County Approves Funding for Construction of New Elementary School (View Video Here)

February 25, 2025
By: Dwayne Page

The wait is over!

After 67 years at the current location, Smithville Elementary, the oldest school building at its core in the county, will be getting a new home on property adjacent to Northside Elementary School.

During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting the county commission voted 12-1 to adopt a detailed bond resolution not to exceed $55 million to fund construction of a new 800 student Pre-K to 2nd grade elementary school. The term of the bond is for up to 30 years. The projected cost to build the new 124,207 square foot facility at the latest estimate is $53,414,825.

The new school will be funded only by revenues from local option sales tax money (local purpose/sinking fund) designated for school construction and operation. There will be no need for a property tax increase because the county will not be allocating any property tax money to fund it.

Commissioners voting for the bond resolution were Daniel Cripps, Myron Rhody, Tony Luna, Brandon Donnell, Tony (Cully) Culwell, Greg Matthews, Larry Green, Glynn Merriman, Jeff Barnes, Andy Pack, Beth Pafford, and Mathias Anderson. Tom Chandler voted against it. Sabrina Farler was absent.

Commissioner Chandler gave his reasons for not supporting the new school project.

“Lord knows this is a touchy subject. Let me first acknowledge that the school board has a responsibility to find what school should be built and when and how they should be maintained. But I also acknowledge that the county commission has a fiduciary responsibility to determine not just whether the funds are available to fund the school board’s plans but to also determine if those funds will be spent in the best interest of the county. So I exercise my fiduciary responsibility as a member of this commission to say that I do not think this plan is in the best interest of the county. I do not believe the current enrollment data nor the 10-year growth history in our schools warrants this particular plan of action at least as a first priority,” said Commissioner Chandler.

“I also believe the school board has willingly withheld maintenance and upgrades for Smithville Elementary that would have extended its life because they were determined to build a new elementary school no matter what. On multiple occasions I have said that I would vote for a comprehensive 30-year plan that included a new elementary school if that plan included a broader plan for repairs and upgrades to the middle school and the high school. This is not that plan. This is the same ole tired plan to build a new elementary school. I remind this commission that this school could have been built in 15 years and at a lower cost if the school board had coughed up $2 million 18 months ago,” Chandler continued. “However, I applaud the school board for their plan to build walls around some of the classrooms in the middle school. But you should ask yourselves. Why do we have classrooms with no walls? Open concept learning was bs 50 years ago and its bs today. No, we have classrooms with no walls because it was cheaper than building a real elementary school. It’s the same reason why we have a dormitory instead of a real jail,” said Chandler.

“For decades the infrastructure of this county has been addressed with financially low ball and shortsighted solutions and the public has been willingly led down that primrose path not because it made any sense but because they just didn’t want to pay higher taxes. The piper is at the door, and she is here not just about our schools but also about the courthouse, the jail, the community centers, the roads, the fire department, EMS, the list goes on. Stop and ponder this for a minute. Every child in kindergarten in DeKalb County today will have graduated from high school and for some of them their children will have graduated from high school before this school is paid for. At that point the high school will be 90 years old and the middle school will be 80 years old. That is not going to be an enticement for parents to put their children in DeKalb County Schools. Don’t you think we should have some idea of what the plan is for those schools and what it will cost before we continue down this primrose path” asked Chandler.

While the new school project has been set in motion, it still may take months for development to begin and perhaps as long as a year or more before the new school is ready to open.

“I talked to our architect today and we will get the topographical study done first and then we will go from there. It may take three months or so to get that completed because it is an extensive study. They will be doing core drilling and things of that nature on the property. Its not like building your house but we are excited to get started,” said Director of Schools Patrick Cripps.

The existing Smithville Elementary School, originally built in 1958, is 70,557 square feet in size (including additions over the years), and had an enrollment of 534 students as of August 2024. As far back as 2017, a facilities study by Upland Design Group, concluded that the school, which has mold and other concerns, should be replaced and repurposed for other uses.

According to Upland, the school board’s architect, the new Pre-K to 2nd grade Smithville Elementary School will be 124,207 square feet in size and will be designed to accommodate 800 students with room for future expansion to house up to 300 additional students (1,100) total. The school will be built with 11 classrooms for each grade level of kindergarten, first, and second grade (33 classrooms for 20 students each) along with seven Pre-K classrooms for 20 students each plus four CDC/SPED classrooms as needed. The future expansion will accommodate 15 new classrooms at 20 students each. There will be 189 parking spaces on the campus.

February 25, 2025
By: Dwayne Page

Leaving well enough alone!

The county commission Monday night during its regular monthly meeting rejected a proposal to amend the rules for public comments at the formal monthly county commission meetings effective July 1, 2025.

