JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF) – The Campbell County Commissioner’s Legislative Affairs committee met via Zoom on Monday evening to discuss legislative priorities. Senator Ken Yager and State Representative Dennis Powers also attended the meeting.

The main topic of discussion was the request to have two additional board members added to the Powell-Clinch Utility Board. The PCUD Board currently has three members and Campbell County Commissioners have approached Anderson County about the possibility of adding two member spots. 

Commissioner Rusty Orick had brought up the idea of additional members at a previous meeting that he thought it would be better for Campbell County and Anderson County for the board to have five members. “This isn’t to hurt them, it will make their job easier,” Orick said. He also said he had spoken to Anderson County about it and that their legislative affairs committee had approved it, as had Anderson County’s Commission.

To change it though, it takes legislative action. Both Yager and Powers said they would carry the bill and support it. Powers said he would work on getting the bill drafted. 

Other topics discussed included finding a process to recoup lost hotel/motel taxes in the county. Orick said he felt the county was losing a lot of tax funds and asked if the state could do anything to help. Yager and Powers said they would look at the problem and see if there was any way to resolve it. Both legislators also said they would be willing to attend another meeting after gathering more information from around the state. 

Commissioner Ralph Davis brought up the topic of ATVs causing problems on county roads. He said it was hurting the citizens of the county and that multiple out of county riders were trespassing on private property, tearing up private property and damaging county roads. He asked if the county could charge a county fee to help with hiring officers to police the roads and cover costs of additional road work and officers. Orick agreed and said that while it was “good to have people in the county for tourism, it was causing problems. He suggested “something like a sticker on a license plate so these vehicles can be identified when they are trespassing on people’s property and for officers to be able to identify.” Orick also said the county’s rescue squads were stretched to their limits as well responding to ATV accidents.

Yager told commissioners he felt that the county had the authority to set a fee themselves since they were county roads in an adventure tourism district. He also said Scott County has gone through similar problems and encouraged the committee to reach out to the Scott County Chamber of Commerce for ideas as well. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 02/02/2021-6AM)