Nursing home repairs backed by commission

Bedford County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday night to approve a capital outlay note of up to $450,000 to pay for roof repairs to the county-owned building which houses Christian Care Center of Bedford County.

The county is working on an arrangement with Johnson City-based Care Centers Management Group, which leases the nursing home from the county, to repay the note at no cost to the taxpayers, according to County Mayor Eugene Ray. But the county must take the note in order for the county-owned building to secure it.

The note had not been on the commission's published agenda but was voted on after a rules suspension, a common practice used by the commission to consider last-minute business.

In other action Tuesday night:

* Commissioners approved leasing the county's radio towers to the Emergency Communications District (E-911), which will become responsible for their maintenance and upkeep. E-911, which is separate from the county's budget, derives its revenue from telephone surcharges, but there are legal limits to the use of those funds. E-911 is in a relatively strong financial position at the moment; leasing the towers allows E-911 to take the cost of tower maintenance, a legal use for E-911 funds, out of the county's operating budget, which has been running tight due to the bad economy's impact on tax revenues.

Tower maintenance had previously been under the Emergency Management Agency.

In a related action, the commission approved a surplus declaration for an old, disassembled radio tower which will be donated to the Town of Wartrace and used to mount a tornado siren.

* The commission approved a change to the wording of the financial policies and procedures manual to allow payments for previously-contracted items to be made without a purchase order.

* The commission approved two routine annual resolutions for the county highway department. One allows the department to apply for a state litter grant, while the other authorizes it to perform work for other government entities.

* The commission approved a resolution necessary for Shelbyville Housing Authority to receive a HOME Grant of $500,000 from Tennessee Housing Development Agency.

The commission also heard quarterly activity reports from various county department heads