JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF) – Campbell County Commissioners held a workshop online via Zoom Monday evening to build the agenda for next week’s commission meeting. Sanitation department issues and equipment needs and building and grounds needs will be voted on next week.  Commissioners will also vote on several budget amendments as well.During the workshop, commissioners discussed pricing some equipment for the sanitation department, as well as some issues facing sanitation.  Commissioner Ralph Davis said  the sanitation department needs to price several compactors to be placed on Towe String Road and other satellite recycling areas.  The sanitation department also needs to price a new incinerator as the one being used is not up to specifications, according to sanitation officials. The compactors, if purchased, would be placed at the Towe String location, as well as several other satellite locations including Well Springs, White Oak and Oswego. The compactors should cost around $25,000 to $30,000 each. The money for the compactors is in the sanitation budget.

According to Davis, the sanitation department wants to put the equipment out to bid, but not make a decision on the bids until November or December in case the county needs the funds due to revenue shortfalls from the pandemic.  Commissioners will vote on the issue at the next meeting.  Davis also brought it before the commission that the county is losing money on its tire disposal process and that the county might need to raise it from 80-cents a tire up to $1 per tire for disposal.  The county has been at 80-cents per tire for around eight years. The company the county uses for disposal has raised its price, but according to officials, it is still cheaper than any other competing companies. The county also checked into a tire grinder, but it is cost prohibitive at $350,000 for a machine, plus $20,000 to $60,000 monthly to service the blades and keep them sharp.  Davis also told commissioners that the sanitation department was having problems with commercial trash services bypassing the weigh station and not paying.  Davis told officials he wanted the commission to vote next week to turn it over to Campbell County Litter Control Officer Glennis Monday to prosecute anyone doing this. This should also be on next week’s agenda.

In other matters, commissioners heard a brief presentation from a representative from a revenue recovery program that said it could help the county retain more of it’s taxes from short term rentals.  According to company representative John Chavannes, the company could recover over $600,000 in additional income from short-term rentals that do not “pay their fair share in taxes.”

The company uses software and pulls all data from short-term rental platforms and combined with the county assessor data, verifies areas where the county can take in additional taxes.  Commissioners invited Chavannes to come back and speak with the mayor and do a more in depth presentation to commissioners next month, along with case studies showing the benefit and costs of the program.

Commissioners will hold their next meeting on Mon., Aug. 17 at 6p.m. via Zoom.  (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 08/11/2020-6AM)

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