The county will be seeking sealed bids from the public for the sale of tax delinquent properties not sold through previous tax sales.
During Monday night’s monthly meeting, the county commission voted to surplus those parcels and publish an advertisement seeking sealed bids to sell them. The county plans to award bids to the highest bidders without collecting from the buyers back taxes owed on those properties.
County Mayor Tim Stribling said there may be as many as 100 parcels available for sale.
“Through the years when people don’t pay their taxes, the Clerk and Master has a delinquent tax sale and what property is not purchased goes back to the county. The last delinquent tax sale the Clerk and Master had was November 4, 2016. The county has to wait a year before we can sell this property. That will be November 4, 2017. There is also property on the books from 2009, 2012, and 2014. There is probably about 75 to 100 parcels of property that the county has received through the delinquent tax sales. We need to surplus this property to be able to sell it. I think the best thing to do is advertise the sale with a description of the property and include that the parcels are on the Tennessee property data website. We can include the property address, control map, group, parcel, and lot number, and let people submit sealed bids. We can then have the purchasing committee open bids at a certain date. This would give people a better opportunity to bid rather than a LIVE auction. Everybody might not be able to make it to a LIVE auction but this way people could mail in their bids or bring them into the office. Once the parcels are sold then the county will be able to collect property taxes on them again,” said County Mayor Stribling.
He said most of the properties are in the Lakeview Mountain Estates, Holiday Haven, Four Star Point areas.
In other business, the commission voted to enter into a Revenue Enhancement Consulting Agreement with the Barrett Group of Murfreesboro.
During a workshop last Thursday, Donna Barrett of the Barrett Group addressed the county commission to explain the proposal.
Under the agreement, the Barrett Group will conduct a review to make sure the county is getting all the revenues it is due from various state taxes that local businesses pay including sales tax, Hall income tax, beer and liquor tax, excise tax, etc.
For example, if a municipality within the county is found from this review to be erroneously receiving any tax revenues from businesses outside of the municipality, then the mistake will be corrected and the tax money will be re-directed to the county.
“If another municipality is receiving those funds and should be going to the county, then that’s where it would be corrected. There would be no loss to the business owner but if a mistake is found then they (business owner) would be sent a report stating where they should properly send that tax,”said County Mayor Stribling.
The Barrett Group is to receive 50% of any extra revenues generated to the county from this review only for the first year. After the first year, no further fees would be paid to Barrett. If the review turns up no mistakes, the county would not owe Barrett anything.
The vote to approve the agreement was 12-1-1. Commissioner Bradley Hendrix voted against it. Commissioner Julie Young “passed”.

The DCHS Soccer program may soon have a playing field to call its own.
The County Commission has cleared the way for the Board of Education to purchase five acres of property adjoining the northside of the high school campus to Allen Ferry Road for the development of a soccer field.
A property owner has offered to sell the five acre site to the Board of Education for $25,000.
Although the school board has the funds in capital outlay to make the purchase, approval of a budget amendment is required to transfer the money for the land purchase from the capital outlay line item in the budget.
The school board asked the county commission to approve the budget amendment. The vote by the commission Monday night was 12-2 in favor. Commissioners Julie Young and Betty Atnip voted against it.
The soccer teams currently use the high school football field to play their regular season games in the spring and fall.
Commissioner Jack Barton said the DCHS Soccer Boosters will be doing their part to help develop the site.
“They are set and prepared to help develop this property. Its not solely a publically funded effort. They are raising money to help develop this field trying to get it lit or at least get access to it. They have been working hard for over two years,” said Barton.

