we’re going to be pressed even on availability of finding a demo truck because the build time is 18 months to 24 months which has driven the used market crazy because people are buying the best used truck that can find rather than wait on something new,” said Green.

October 17, 2024
By: Bill Conger

DeKalb West School wrapped up the first 9 weeks with many students taking home excellent report cards. Students who make all “A’s” are named to the Principal’s list while students earning “A/B’s” are added to the Honor Roll.

Making the Principal’s list from Mr. Dwayne Blair’s 8^th grade homeroom are the following Tori Harbaugh, Cryslan Cecil, Kaylee Womack, Caroline Neal, Mia Hall, and Bella Gonzalez. Students on the A/B Honor Roll are Adam Brown, Yesica Gonzalez, Javan Hefflin, Makenna Lomas, Joelle Cool, Kate Pistole, Logan Winfree, Levi Cripps, Kayla Checci, Jacob Johnson.

In Mrs. Mollie Bratten’s 8th grade class, Gabe Blair and Kaden Mullinax made the Principal’s list with All A’s. Named to the Honor Roll with A’s and B’s the first 9 weeks were Jeretzy Aguillar, Katelyn Fry, Halia McDaniel, Slade Bennett, Kylie Pierce, Jada Hale, and Isaac Scott.

The following DWS 7th grade students made the Principal’s list: Hailey Brown, Alyssa Cecil, Christian Cripps, Joshua Grabovac, Zane Griffith, Masen Hamlet, Hannah Harbaugh, Bentley Martin, Lucas Nokes, Charley Prichard, Levi Reynolds, Emily Roberts, Grady Thomason, and Preston Williams.

7th grade Honor Roll students are Maks Austin, John Micheal Byrd, Sophia Caraway, Billy Clark, Jackson Dunaway, Natalia Ferrell, Curtis Fox, Kayden Harbaugh, Bryce Harvey, Brayden Heflin, Landon Holmes, Brylee Key, Indra Lewis, Abram Maynard, Kayleigh Ramirez, Braxton Taylor, and Alex Vincent.

Mrs. Melissa Sliger’s 6th grade Principal’s list students are Leah Chittwood, Jace Davis, Holden Leiser, Zadah Miller, Karson Mullinax, Jaxson Murphy, Conner Robinson, and Turner Stanley. Her A/B Honor Roll students are Hayden Caraway, Tyler Clemons, Kynlee Griffith, Sylar Hickman, Ivy Melton, Derek Pinkston, Shayla Rebertus, Colton Saso-Varble, Kayla Sebolt, and Lexie South.

Mrs. Kaylee Curtis’s 6th grade Principal’s list students are Paisley Avera, Wyatt Bain, James Carter, Cash Hancock, Taelyn Cork, Sawyer Hendrix, Hailey Medrano, Bradi Turney, and Kensley Womack. Named to the Honor Roll are Jack Fakes, Zara Fox, Caison Grisham, Chase Groshong, Cainnan Humphrey, Luke Johnson, Bailey McDaniel, Karlee Pierce, and Isabella Scott.

Ms. Jeanna Caplinger’s Honor Roll includes Keiton Adams, Colby Dailey, Jonah King, Mary Moore, and Braylyn Rice. Named to the Principal’s List are the following: Maddison Baratta, Shaniya Bates, Katy Bowen, Jaritzy Camacho, Aniston Cox, Asher Desimone, Harper Hale, Maggie Hendrix, Riley Martin, Carson Maynard, Cammi Neal, Aler Organ, Mabry Organ, and Savannah Stanley.

Mrs. Rachel Desimone’s list for Honor Roll are: Waylon Ellis, Kalynn Lattimore, Wesleigh McBay,
Teigen Saso-Varble, and Emma Thomason. Principal’s List are Abram Bratten, Eden Donnell, Lila Driver, Annalyn Garrett, Noah Hall, Jordyn Janecke, Molly Reynolds, and Lileigh Smith.

Mrs. Cathleen Humphrey’s 4th grade Principal list students are Deacon Arnold, Josee Cripps, Axle Janecke, Everly Keith, Madilyn Kitts, Katie Jo Prichard, Andrew Savilla, and Ty Vickers. A/B Honor Roll includes Kaycie Avera, Kennedy Avera, Aliat Brown, Kayla Hamlet, Addyson Hatfield, Madison Moore, Annabelle Ray, Sydney Turner, and Gavin Tyree.

Mrs. Samantha Woodward’s 4th grade Principal list students are Paola Aguilar, Ripley Barnes, Jacob Blair, Claire Cripps, Vaylee Ellis, Jett Nokes, Marley Pyburn, and Auna-Leigh Starnes. A/B Honor Roll includes Bryer Dickson, Leyla Garza, Jameson Gleaves, Lyric Heflin, Cooper Robinson, and Joseph Stoner.

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