DeKalb Courts and Sheriff’s Department Launch Video Arraignment System (VIEW VIDEO HERE)

May 2, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County Courts and Sheriff’s Department made history this week by launching a new video arraignment system. The first county in the seven county 13th judicial district to do so.

It was first used Wednesday in Criminal Court by Judge Gary McKenzie and Thursday in General Sessions Court by Judge Bratten Cook, II.

With the video arraignment system, a judge can have the formal reading of criminal charges to an incarcerated defendant without them being in the room. The inmates are beamed into the courtroom through video chat rather than physically being transported by deputies from the jail to the courthouse.

(VIDEO HERE SHOWS INMATE WILLIAM KENNETH PHILLIPS MAKING HIS FIRST GENERAL SESSIONS COURT APPEARANCE FROM THE JAIL THURSDAY ON CHARGES OF RAPE AND INCEST BY VIDEO CHAT WITH JUDGE BRATTEN COOK, II)

The total cost of purchasing and installing the camera equipment for LIVE video chat between the jail and in the general sessions and criminal courtrooms came to $39, 391 but the county applied for a grant through the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts and was funded at $35, 407 dollars with a 10% local match of $3,984.

The grant application was prepared by County Mayor Tim Stribling and former Circuit Court Clerk Katherine Pack and submitted several months ago.

Stribling said the video arraignment system still preserves the rights of due process for inmates without incurring the risks and expense of inmate transportation back and forth between the jailhouse and courtroom. It can also enhance safety and security in the courthouse.

“This video arraignment system is something Katherine Pack and I talked about getting for a couple of years. We applied for a grant in 2017 for bullet proof benches and panic buttons in both courtrooms. We received $17,000 for this upgrade and also courtroom security training. This brought our courtrooms up to minimum courtroom security standards thus allowing us to apply for the video arraignment system. The judges and Sheriff Patrick Ray were in favor of us applying for this grant. We are pleased and very fortunate to have received funds for this system. With only a 10% match, it lessens the financial burden on the county of installing a $39,000 system like this,” said County Mayor Stribling.

“I am very thankful for the video arraignment grant. Transporting inmates from the jail to the courthouse is very dangerous. It is a time that inmates may try to escape or try to pick up contraband and bring back into the jail. There are also safety concerns for the inmate. Someone may try to take out their anger on an inmate for the crime he or she has committed during this time. This is a safety concern for the jail staff also, “ said Sheriff Ray.

“We transport around 25 to 30 inmates on General Sessions court days and around 35 to 49 inmates on Criminal Court days. The video arraignment will cut down on transporting inmates for first time court arraignments also. We have to do inmate transports from other jails to the courts here in DeKalb County. We are hoping this system can be used instead of doing the transports. If a jail has a system like this, the inmate will remain in the county they are incarcerated at and the judge will be able to see them in the courtroom here in DeKalb and do their arraignment over the video system. This will save a lot of time and money and also free up sitting space in the courtrooms and bed space at the jail,” added Sheriff Ray.

Since defendants have a right to face their accusers, the video system cannot be used in every stage of the judicial process.

May 2, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

DeKalb County should pay its educators more and build new schools for them to teach in.

Dr. Scott Little shared that message Thursday during a noon luncheon hosted by Ascension Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital for the DeKalb County Retired Teachers Association.

Dr. Little, a local veterinarian and 4th district member of the county commission, said DeKalb County is losing quality teachers to other county school systems for better pay.

“We are losing a math teacher at the high school that any school system would be proud to get. He’s getting a $15,000 raise to go to Murfreesboro which is only a 20 minute drive from where he lives. If you talk to the five principals and the Director of Schools here they will tell you that our loss of teachers year by year is beginning to be a crisis. We’re losing quality teachers who have been with us for five to ten years and that affects education outcomes in DeKalb County. When our skilled teachers are able to take a job in the county next door for a $10,000 pay raise that’s a problem for us as a school board and county commission to address. We all know we need new schools and we’re 15 years behind building schools in DeKalb County but we need teachers to fill the schools we’re going to build. We have to take care of our teachers,” said Dr. Little.

