Smith County Mayor Jeff Mason will be submitting a written version of his mayor’s report from each county commission meeting beginning this month. You can follow Mayor Mason on Facebook and see reports on the Smith County Government’s website at https://smithcotn.com. You may also view the full January Commission meeting here.

Opening Remarks

First, I want to send a ‘thank you’ out to Michael Railing and his staff at the Smith County Health Department. They have worked long and hard to provide Covid-19 testing and now administering vaccines. During a recent meeting, I heard many other mayors across the state address issues with their own county’s testing and vaccine administration. I am now more convinced our Smith County Health Department is doing a great job with the process and the logistics of the vaccine. It has not been an easy 10 months, but they have performed well.

Secondly, I want to send a ‘thank you’ out to Daisy Denton, Director of Budgets and Accounts. Daisy works hard to keep the books balanced and keeping the county commission informed on the financial standing of the county. I struggle sometimes with the lack of common sense usage in government processes. She always has good info and facts as to why certain things have to be done certain ways. I appreciate her for the job she does.

Governors One Time Money for County Governments

Smith County received $826,000 in one-time money from the state of Tennessee. We worked with Departments to meet needs that were not funded in the past due to budget and hierarchical restraints.

We have purchased two roadway tractors with sidearm bush hogs to keep our right of ways clear. They were delivered early fall and are currently being used across the county.

We purchased a new oil distributor and truck for the highway department. The distributor they had was over 30 years old. It has been delivered and Steve Coble is building a fund for rock and oil to be used when the weather breaks in the spring.

We purchased a new tanker truck for Central District Fire Department to replace the old unit in which the tank was beginning to rust. The new tanker has a poly 2000-gallon tank that should serve the county for many years to come.

We purchase AED kits for sheriff’s patrol cars that did not have one. These life-saving devices are now in every car and do not have to be swapped out at shift change.

We allotted fifteen thousand dollars to the rescue squad for upgrading and purchasing new rescue equipment.

The remaining balance of just a little less than fifty thousand will go to building repairs and upgrades.

Thank you goes to the commission for approving and trusting us to spend the money on needs.

County Bond Restructuring

We completed a bond-restructuring sale in December. This sale and restructuring saved the county $1.5 million in interest charges and reduced the length of debt payments. Thank you to the county commission for allowing us to get this done.

Sale of the Baker Property

The proposed sale of the Baker Property to DeCleMac Holdings is not moving forward. At the second reading of the Gordonsville City Council, the motion to rezone the property from I-1 to I-2 did not receive a second. The request had passed unanimously through the Gordonsville Planning Commission and first reading of the city council. DeCleMac Holdings decided to build their ammunition primer manufacturing, penicillin fermentation distillery and sensor production facilities in Power Com Industrial Park located in Trousdale County. I am disappointed that this did not happen here, and our citizens and children will not be able to have those jobs in Smith County. Mayor John Potts and I are committed to working together to find the best use for the property that will be approved by the Gordonsville Council.

County Employee Salary Study

As directed by the Budget and Finance Committee last year, we are currently working on getting a salary study complete for wages and benefits for county employees. The firm we are working with is compiling data from our employees and surrounding counties as well as similar size counties across the state and private sector comparable jobs. They will then make a recommendation on what salaries we should be paying. At that time, we will present findings to the county commission and a decision on whether or not to make changes to the compensation plan. 

Budget Season

Budget request sheets will be going out to elected officials and department heads in February. Budget and Finance hearings will begin in late March to early April. If collections maintain their current level, we should reach our sufficient operating capital goals this year. We will have made our goal in two years instead of the three planned. This, combined with not adding to our debt, restructuring our debt and paying off debt was my goal. The direction I will advise the county commission will be to reduce property tax rates this year. It is the right thing to do. We asked for a heavy lift from all of Smith County in 2019 and will have soon fixed our issues. We need to reduce that ask from all of us. Government needs to do what it does and do it efficiently and effective. Government services cost what they cost but we should only ask for what is needed to operate year to year and maintain funds for improvements. 

Census Data

Census data will be sent out in the spring. We will start working on redistricting in the summer, with it being completed by year-end.

Thank you for allowing me to be Mayor of the greatest county in the world!

God Bless Smith County and God Bless the United States of America.

