
News
September 27, 2021
By: Dwayne Page
It may take a while yet before a new outdoor self-service kiosk is provided at the county clerk’s office for 24/7 vehicle registration renewals.
During Monday night’s monthly meeting, County Clerk James L. (Jimmy) Poss at first asked the county commission to approve the expenditure of $26,000 from federal American Rescue Plan ACT funds to purchase a kiosk to be placed on the sidewalk outside his office at the county complex where citizens may renew their standard registration anytime. But sensing that members of the commission wanted more time to consider it, Poss withdrew his request from the agenda
“I have asked for your consideration. I think it’s a great thing for the community. If you want more time to look at it I am good with withdrawing it from the agenda. This is for the people. This is for the convenience of the service of what I am trying to give the people,” said Poss.
Unlike the Kiosk inside his office, which was provided by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security and offers a variety of services, the user friendly outdoor kiosk would only provide registration renewals for eligible vehicles. The kiosk would allow individuals to renew by scanning their current vehicle registration or state renewal notice and remitting payment by debit or credit card. A registration card, with the expiration year decal attached would be printed from the kiosk at the end of the transaction.
Poss said the Kiosk could be accessed anytime including after business hours, day or night, weekends, and holidays. It would be centrally located in the county for most residents and sheltered underneath the covered sidewalk outside the county clerk office with electricity, internet, lighting and security already available. Although the purchase of the kiosk qualifies under the ARP Act, Poss said the county would have to pay a $5,000 fee each year for maintenance but that the benefit to the public would outweigh the costs.
“This kiosk is the latest and most updated technology that our software provider can offer. You can walk up to it seven days a week, 24 hours a day, scan your renewal card, put your debit or credit card in and receive your physical paper with your sticker and walk off,” said Poss.
While the Kiosk would be helpful to the public, Poss said it would not affect the workload of his office. “We provide up to 18 different services so it would not take any work load off us by no means”.
“If it’s not going to take any work load off you why then should we shell out $5,000 for a machine,” asked Fifth district commissioner Jerry Adcock.
Seventh district commissioner Bruce Malone moved to table Poss’s request until a workshop is held to determine if it is eligible under the ARP ACT. “ I would like to have our workshop first and see this in writing,” said Malone.
Commissioner Jerry Adcock offered a second to the motion.
Poss said the state comptroller has already approved it (purchase of a kiosk) as acceptable and other counties already have them. County Mayor Tim Stribling said that he too had checked and found that the purchase qualifies under the ARP Act funding guidelines.
Still other commissioners wanted more time to consider it.
“I greatly appreciate Mr. Poss bringing this to us. He is always looking for ways to make things convenient for the people of DeKalb County but because it will add $5,000 to the budget, I would like some time to consider that,” said Seventh district commissioner Beth Pafford.
Although the vote to table Poss’s request had six “yes” and five “no” votes, it failed to receive the eight votes needed to table it. Three members of the commission were absent Monday night.
“I hate we are having to make a decision right now when I feel most of us are in favor of this. We just want to make sure how the American Rescue Plan will work with this. We just need more time to make sure how the $5,000 yearly will play a part of our budget and line items,” said Fifth district commissioner Anita Puckett.
After Fourth district commissioner Janice Fish-Stewart asked if a motion could be made to adopt it pending approval of the American Rescue Plan money, Poss announced that he was withdrawing from the agenda his request for the kiosk.
County Mayor Stribling said Mark Farley, Executive Director of the Upper Cumberland Development District will meet with the county commission in a workshop on Tuesday, October 19 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss in general terms how the ARP ACT funds might be spent. “ We don’t have a final ruling yet from the federal government. Most of it has to do with COVID regarding separation of duties and people. That’s why this kiosk is an approved item but Mr. Farley will be here that night to answer questions and possibly give a slide presentation,” said Stribling.
County Commission Adopts Redistricting Plan
September 27, 2021
By: Dwayne Page
It’s a done deal!
The DeKalb County Redistricting plan, as recommended by the redistricting committee, was formally adopted by the county commission during Monday night’s regular monthly meeting.
Dennis Stanley, Administrator of Elections who served as chairman of the redistricting committee presented the recommendation to the commission. “It is my hope and desire that you pass this plan tonight” he said.
All commissioners in attendance voted in favor.
Only four districts and 264 people in DeKalb County will be affected by the redistricting plan which was prepared and proposed by John Thomas, GIS specialist with the Tennessee Comptroller’s office and recommended by the redistricting committee during a meeting on September 7.
The law requires that counties undergo redistricting every ten years following the US census count to ensure that each district is equally populated or as close to equal as possible. The overall deviation from the optimum population cannot be more than 10%. In DeKalb County’s case, the overall deviation based on the 2020 Census was 11% so minor shifts in population were made to comply with the law. By simply moving 158 people from District 3 to District 2 and shifting 106 residents from District 5 to District 6, the redistricting committee achieved its goal and brought the overall deviation down to 7.5%.
DeKalb County’s total population based on the 2020 Census is 20,080.
The following is a breakdown of the total population in each of the seven districts in the county and the deviation from the optimum in each. The optimum is the total population of 20,080 divided by 7 or almost 2,869 people per district:
District 1: Total Population- 2,860 (-9 people or 0% deviation from optimum)
District 2: Total Population- 2,691 (-178 people or -6% deviation)
District 3: Total Population- 2,992 (+123 people or 4% deviation)
District 4: Total Population- 2,948 (+79 people or 3% deviation)
District 5: Total Population- 2,945 (+76 people or 3% deviation)
District 6: Total Population-2,663 (-206 people or -7% deviation)
District 7: Total Population 2,981 (+112 people or 4% deviation)
During the September 7 redistricting committee meeting, Thomas explained that by law population shifts under redistricting must be done in census blocks which are statistical areas bounded by visible features such as roads and streams. Thomas further defined the boundaries in the districts where the population shifts would be made under this plan.
“We propose to move 158 people from District 3 to District 2. This area is bounded on the northeast by State Route 83; on the north by Vickers Hollow Road; on the southeast by Short Mountain Road; and on the southwest by Lee Braswell Road,” said Thomas.
“We also propose moving 106 people from District 5 to District 6. This area is bounded on the north by Turner Road; on the west by Jacobs Pillar Road; on the south by Cappy Springs Branch; and on the east by McMinnville Highway,” Thomas added.
Now that the county commission has adopted the redistricting plan, the election commission will go to work setting voting precincts and updating voter rolls in time for the 2022 elections.
Stribling Re-Elected Chairman of County Commission
September 27, 2021
By: Dwayne Page
County Mayor Tim Stribling was re-elected Chairman of the County Commission Monday night.
Sixth district member Jeff Barnes moved that Stribling be re-elected chairman. Second district member Sabrina Farler offered a second to the motion. Prior to that Seventh district commissioner Bruce Malone made a motion to name Sixth district commissioner Matt Adcock as chairman. Malone’s motion did not receive a second.
All members in attendance at the time voted in favor of Stribling except for Malone.
Sixth district member Jeff Barnes, the longest serving member of the commission at 19 years, was re-elected chairman pro temp. Fifth district commissioner Anita Puckett moved that Barnes be re-elected and commissioner Farler offered a second to the motion. All members in attendance voted for Barnes as Chairman Pro Temp.
The County Commission reorganizes each September naming a chairman and chairman pro temp to serve for the ensuing 12 months
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