The proposed changes were recommended by members of the government services committee made up of Chairman Sabrina Farler, Larry Green (Secretary), Greg Matthews, Daniel Cripps (Vice Chair), and Tom Chandler.

Currently and going forward during formal monthly county commission meetings, any member of the public wishing to address the chairman of the county commission is given three minutes to speak on any topic at the beginning of the meetings. The speaker must give his or her name, address or their district of residence.

Had the policy been changed, members of the public wishing to speak at the formal monthly meetings would have been required to first sign up 30 minutes prior to the meetings. Once the meetings began, signees would have then been allowed to address the chair for up to three minutes but only on agenda items after giving their name, address and or district of residence. Also, before public comments the chairman would have been required to read aloud the previously established and standing rules which include that citizens are not permitted to call names, question the integrity or motive of any individual or make personal or derogatory comments.

There will also be no change in the public comment policy regarding workshops or committee meetings. Currently and going forward, any member of the public wishing to address the chair during a workshop or committee meeting is given three minutes at the end of the meeting for public comments and may speak on any issue without having to sign up.

During the public comments period Monday night, Sammie Maxwell addressed the chair and commission. “I am always a proponent of civility and decorum at meetings. If efficiency and better business is your goal that is wonderful. That’s good. If your goal is to silence someone that is not good. A hallmark of democracy is our freedom of speech to let our representatives know our opinions and thoughts. What I want to suggest is for you to consider an additional meeting, something like a public forum to let people feel that they have a say so,” said Maxwell.

Commissioner Myron Rhody argued against changing the current public comments policy. “We shouldn’t restrict the public from speaking about other concerns other than what’s on the agenda,” said Rhody. “They may have something that’s popped up within the last day or two they need to talk about. I don’t go along with all these changes. I do think it needs to be done in an orderly manner, but I am going to be in favor of leaving it like it is. After all we do work for them (public). They elected us to be their representatives,” said Commissioner Rhody.

As part of the proposed changes, the public would have been prohibited from applauding or making any unnecessary noise during the public comments period. Commissioner Beth Pafford said there was no need to make the rules so restrictive.

“I don’t believe telling people they can’t clap and being restrictive (to speaking only) to the agenda. There are not public forums where people can just talk and even here (county commission meetings) they (public) can’t ask questions and at all (meetings) except for one incident (public) has been very respectful when they have come up here to talk. I have concerns about passing these restrictions at this time because that’s what they look like. An attempt to restrict the public’s voice rather than to bring order to the meeting,” said Pafford.

Commissioner Tom Chandler made a motion to adopt the proposed amendments to the policies and procedures including the public comment rules as recommended by the government services committee. Commissioner Larry Green offered a second to the motion. Before the vote, Commissioner Beth Pafford moved to amend Chandler’s motion by excluding the proposal on “public comments” and her amendment was approved 9-4. In addition to Pafford, commissioners voting for the amendment were Myron Rhody, Greg Matthews, Andy Pack, Mathias Anderson, Glynn Merriman, Brandon Donnell, Jeff Barnes, and Tony Culwell. Commissioners opposed to Pafford’s amendment were Tom Chandler, Tony Luna, Larry Green, and Daniel Cripps. Sabrina Farler was absent.

The commission then voted on the motion as amended to basically leave the current public comments policy as it is with no changes. The vote was 11-2 in favor meeting the two thirds majority requirement for passage in this case. Only Chandler and Luna voted against it.

Amendments to the policies and procedures which were approved by a two thirds majority of the commission as recommended by the government services committee included a provision to change the term “committee of the whole” to “workshops” referring to meetings of the full county commission in a workshop or informative session. Also approved was an amendment to the policy that would prohibit the chairman of any standing committee to make a motion or a second to a motion.

February 24, 2025
By: Dwayne Page

A man already in trouble with the law has more problems after being caught with illegal drugs while trying to evade arrest.

38-year-old Justin Murphy of Smithville is charged with violation of an order of protection, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a schedule I drug, possession of a schedule II drug, possession of a schedule III drug (2 counts), and possession of a schedule V drug.

Smithville Police Chief Mark Collins said that police were summoned to Highland Drive on February 20 due to a man there in violation of an order of protection. While enroute central dispatch confirmed that the man, Murphy was under an active order of protection. Upon arrival officers found Murphy inside the home but he fled out the back door. As he tried to get away, Murphy pulled items from his pockets and threw them on the ground. Those items were later identified as illegal drugs and paraphernalia. Police immediately intercepted Murphy and took him in custody. His bond was set at $24,500 and he will be in court March 6.

42-year-old Hollie Michels of Lebanon is charged with violation of bond conditions (2 counts) and violation of conditional release.

Chief Collins said that on February 17 police were summoned to a disturbance complaint on Jennings Lane and upon arrival found Michels at the home. Officers confirmed through central dispatch that Michels had previously been arrested for domestic assault and had been placed under a no contact with the victim order at this residence on Jennings Lane. Michels was placed in custody and bond was set at $3,500. Her court date is March 6.

