County attorney John T. Bobo has recommended that Bedford County Nursing Home have a five-member board which would meet quarterly instead of monthly, according to discussion at Tuesday's meeting of Bedford County Board of Commissioners' rules and legislative committee.

Bobo presented proposed bylaws for the nursing home. The bylaws are based on those that governed the combined hospital and nursing home before the county sold Bedford County Medical Center to a hospital chain. Bobo went through and struck out provisions which were specific to the hospital. He also struck out a controversial clause in the old hospital bylaws which provided for some issues to be decided outside of regular meetings by a written poll of the board members.

Use of such a poll would probably be in violation of the Tennessee Open Meetings Act.

In addition to its five voting members, the board would be chaired by the county mayor, just as the hospital board had been. The voting members could be county commissioners but would not have to be.

The committee deferred action on Bobo's recommendations so that they could be studied for a month. In the meantime, the commission is serving as the facility's interim board.

Committee member Frank Butler said that instead of drawing up new bylaws, the county needs to draw up a request for proposals and sell the nursing home just as it sold the hospital.

"My personal feeling all along is that we need to get out of the business completely," said Butler.

Bobo said that there is no legal issue which would prevent the hospital from selling the nursing home. From a business standpoint, he said, it might be better for the nursing home to rack up a few months of independent operation, so that potential buyers can judge its worth.

Butler said the availability of the former Harris Middle School building for county offices makes it less important for the county to hold on to the hospital building.

Nursing home administrator Wayne Schumann said it's possible that BCNH could turn the old hospital space into assisted living or senior citizen housing apartments. Schumann said there is federal grant money for such use which is available to governments or non-profits but not to for-profit companies.

In other discussion, the committee placed second reading on a county road extension on the full commission's August agenda. The commission voted this month on first reading to add .25 miles to Pleasant Way Lane for county maintenance.

Committee member P.T. "Biff" Farrar said he is bothered by his colleagues taking cell phone calls during meetings. Farrar said he's not sure what can be done about the problem but wanted to make his position known.