Jeff Mason

The Smith County Commission held its October meeting on the evening of Monday, January 11, 2021. You may see a copy of the agenda here and read a written version of Smith County Mayor Jeff Mason’s report to the commission for this month here.

You can watch the full meeting below. We apologize for missing the first few minutes due to recording issues.

Thanks to Powell & Meadows Insurance Agency for sponsoring the live broadcast of this meeting.

Subscribe to Smith County Insider’s YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on meeting coverage, business spotlights, video features, and more!

The Smith County Board of Commissioners meets on the second Monday of every month except December.

Typically, commission meetings are held in the General Sessions Courtroom of the Smith County Jail and Courts Facility, located at 322 Justice Drive in Carthage. During the July 2020 Meeting of the Smith County Commission, commissioners voted to hold all meetings at the Smith County Ag Center until the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

All meetings are open to the public and are streamed live at https://www.facebook.com/smithcountyinsider/.

The Gordonsville City Council held its monthly meeting at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, January 11, 2021.

In order to practice recommended social distancing, the meeting was held inside the Gordonsville Civic Center.

You can watch the public hearing and council meeting below.

Subscribe to Smith County Insider’s YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on meeting coverage, business spotlights, video features, and more!

The Gordonsville City Council meets at 6:15 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at Gordonsville City Hall, located at 63 Main Street in Gordonsville.

All meetings are open to the public and streamed live at https://www.facebook.com/smithcountyinsider/.

The Carthage City Council held its monthly meeting on Thursday, January 7, 2021, at 6:00 p.m.

The meeting was held at the Smith County Chamber of Commerce in order to practice social distancing.

During the meeting, the county passed with a 5-1 vote the second reading of a new ordinance binding each council meeting agenda to the publicly posted agenda unless an emergency arises.

The county property assessor’s bill to the city for their services in appraising city parcels was also discussed for the second consecutive meeting. Rules were voted to be suspended to allow Smith County Attorney Jeremy Hassler to speak and answer questions regarding the bill. The council voted to pay the current bill, but the council wanted the city to have further discussions about future billing with the assessor’s office.

A new hotel occupancy tax ordinance was introduced. The town has the authority granted to it by its charter to levy a 5% hotel occupancy tax; however, the town has not passed an ordinance to do so. After discussion, the council voted 3-3 to pass the first reading of the ordinance. Mayor Smith voted to break the vote, and the measure passed. Since this ordinance is related to a tax, a public hearing will be required.

A discussion on speed limits on Carmack Ave transformed into a debate about speed limits across the city. The council voted to invite the public for input at the next regularly scheduled meeting on the possibility of lowering speed limits on Carmack and other streets.

You can find a copy of this meeting’s agenda here that includes all items discussed and can watch the full meeting below.

Thanks to Smith County Animal Clinic for sponsoring Smith County Insider’s live broadcast of this meeting.

Subscribe to Smith County Insider’s YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on meeting coverage, business spotlights, video features, and more!

The Carthage City Council meets at 6:00 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at Carthage City Hall, located at 314 Spring Street in Carthage, Tennessee – 37030.

All meetings are open to the public and streamed live at https://www.facebook.com/smithcountyinsider/.

The Gordonsville City Council held its monthly meeting at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, December 14, 2020.

Before the meeting, a public hearing was held on the request to change the zoning for the Baker Property from I-1 to I-2. Citizens were able to ask questions, and Don McCaughey of DeCleMac Holdings, LLC answered many of the questions.

During the meeting, Shane Smith was selected to fill a vacant seat on the city council. Charles Proffit was chosen to serve as Vice Mayor. The approval of the second reading of the zoning change for the Baker Property was tabled until the January 2021 meeting.

In order to practice recommended social distancing, the meeting was held inside the Gordonsville Civic Center.

You can watch the public hearing and council meeting below.

Subscribe to Smith County Insider’s YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on meeting coverage, business spotlights, video features, and more!

The Gordonsville City Council meets at 6:15 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at Gordonsville City Hall, located at 63 Main Street in Gordonsville.

All meetings are open to the public and streamed live at https://www.facebook.com/smithcountyinsider/.

The Smith County Commission held its October meeting on the evening of Monday, November 9, 2020.

You can watch the full meeting below.

Thanks to Powell & Meadows Insurance Agency for sponsoring the live broadcast of this meeting.

