Upgrades To Come for Local Organizations

The Lewis County Board of Commissioners met in regular session Monday, October 16.

Chamber of Commerce Director Debbie Landers opened the meeting with prayer followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Highway Commissioner Kerry Cagle. Larry Pigg and Bradley Loveless were absent for the meeting, and there was no public input.

The first order of business was a presentation by Wes Dozier, a representative of Gallagher Insurance, regarding County Employee Insurance. With the current plan, the single coverage annual deductible is $6,800. The proposed plan, which is similar to the one City employees carry, will cost a little more, but the annual overall deductible will be reduced to only $3,000. “This is more about getting better coverage for your employees than it is saving a bunch of money,” said Dozier. The employees will be able to keep the same doctors and stay in the same network.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield plan is a Health Reimbursement Arrangement, which is an employer funded program where the employer (Lewis County Government) decides on the annual contribution amount. The contributions and benefits are tax-free and it reimburses eligible medical expenses tax-free. The County then has the option to allow the portion of unused HRA dollars to rollover to future years or to keep 100% as budget savings, and the rollover option can be used as a retiree benefit, including vesting schedule.

Commissioner Caleb Feichtinger made a motion to hold a special-called meeting on October 30th to address the insurance as well as the appointment of the school board member. All Commissioners agreed and will meet at 5:30 p.m. on October 30th.

Following the insurance discussion, the commission approved the report of the committee of the whole.

Mayor Keltner presented the report of the county mayor, and all accepted and adopted.

Debbie Landers followed by presenting the report of the director of the chamber of commerce. “I have been grant shopping a lot,” said Landers. “We are finding ways to be reimbursed for the dollars already spent.” The following grants have been applied for and granted:

Tennessee Tourism Marketing Grant for $9,765 to be spent in 2024. The Buffalo River Blueways Project was a large factor in receiving the grant.

ARP Grant of $100,000 to be spent over the next four years. “I am only a part-time employee of the chamber, and a grant of this magnitude will require full-time hands, so the Chamber has appointed Dr. Bridget Jones to the position which comes with a salary of up to $25,000.

Tennessee Launch Program Grant of $15,000 to be spent in December. “This will allow us to stick a flag here in Lewis County letting others know we focus on outdoor recreation with a “Bike and Hike” symposium. In December, we are bringing in four experts from North Carolina that are known for their expertise and ability in helping communities get their outdoor recreation tourism industry over the mark.

TATTY Grants for $10,000 were used to pay for the music and entertainment for Summerfest ($5k) and Octoberfest ($5k). “It helps us to bring in higher quality bands and musicians.”

“We also got a sign for Tootsie put downtown this year. It was a great deal, and I want to thank the City and everyone who worked together to put us on the Tennessee Music Trailways. We’ve never been there before. We are applying to have a couple more Lewis Countians to be put on that trail, and I’ll update as I hear back on those.”

She goes on to report, “our 2023 Welcome Center check-ins include folks from 25 Tennessee towns, 22 states, and 2 foreign countries. Also, due to the initial $10,000 investment into Nashville’s Big Back Yard, we are reaching an audience of 238 million people with 413 stations, and got an additional $20,000 from the State Department of Tourism for NBBY projects.”

Danny Atkinson followed with the Report of the EMA Director, and Dr. Tracy McAbee with the report of the Director of Schools.

Kerry Cagle, during the Report of the Highway Commissioner, reported that they just finished up the Napier Road project. A 2007 Dump Truck was surplused, Ulis Jackson Road was removed and closed at the land owner’s request, as well as Harris Road

City Vice Mayor Don Barber presented the report of the Park Board. All cameras in the park are operational and recording with some others ordered for additional security.

Crystal Nash showed a video during her report of the Public Library and Archives Director and commended the support from the Friends of the Library volunteer organization.

Dwayne Kilpatrick followed with the report of the Sheriff. He advised that due to the lack of a grinder pump ($150,000 cost), there have been plumbing issues which have caused pods to flood in the new jail.

After budget amendments, the Commission approved to designate Lewis County, Tennessee as a Broadband Ready Community. Because of this designation, the County is eligible and will apply for a $100,000 Broadband Ready Communities Grant from the State. This grant will be used toward broadband-ready projects. These include: updated equipment at the library, funding for the senior center for telehealth, partnering with the school system to get hotspots on the school buses so kids coming to and from schools, field trips and sports games are able to do homework and communicate while away from home. The grant requires no local match from Lewis County Government.