Political stories for Southern Middle Tennessee.
My name is Luke Cameron and it is a privilege to be a candidate for Coffee County mayor in 2022. Coffee County is a terrific place to live because of its great people—people in Manchester, Tullahoma, Hillsboro, Beechgrove, Summitville, Lakewood Park, New Union. It is an honor to live in the United States of America, in Tennessee, and also in Coffee County. As …
Tennessee’s 95 counties are expected to undergo redistricting once they’ve received 2020 Census county-level population data this fall, and civic groups across the state say public interest in the redistricting process is increasing. Yurij Rudensky, redistricting counsel for the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, said state lawmakers call the shots on how …
TN Civic Groups Expect Increased Public Input on Redistricting Read More »
The city of Decherd has appointed interim Police and Fire Chiefs following the resignation of Public Safety Director Ross Peterson last week. According to City Administrator Rex Clark Kenneth Griffin has been named interim Police Chief and Charles Williams is the interim Fire Chief. Clark added the Board of Mayor and Alderman will consider whether …
The Board of Mayor and Alderman in the City of Decherd has announced a special called meeting for Thursday to discuss whether to fire Safety Director (Police and Fire Chief) Ross Peterson. Some city leaders are questioning the way Peterson handled the hiring of former Decherd police officer Mathew Ward. Some say the chief did …
City of Decherd Safety Director’s Job on the line during upcoming Thursday Meeting Read More »
The Coffee County Budget and Finance Committee in asking for clarification on the request for proposal process for employee insurance, heard from the Sequoya Group that the rising costs of insurance was in part due to excessive medical loss ratios. The group told the committee that an unnamed department or departments head had enrolled 11 …
At Tuesday night’s special called year-end budget meeting, Bedford County Board of Commissioners approved budgets and tax rates for the new fiscal year that begins July 1. The county property tax rate will be $1.9652 per $100 assessed value, which the state says is the same as last year’s $2.66 tax rate when you factor …
Bedford County Commissioners Pass Tax Rate Without Increase Read More »
In a special called meeting Monday, the City of Manchester Finance committee recommended closing the Manchester Coffee County Conference Center due to its inability to operate within budget. Vice Mayor Mark Messick said, “I make a motion that we shut the doors and sell it.” Chairman of finance, Bob Bellamy quickly seconded. In the vote, …
Tennessee advocates say the state has an opportunity to increase funding for home-and community-based care, arguing that the relief will help provide critical support to the elderly, disabled and their families. Under the latest COVID-19 relief law, Tennessee is eligible to receive a $157 million increase in its federal matching Medicaid funds for long-term care …
Franklin County Mayor David Alexander announced on Tuesday that he will not seek re-election in 2022. He has been serving as county mayor since 2018. Alexander told the Herald Chronicle that he will soon be 70 years old, and he and wife want to take more time to enjoy life.
Governor Bill Lee Lee on Monday signed his criminal justice reform bill. The first bill is called the Alternatives to Incarceration Act. The bill replaces the Tennessee Community Act of 1985 and helps local governments look for community-based alternatives to prison. It also puts caps on the duration of probation and stops a judge from …