Subscribe to Smith County Insider’s YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on meeting coverage, business spotlights, video features, and more!

The Smith County Board of Commissioners meets on the second Monday of every month except December.

Typically, commission meetings are held in the General Sessions Courtroom of the Smith County Jail and Courts Facility, located at 322 Justice Drive in Carthage. During the July 2020 Meeting of the Smith County Commission, commissioners voted to hold all meetings at the Smith County Ag Center until the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

All meetings are open to the public and are streamed live at https://www.facebook.com/smithcountyinsider/.

The Gordonsville City Council held its monthly meeting at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, November 9, 2020.

In order to practice recommended social distancing, the meeting was held inside the Gordonsville Civic Center.

You can watch the full meeting below.

Subscribe to Smith County Insider’s YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on meeting coverage, business spotlights, video features, and more!

The Gordonsville City Council meets at 6:15 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at Gordonsville City Hall, located at 63 Main Street in Gordonsville.

All meetings are open to the public and streamed live at https://www.facebook.com/smithcountyinsider/.

The Carthage City Council held its monthly meeting on Thursday, November 5, 2020, at 6:00 p.m.

The meeting was held at the Performance Hall of the Smith County Heritage Museum in order to practice social distancing.

During the meeting, several items were discussed, including department updates, grants, a commercial trash bin for the city, the insurance of external keys to employees at city hall. A special event permit was granted for next year’s River City Ball to be held in April. By a vote of 4-1 with 1 abstention, the council voted to have City Attorney Moore investigate a possible ethics violation by Mayor Smith regarding an email sent out about Halloween in downtown Carthage.

This was the last city council meeting for Councilwoman Scott and Councilman Watts. Both did not seek reelection for their positions in the recent November election. New council members will be sworn in after certification of the election results.

You can watch the full meeting below.

Thanks to Smith County Animal Clinic for sponsoring Smith County Insider’s live broadcast of this meeting.

Subscribe to Smith County Insider’s YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on meeting coverage, business spotlights, video features, and more!

The Carthage City Council meets at 6:00 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at Carthage City Hall, located at 314 Spring Street in Carthage, Tennessee – 37030.

All meetings are open to the public and streamed live at https://www.facebook.com/smithcountyinsider/.

Voters have cast their ballots, and the results are in for the mayoral race in Gordonsville, Tennessee. On November 3, 2020, voters in Gordonsville elected John Potts as their next mayor.

John Potts, a Gordonsville alderman, defeated incumbent James M. (Duck) Gibbs and challenger Ronnie Burton by obtaining 327 votes or 51.25% of votes cast. Gibbs received 212 votes, 33.23%, and Burton tallied 98, 15.36%.

Potts stated, “I am humbled by the opportunity to serve the citizens of Gordonsville! I appreciate all of your votes and support. I look forward to what the future holds for our amazing community.”

Voters had the opportunity to cast ballots in a variety of races during the November General Election, including municipal elections for Carthage & Gordonsville and elections for two vacant county commission seats.

For Carthage, three city aldermen were elected. Since only three candidates were on the ballot, it is presumed that Stephen Babcock, Barbara Kannapel, and Jess Peters will be elected to those offices.

In Gordonsville, a mayor and two city aldermen will be selected to four-year terms. In the alderman race, it is presumed that Sam Bowles and Jessica Dillard-Biggs will be elected as the only two candidates on the ballot.

For Smith County, voters cast ballots for open seats to fill unexpired terms for District 3 and District 6 commissioners. Casey Elrod is presumed to be elected to the District 6 as he was unopposed.

In addition to the local elections, voters also cast ballots for U.S. President/Vice-President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives for the 6th Congressional District, and TN House of Representatives for the 40th District.

Polls were open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and voters had the opportunity to vote early from October 14th through October 29th or by absentee ballot.

The election results for Smith County will be updated as the Smith County Election Commission updates their results. Please note that these are only the results for Smith County and do not include all results for state races.