Can you tell if eggs are still fresh and good to eat? How do you know when a hen is a good layer? Do you know the different chicken cuts of meat? These topics and more are covered in 4-H poultry judging. Twelve DeKalb County 4-H members recently traveled to Lebanon for the regional contest where around 150 4-H’ers competed.
The junior team of Nathan Duvenage, Sylvia Evans, Shaelee Foster, and Luke Magness placed 3rd overall in their division. Sylvia placed 9th individually. The jr. high team of Marissa Clark, Lily Martin, Alex Moreno, and Caleb Taylor placed 12th. The senior team of Payton Cantrell, Clayton Crook, Caleb Taylor, and Jacob Williams placed 5th.
During the contest, there are three classes where eggs are graded on quality: candling, broken out, and exterior. Contestants must know the parts of an egg and how it deteriorates over time when candling. A light is held to the eggs in order to see the interior. The shell is then graded in the exterior quality class, and contestants look for defects and abnormalities. A class of four, live White Leghorn hens is judged on their egg laying ability. This is determined by the pigment of their skin and abdominal capacity. Senior High members must give oral reasons on this class to defend their decision. Finally, meat parts are identified and carcasses are graded in the ready-to-cook poultry classes.
Many of our poultry judgers have chickens of their own, and the knowledge gained through this contest will help them better care for their birds and market their eggs. Congratulations to these young people on a job well done!
If you are interested in poultry judging or any other 4-H activity, please call 615-597-4945. 4-H is a proud part of UT Extension, the UT Institute of Agriculture, and TSU Cooperative Extension. UT/TSU Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment through the cooperation of county, state, and federal governments.

Six members of the Smithville Police Department have been recognized for 10 years of dedicated service.
Chief Mark Collins presented each a certificate of achievement during a police department staff meeting Monday afternoon at city hall. Smithville Alderman and Police Commissioner Josh Miller joined Chief Collins in making the presentations.
The 10 year veterans of the department are Lieutenant Detective Matt Holmes, Sergeant Travis Bryant, Detective Brad Tatrow, Officer Matt Farmer, City Court Clerk Dana Poss, and Records Clerk Beth Adcock.
The certificates were signed by Chief Collins, Commissioner Miller, and Mayor Jimmy Poss
(Seated: City Court Clerk Dana Poss and Sergeant Travis Bryant; Standing: Chief Mark Collins, Lieutenant Detective Matt Holmes, Detective Brad Tatrow, Officer Matt Farmer, and Alderman/ Police Commissioner Josh Miller. Not pictured: Records Clerk Beth Adcock)

If you should get a phone call from someone soliciting money for teddy bears in the name of the Smithville Police Department, hang up.
Chief Mark Collins told WJLE Monday afternoon that a few residents have reported receiving such calls but it is a scam and is under investigation by the department.
According to Collins, the police department is not sponsoring or participating in any such fundraising activity

