Concerned citizens referred to SWA

At the end of the Bedford County Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday night, County Mayor Eugene Ray acknowledged the presence of citizens in the crowd wishing to address the commission.

But the issue was not on the agenda, and Ray announced that it would take 10 commissioners to vote for a rules suspension to discuss any new issue.

The nature of the issue was not voiced at the meeting. No commissioner made a motion to hear the issue, and the meeting was adjourned.

The citizens, who Ray said Wednesday are concerned about a tank near U.S. 41-A (New Tullahoma Highway) for holding agricultural sludge, and the spreading of such sludge on farm land, were directed to the Solid Waste Authority board, which will meet at 5 p.m. today at the courthouse.

Property values

Bedford County Property Assessor Ronda Clanton told the board that while local real estate sales are slow, when property does sell it's selling at prices higher than 2006 appraised values.

Clanton said that the reappraisal process only takes into account normal real estate sales. Foreclosures and auctions are considered "distress sales" and are not used by the county to determine appraisal values. The next county-wide reappraisal will be in 2011.

"Hopefully," said Clanton, "things will level out by that time."

Tuesday night's commission meeting was quite brief and relatively uneventful as commissioners prepare for the budget process in the coming weeks. The commission will need to meet again before the end of the month, either to approve a new budget or to pass a "continuing resolution" allowing county departments to continue to operate at 2008-09 spending levels until a budget is in place. The new fiscal year will begin July 1.

Zoning changes

The commission approved two zoning changes on U.S. 41-A in Unionville; both were requested by Jamie Garrett and both were from A-1 (agriculture) to C-2 (commercial). One parcel is the current location of the Hen House Restaurant, the other the current location of Garrett's Automotive.

A public hearing was held on each change prior to the commission meeting, but no one asked to speak at either hearing. The re-zonings were passed by voice vote.

Resolutions

The commission approved three annual resolutions requested by the highway department:

• A resolution allowing the department to apply for a state litter grant;
• A resolution allowing the department to allocate $7,000 to the Senior Citizens Center for local all-ages public transit;
• A resolution allowing the department to do work for other governmental entities.

The commission also approved a resolution allowing Highway Superintendent Stanley Smotherman to submit an application for a state waste tire grant for Bedford County Solid Waste Authority.

Library board

The commission approved two appointments to the Shelbyville & Bedford County Library Board. Fred Hunt will succeed Barry Cooper, and Lynn Hulan was reappointed to her current seat.