8 of 8 Precincts Reported
	Election Day	Absentee	Walk-In Early Voting	TOTALS	%
President and Vice President of the United States
Donald J. Trump and Michael R. Pence (R)	2053	160	4911	7124	78.29%
Joseph R. Biden and Kamala D. Harris (D)	343	178	1277	1798	19.88%
Don Blankenship and William Mohr (I)	7	1	11	19	0.21%
Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente and Darcy G. Richardson (I)	2	0	1	3	0.03%
Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker (I)	2	1	8	11	0.12%
Jo Jorgensen and Jeremy “Spike” Cohen (I)	29	2	31	62	0.69%
Alyson Kennedy and Malcom Jarrett (I)	2	0	5	7	0.08%
Gloria La Riva and Sunil Freeman (I)	1	0	1	2	0.02%
Kanye West and Michelle Tidball (I)	4	0	5	9	0.10%
Write-In	5	0	2	7	0.08%
United States Senate
Bill Hagerty (R)	1925	151	4523	6599	78.63%
Marquita Bradshaw (D)	285	154	1050	1489	17.74%
Yomi “Fapas” Faparusi Sr. (I)	8	0	12	20	0.24%
Jeffery Alam Grunau (I)	3	2	10	15	0.18%
Ronnie Henley (I)	12	0	18	30	0.36%
G. Dean Hill (I)	2	0	12	14	0.17%
Steven J. Hooper (I)	32	3	81	116	1.38%
Aaron James (I)	6	2	12	20	0.24%
Elizabeth McLeod (I)	11	4	19	34	0.41%
Kacey Morgan (I)	12	1	11	24	0.29%
Eric William Stansberry (I)	2	0	12	14	0.17%
Write-In	10	0	7	17	0.20%
U.S. House of Representatives – District 6
John Rose (R)	1872	159	4540	6571	80.25%
Christopher Martin Finley (D)	291	137	1018	1446	17.66%
Christopher B. Monday (I)	72	10	84	166	2.03%
Write-In	1	0	4	5	0.06%
TN House of Representatives – District 40
Terri Lynn Weaver (R)	1831	171	4352	6354	78.28%
Paddy Sizemore (I)	155	129	1235	1739	21.42%
Write-In	2	1	20	24	0.30%
County Commissioner – District 3 (Unexpired Term)
Josh Brown	178	10	351	539	51.58%
Stephanie H. McCaleb	155	20	328	503	48.13%
Write-In	2	0	1	3	0.29%
County Commissioner – District 6 (Unexpired Term)
Casey Elrod	133	36	367	536	99.44%
Write-In	0	0	3	3	0.56%
Alderman – Town of Carthage (3 Seats)
Stephen Babcock	112	26	452	340	35.18%
Barbara Kannapel	91	34	441	350	34.32%
Jess Peters	85	29	382	297	29.73%
Write-In	5	0	10	5	0.78%
Mayor – Town of Gordonsville
Ronnie Burton	23	3	72	98	15.36%
James M. (Duck) Gibbs	36	13	163	212	33.23%
John Potts	60	5	262	327	51.25%
Write-In	0	0	1	1	0.16%
Alderman – Town of Gordonsville (2 Seats)
Sam Bowles	71	9	292	372	47.69%
Jessica Dillard-Biggs	78	8	262	405	51.92%
	1	0	2	3	0.39%
Town of South Carthage – Consumption on the Premises Referendum
For legal sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises in the Town of South Carthage.	82	22	202	306	61.57%
Against legal sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises in the Town of South Carthage.	38	17	136	191	38.43%

Registered voters in Smith County will have their final opportunity to head to the polls today for November 3, 2020 elections. Polls in all eight districts will be open from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm. Please click here for a list of voting locations in the county. Registered voters are required to vote at their district polling location on Election Day.

If you voted via an absentee ballot, you may track its status online here. Absentee ballots are required to be mailed and received by the close of polls on Election Day. If you have not returned your absentee ballot, you may drop it off at the Carthage Post Office at 115 Main Street N Frnt in Carthage by 3:00 pm today. Postage will be required when dropping off your absentee ballot. Absentee ballots will not be accepted at the polls or the Smith County Election Commission.

Voters will cast their votes in the State General Election, County Special Elections, Carthage Municipal Election, and Gordonsville Municipal Election. You may view a sample ballot here.

Voters need to bring valid photo identification to the polls. A Tennessee driver license or photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Tennessee state government or the federal government is acceptable even if it is expired. College student IDs are not acceptable.

State law requires polling locations and the area within a 100-foot boundary of the entrance to remain campaign-free zones. Voters wearing campaign-related clothing or paraphernalia are not allowed within the 100-foot boundary.

