UPDATED! License Plate for Tennesseans with Disabilities to Have New Design (View Video Here)

January 5, 2023
By:

The motor vehicle passenger license plate for Tennesseans with disabilities will have a look and feel that’s like the blue standard license plate design that hit the roads last year.

The new design is consistent with Public Chapter 761, which calls for the design of license plates issued to people who are disabled or confined to wheelchairs to incorporate the color scheme, base design, and details used in last year’s blue standard license plate design. There are roughly 190,000 license plate registrations for people with disabilities.

“We understand the importance of inclusion,” Revenue Commissioner David Gerregano said. “We were happy to work with the bill sponsors and the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities on the new license plate design.”

“As the parents of a daughter with intellectual and developmental disabilities, my wife, Rebecca, and I are proud that Tennessee understands how important this is to families like ours,” DIDD Commissioner Brad Turner said. “I want to thank the bill sponsors, Commissioner Gerregano and his team for working together to design a plate that reflects Tennessee’s commitment to being the most inclusive state in the nation for people with disabilities and their families.”

“The newly designed plate for people with disabilities features the dynamic accessibility symbol replacing the stick figure first introduced in 1974. The new symbol reflects an active, engaged person in a wheelchair with the capability of participating in all that Tennessee has to offer her citizens,” House bill sponsor Representative Darren Jernigan said.

Tennesseans with the license plate for people with disabilities will receive their new blue plates at the time of their vehicle registration renewal in 2023. License plates are issued through local county clerk offices and can be renewed in person, online, or by mail. Motorists can visit www.tncountyclerk.com to renew online. If you choose not to renew in person, the renewal fee will include $5 for mailing.

For more information, visit https://www.tn.gov/revenue/title-andregistration/renewals/tn-with-disabilities-plate.html.

The Department of Revenue is responsible for the administration of state tax laws and motor vehicle title and registration laws and the collection of taxes and fees associated with those laws. The department collects around 87 percent of total state revenue. During the 2022 fiscal year, it collected nearly $20.9 billion in state taxes and fees and more than $4.3 billion in taxes and fees for local governments. To learn more about the department, visit www.tn.gov/revenue.

January 4, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Construction may soon begin on the new Liberty/Dowelltown Fire Hall now that the lease agreement has been approved and signed by leaders in the towns of Liberty and Dowelltown which jointly own the property where the new facility will be built.

During a meeting Wednesday night, members of the Dowelltown City Council approved a 99-year lease to the county for the entire 8.65-acre property formerly known as the old Liberty/Dowelltown Park off Highway 70 on West Main Street which is no longer in use. The Liberty Mayor and Aldermen signed off on the lease agreement during their meeting Monday night. Although the county commission has already allocated $382,912 in ARP funding for the project, it too must act on the lease agreement at the next commission meeting.

“We (county) are leasing the entire site under a 99-year lease for a dollar. The Liberty City Council passed it Monday night with no opposition. The lease was signed by Liberty Mayor Audrey Martin and notarized by Charlotte Bratten, their secretary. Tonight (Wednesday) the Dowelltown City Council adopted the lease and Vice Mayor Ron Griffith signed it in place of Mayor Pam Redmon, who has been in the hospital and was absent at the meeting. They too voted to approve it without opposition. We will now move on and get together with our engineer and see about getting the contract signed with Tim Pedigo who was awarded the bid to do the construction” said County Mayor Matt Adcock who attended both the Liberty and Dowelltown meetings. County Fire Chief Donny Green was at the Dowelltown meeting.

The new fire hall is expected to improve firefighting and EMS services in the western portion of the county. Under the plan the current Liberty Fire Hall located in downtown Liberty will be replaced by the new Liberty/Dowelltown Fire Hall and the new station will house a fire engine and a tanker truck. The fire hall could also serve as an EMS satellite station subject to the wishes of the county commission.

January 4, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

It’s been almost two years since officials of the Tennessee Corrections Institute paid a call on the former county commission to address the structural deficiencies with the DeKalb County Jail but a return visit is planned this month to bring the new commission up to date on the current condition of the facility and what TCI expects of the county to maintain jail certification.

Bob Bass, Deputy Director of the Tennessee Corrections Institute (TCI) along with Jim Hart of the County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) will meet with the County Mayor, County Commission, and Sheriff on Wednesday, January 18 at 6 p.m. in the lower courtroom of the courthouse.

Although the county will have to continue pursuing a long-term plan of action for addressing structural deficiencies, the state has continued to grant certification approval for the DeKalb County Jail and Annex. As part of that plan of action the sheriff must submit monthly progress reports to TCI and the county, at the request of TCI, commissioned CTAS to conduct a needs assessment or feasibility study of the jail.

In the fall of 2019, the county entered into a partnership with TCI and CTAS to develop a plan of action to show measurable progress in rectifying deficiencies to keep the jail and annex certified. Although no measurable progress had to be shown during the height of the COVID pandemic, Bass told the county commission on March 31, 2021 that the problems will eventually have to be solved.

“The particular standards you are in trouble with are physical plant. How the jail was built. It has nothing to do with what the sheriff’s department has done or the staff when it comes to operation. In fact its one of the cleanest jails I have been in. Even the part you shouldn’t be operating (the oldest building) is clean and well organized. You are not overcrowded. You just don’t meet TCI standards in some areas,” he said.

The oldest building, which has been in operation since 1959 and houses prisoners in its basement, poses perhaps the greatest concern.

“That basement has no natural light. You must have skylight. Windows that produce natural light. You must have an 8 foot ceiling height. Your basement ceiling is 7 feet, 6 inches. Its not sprinkled. Sprinklers are not part of our standards unless you are building a new facility but old facilities like yours are not grandfathered in and you have a cage down there which serves as a makeshift cell for trustees with a 12 inch gap on top of it. That is unauthorized housing. An inmate could come over that gap and have access to appliances, water heater, chemicals, etc,” said Bass.

The basement cells each have 10 beds but the square footage only exists for six inmates and while the cells have porcelain sinks and toilets the state requires they be stainless steel. The cells also have no floor drains and conduit is exposed.

Cells for females in another part of the jail have similar issues.

As for the jail annex, which has been in operation since 2001, there are 46 beds with adequate space for only 32 inmates.

According to Bass new and existing facilities must have at least a minimum size multiple-occupancy cell for 2-64 occupants with twenty-five (25) square feet of clear floor space for each occupant in the sleeping areas, and a ceiling elevation of not less than eight (8) feet. At least thirty-five (35) square feet of clear floor space must be provided for each occupant when the occupant is confined for more than ten (10) hours per day.

“We have identified what our problems are and must now figure out a way to come up with a solution. We’re here to help and we will get you through this. My suggestion is to start strategizing about what options you have. You can’t do anything about the basement in the old jail building. You will have to come out of that basement. It could be used for storage but not for housing inmates. Take a look at your growth and see how many beds you need which the feasibility study will address. We want to help you fix the problems but until we get them fixed I am going to fight to keep you certified. That’s my job. I will go in front of the board and plead your case,” said Bass.

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