The following day, February 18, while conducting extra patrols on Jennings Lane, police spotted Michels’ vehicle in the driveway of the victim. Michels was found inside the victim’s home in violation of the no contact order and was placed in custody. Her bond for this offense is $7,500 and she is to appear in court on this charge March 6.

Later the same day, February 18, officers were summoned to a domestic complaint on North Congress Boulevard involving persons in two vehicles. Upon arrival police found Michels and the victim. According to officers, the victim reported that Michels, while on conditional release, had been following him in her vehicle almost causing a wreck. There was no physical evidence of assault, but Michels was again placed in custody. Her court date for this offense is March 6.

31-year-old Edwin Ordonez Figueroa is charged with driving under the influence and cited for violation of the light law, financial responsibility, and driving on roadways laned for traffic. Chief Collins said that on January 30 a night officer spotted a vehicle traveling in the middle of two lanes on West Broad Street with its lights off. After stopping the automobile and speaking with the driver, Figueroa the officer noticed that he showed signs of impairment. Figueroa submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. He admitted to drinking beer. Figueroa was placed in custody. His bond was set at $1,500.

19-year-old Carly Pewitt of Smithville is cited for assault. Chief Collins said that on February 3 police were summoned to Highland Drive due to a disturbance and upon arrival witnessed Pewitt strike another person. There were no injuries. Her court date is February 20.

47-year-old Tommy Jones of Fayetteville is charged with simple possession of a schedule II drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, and he was cited for violation of the light law and an expired license.

Chief Collins said that on February 4 an officer pulled over a vehicle on West Broad Street for a light law violation and spoke to the driver, Jones. The officer noticed that Jones seemed nervous. After learning that Jones had previous drug charges a K-9 unit was deployed and the dog alerted on the vehicle. A bag containing 4.3 grams of a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine, a grinder with a green leafy residue and a cut straw with residue were found in the automobile. Jones was placed in custody. His bond is $6,000 and he will be in court on February 20.

59-year-old Edward Caldwell of Smithville is cited for violation of registration, financial responsibility, and simple possession of a schedule VI drug. 47-year-old Amanda Knowles of Smithville was also cited for simple possession of a schedule VI drug. Chief Collins said that on February 4 police pulled over a vehicle on North Congress Boulevard for violation of registration. During the investigation, Caldwell was found to be in possession of a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana and Knowles had a green leafy substance also thought to be marijuana. Their court date is February 20.

21-year-old Kenneth Dodd of McMinnville is charged with public intoxication. Chief Collins said that on February 6 an officer was called to South Mountain Street where a man, believed to be confused, was spotted in the middle of the road. Upon arrival the officer found the man, Dodd and spoke with him. Dodd seemed to be impaired, and he admitted that he had been drinking. Dodd was taken into custody. His bond is $5,000 and he will be in court February 20.

23-year-old Cabrera Palomec of Smithville is charged with DUI and cited for speeding, driving on roadways laned for traffic, unlicensed driver, financial responsibility, and open container. Chief Collins said that on February 10 an officer pulled over a vehicle on East Broad Street for speeding and failure to maintain its lane of travel. The officer noticed that the driver, Palomec seemed to be impaired. He admitted to drinking but refused to submit to field sobriety tasks. Several open containers of beer were found in the automobile. Palomec was placed in custody. His bond was set at $2,500 and he will be in court February 27.

49-year-old Anthony Lewis of McMinnville is charged with a second offense of driving under the influence and cited for driving on roadways laned for traffic and implied consent. Chief Collins said that on February 19 police pulled over a vehicle on Congress Boulevard for failure to maintain lane of travel and spoke with the driver, Lewis. According to the officer, Lewis appeared to be impaired. He submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. Lewis was placed in custody. His bond is $6,500 and he will be in court March 6.

42-year-old Amber Rice of Smithville is charged with DUI and implied consent. Chief Collins said that on February 19 an officer responded to Taco Bell where a woman was spotted passed out in a vehicle. Upon arrival he found the woman, Rice passed out in the drivers’ side seat with the engine running. While speaking to her the officer noticed that she seemed to be impaired. Rice submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. She admitted to having used marijuana on a regular basis. Rice was placed in custody. Her bond was set at $2,500 and she will be in court March 6.

25-year-old Samuel Castillo of Smithville is charged with DUI and cited for no driver license and financial responsibility. Chief Collins said that on February 23 officers responded to an accident on East Broad Street. Upon arrival they spoke with the driver, Castillo who appeared to be impaired. Castillo admitted to having consumed several beers. Castillo submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. He was placed in custody. Bond was set at $2,000 and he will be in court March 13.

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