Early voting for Smith County voters was up 37.0% compared to the November 8, 2016 election. 6,495 votes have already been cast by Smith County residents compared to the total of 7,495 for the November 2016 election. Across the state, 2,280,767 voters or 51 percent of all registered voters have already cast their ballots. Total voter turnout locally and statewide is anticipated to far exceed the November 2016 election.

For additional information, please visit the Tennessee Secretary of State’s website or Smith County Election Commission website. You may also call the Tennessee Division of Elections’ toll-free Election Day hotline at 1-877-850-4959 with any election questions.

Be sure to keep an eye on Smith County Insider’s Politics Page for future local political and election news!

Press release submitted by Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennesseans planning to vote early for the Presidential election have until this Thursday, Oct. 29 to cast their ballots. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

“We have seen high turnout numbers during early voting, and I urge Tennesseans to take advantage of these final days of early voting,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett.

During early voting and on Election Day, Tennesseans are encouraged to wear a face covering and maintain a six-foot distance from poll officials and other voters. Voters should expect to see signs with further safety instructions at their polling locations. All poll officials will be wearing face coverings and will be trained in social distancing measures.

Voters can find early voting and Election Day voting locations, view and mark sample ballots and much more with the GoVoteTN app or online at GoVoteTN.com. Download the free GoVoteTN app in the App Store or Google Play.

Tennesseans voting early or on Election Day should remember to bring valid photo identification with them to the polls. A driver’s license or photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, by Tennessee state government or by the federal government are acceptable even if they are expired. College student IDs are not acceptable. More information about what types of ID are acceptable can be found on sos.tn.gov by calling toll free 1-877-850-4959.

To view early voting turnout vote totals by county and a comparison of how this year’s turnout compares to 2016 and 2012, visit GoVoteTN.com.

For election updates, follow the Secretary of State’s social media channels Twitter: @SecTreHargett, Facebook: Tennessee Secretary of State and Instagram: @tnsecofstate.

For questions about early voting in Tennessee, go to GoVoteTN.com or call the Division of Elections toll-free at 1-877-850-4959.

On Thursday, October 22, 2020, the Carthage City Council met for a Special Called Meeting at the Performance Hall of the Smith County Heritage Museum. The agenda for the meeting was “Motion and discussion to grant or deny Special Event Permit for “Jeepers Creepers” in downtown Carthage.”

Jeepers Creepers is an annual trunk-or-treating event held on Main St in downtown Carthage.

The discussion began with Dr. Roger Duke, Public Health Officer for the Town of Carthage, providing information on the current status of COVID-19. His official recommendation was to deny the event permit given the current state of COVID-19.

After further discussion by the council, a motion was made by Councilman Ebel to approve the event permit for Jeepers Creepers. The motion failed by a 2-3 vote. Councilman Ebel and Councilman Watts voted yes. Councilwoman Kannapel, Councilwoman Scott, and Councilman Petty voted no.

Another motion was presented by Councilwoman Kannapel to deny the issuance of a permit for Jeepers Creepers based on the data, documentation, and health of Smith County as recommended by Dr. Duke. This motion passed by a vote of 3-2. Councilwoman Kannapel, Councilwoman Scott, and Councilman Petty voted yes. Councilman Ebel and Councilman Watts voted no.

You can watch the full meeting below.

Thanks to Smith County Animal Clinic for sponsoring Smith County Insider’s live broadcast of this meeting.

Subscribe to Smith County Insider’s YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on meeting coverage, business spotlights, video features, and more!

The Carthage City Council meets at 6:00 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at Carthage City Hall, located at 314 Spring Street in Carthage, Tennessee – 37030.

All meetings are open to the public and streamed live at https://www.facebook.com/smithcountyinsider/.

The Smith County Board of Education met at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13, 2020.

Some school board members sat at tables spaced throughout the room to comply with social distancing recommendations.

You can watch the full meeting below.

Subscribe to Smith County Insider’s YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on meeting coverage, business spotlights, video features, and more!

The Smith County School Board meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 5:00 p.m. at the Smith County Board of Education, located at 126 Smith County Middle School Lane in Carthage, Tennessee.

The next School Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 17, 2020.

All meetings are open to the public and streamed live at https://www.facebook.com/smithcountyinsider/.