To help make his point, Dr. Little passed out copies of average teacher salary comparisons by school systems and with the state. In DeKalb County, average teacher pay is $43,060 per year which is $3,369 below the state average and less than almost every county adjoining DeKalb.

As for new schools, Dr. Little briefed the retired teachers on the Board of Education’s proposal to build a new Pre-K to 2nd grade school on the campus of Northside Elementary to replace Smithville Elementary. While that school must be addressed first, Dr. Little said both the high school and middle school are old and overcrowded and will eventually need attention.

“These buildings are older and I’m not sure how much worse it needs to get before something is done but new schools are high on the agenda of the board of education and the new county commission. In fact we have 10 new commissioners out of the 14 on the county commission and the new commissioners believe that the overwhelming majority of that turnover in last year’s election was because of the issues with our schools. There is a strong feeling on the county commission that we need to work with the school board to get things done,” he said.

In order to make significant progress, Dr. Little said the county will need more revenue to pay for it. He cited statistics which show that while DeKalb County is 54th out of the 95 counties in the state for median household income, the local property tax rate of $1.83 per is almost the lowest in Tennessee ranked 93rd. And while nearly two thirds of the counties in Tennessee have a wheel tax, DeKalb County does not. As for school funding per pupil, DeKalb County also ranks near the bottom at 121st out of 135 districts. According to data provided by Dr. Little, DeKalb County contributes $8,394 per pupil, almost $2,000 below the state average and less than almost every adjoining county.

Dr. Little urged the retired teachers to get involved and let their feelings be known to the school board and county commission because they are respected and their opinions are valued.

“No profession has my respect more than teachers and there is no better place to be than in a room full of teachers. Teaching is in my family. My mother taught for many years as a substitute teacher. I have a daughter now who is a third grade teacher at Northside Elementary School so I know exactly what you are going through. I hear it every day. You have my admiration and hopefully you’ll get a lot more from some of your elected officials,” added Dr. Little

May 2, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Many DeKalb County land and business owners may see a change in their property assessments this year.

Assessor of Property Shannon Cantrell said “Change of Assessment” letters are being sent to those affected.

“Change of assessment letters are going out in May because the assessment on your property, whether it be real property or personal property, has either gone up or down. There has been a change so you will get a “change of assessment” notice,” Cantrell said.

If you don’t agree with your property assessments, Cantrell said you should not wait until you get your tax bill in the fall to try and do something about it. The time to raise concerns is when the DeKalb County Board of Equalization meets in June. Cantrell will be taking appointments for those appeals starting May 20. The Board of Equalization will meet starting Monday, June 3 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. in the conference room of the Assessor of Property Office at the county complex building.

“Remember once the county board has met then you can no longer appeal locally for the 2019 taxes. I think that’s what catches a lot of people by surprise. They get their tax notice October 1 and that’s what really gets their attention if their taxes have gone up. Then they want to appeal it. But by that time the appeal for 2019 has already passed. We’re in the appeal season now,” said Cantrell.

“What is important to remember is that the county board of equalization normally meets the first week in June and if you would like to appeal your assessment now is the time to do that. Beginning May 20 call our office and make an appointment to meet with the county board of equalization to discuss the assessment on your appraisal,” Cantrell continued.

“It doesn’t have to be that you had a change of assessment this spring. Maybe nothing changed from last year but maybe you weren’t pleased with your assessment last year. Anybody can come and see the county board of equalization,” Cantrell added.

The county commission recently appointed Russell Watson, Jimmy Midgett, Doyle Evans, Joel Hooker, and Jim Davies to serve on the five member board and Jimmy Goad will be an alternate.

County equalization boards across the state are to meet each year on June 1 (or the next business day if the 1st falls on Saturday or Sunday). The county board is authorized by law to receive and hear appeals of current year property tax assessments as fixed by the county assessor of property. Generally an assessment must be appealed to the county board of equalization to preserve the taxpayer’s right to further appeal.

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