Are you depressed?
The month of October is National Depression Awareness Month.
The National Alliance of Mental Illness reports that an estimated 16 million American adults have experienced a depressive episode in the past year.
You can get help from trained counselors at Haven of Hope, a Christian-based counseling agency, to recognize the various signs and symptoms of depression. Free screenings are also available there this week in conjunction with National Depression Awareness Month.
Symptoms of depression include feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, helplessness, difficulty concentrating, alcohol or substance abuse, and more.
Sadness itself is not necessarily a sign of depression, unless it persists.
“Sadness and depression are different clinically. Everybody gets sad. Clinical depression, or major depressive disorder is a chemical imbalance in your brain. Generally with major depressive disorder, we’re talking about months rather than weeks. But if you have sadness for more than two weeks, come in to Haven of Hope Counseling and get screened for depression. That could be very helpful,” said Samantha Curtis, one of five Master Level Mental Health Counselors at Haven of Hope.
Clinical depression is a serious medical condition that if left untreated, may lead to other medical conditions. The good news for those who suffer with depression is that it can be treated.
“All of us get depressed at times. It might be for a short period of time but we all get depressed at times. There is adjustment disorder with depression. We all get crises in our life. We have losses. We might lose a job. We might have a house fire. There are just different things we have to adjust to and we can have depression and even anxiety with that too. That’s on one end of the spectrum. The other end is probably when someone is suicidal. They have just given up hope and don’t know what to do especially if they are keeping all that in and are not talking to anybody about that. Those are the two extremes,” said Kay Quintero, Clinical Director for Haven of Hope Counseling.
“A lot of times you’ll recognize when you’re depressed. You’ll know you’re sad every day. We have people who come in to Haven of Hope Counseling and say I’ve had enough of this. At the same time, there are a lot of people who deny that they need any help for that. They feel like they should be able to deal with that on their own or that it has gone on so long, maybe this is just who I am. That is not necessarily true. We do want people to know that we are here locally and that you have access for help. We are here to help the community,” Curtis said.
One form of depression is from trauma. “People can get depressed because of trauma that they have experienced in their life. All of our counselors are trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy which is specifically geared toward trauma,” said Curtis.
“I suggest that people go to EMDR.com. It is designed a lot for counselors to go get their training but there is a tab for clients to get further information and people can learn about it there. It’s a method that was developed maybe 25 years ago. I got trained in it and really thought it was a good method and our agency has made sure all of our counselors are trained in it. There are very few agencies that can say all their counselors are trained in EMDR to help people with trauma,” said Quintero.
The holidays and winter season can also bring on sadness and depression.
“Grief is a big issue and can sometimes correlate with the holidays and bring on sadness and depression. We can absolutely help you with that depression. I have a lot of clients who are working through grief. It doesn’t mean you will be in counseling forever. Sometimes it’s short term. It can be just a few weeks. Sometimes longer. Everybody is different but you don’t have to suffer from grief and depression during the holidays. We are here to help you make that better,” added Curtis.
A depression screening is often the first step toward getting well and you can get a free screening this week at Haven of Hope Counseling.
“You can walk in or call ahead of time. It will probably take about 15 minutes to fill out a form to help us determine if your response is in the normal range. It is divided into about four different categories. It’s very quick to do and one of our counselors can privately go over the results with you. I think it would help you to know where you are on that. We can then suggest what may be helpful in the future based on what those results are,” said Quintero.
While the counselors at Haven of Hope are not doctors, they can help arrange for further treatment for you especially in the event of a crisis.
“When it is a crisis situation we have a wonderful service in Cookeville at the Crisis Stabilization Unit. They can talk with people and they even have ten beds there where people can stay three days and get some medications started. It has helped many people,” Quintero continued.
“While it wasn’t enough of an emergency to have them go to the emergency room, a number of times my husband and I have driven people to the CSU unit. Of course, anyone in crisis and thinking of hurting themselves or hurting somebody else seriously can go to the ER and they will call Crisis to come and interview them there. We often talk to people who need the service, but it’s not where it’s dangerous at the moment. So my husband and I will drive them over to CSU and wait and see if they are going to be accepted or not. CSU doesn’t even charge. It is a free service. I think it works out real good. I think of the number of people we’ve taken and think, wow, if we’ve saved a life because we were able to get them over there and get them interviewed, it was more than worth it. It makes you feel good,” added Quintero.
“A lot of times after they receive crisis counseling we (Haven of Hope Counseling) get the referral for them to come back to us. We get referrals from all over middle Tennessee. We had a Vanderbilt referral two months ago. They learned about us and heard that we were doing good things,” said Curtis.
Haven of Hope Counseling , a non-profit 501C3, strives to make its services available to everyone who needs help regardless of their income. “We accept TennCare and most insurances. Sometimes there are co-pays with the insurance. We have a sliding fee scale for people who do not have insurance. We have a lot of people whose income on that sliding fee scale is the minimum, meaning they pay a ten dollar fee for a 50 minute counseling session. You can’t beat that anywhere. So we work with people. We want people to get help. We also received a grant from Saint Thomas and that was to help us serve more people because we were serving a lot of people at a very low rate or free rate. Now that we have the grant, it is helping us serve more people,” said Quintero.
A fundraiser is also planned for November 11 to help support Haven of Hope Counseling.
“Mark Thomas of Nashville will be here. He is a former Minister of Music at the Smithville First Baptist Church. He will do a concert for us at the community center. There will be no charge for admission but donations will be accepted that night,” Quintero said.
You may also make a tax deductible donation to Haven of Hope Counseling any time especially in memory or in honor of someone.
Haven of Hope Counseling is located at the Magnolia House, 301 West Main Street. Call 615-597-4673. That’s 615- 597-HOPE. Walk-ins are also welcome.