The Smithville Police Department is investigating the theft last week of a truck, trailer, and lawn mower from the DeKalb County School Bus Garage at 234 Allen’s Ferry Road.
According to a report filed by Officer Nathan Estes, Peggy Pursell advised that when she arrived at the garage last Thursday morning, March 19th, she noticed that the gates to the lot were open. The gate lock did not appear to have been tampered with. When the truck, trailer, and lawn mower were found to be missing, everyone who had a key was contacted to see if they had come and gotten them, but they (truck, trailer, and lawn mower) could not be found. A bus driver was the last one at the garage the night before but the driver could not remember if he had shut and locked the gate.
Police Chief Richard Jennings says the truck and trailer have been recovered in Rutherford County but the lawn mower remains missing.
Meanwhile, in other cases, Smithville Police have charged 42 year old Herbert Edward Ashford, Jr. with possession of a schedule IV and II controlled substance. His bond totals $3,000 and he will be in court April 16th.
Officer Brad Tatrow reports that “on Wednesday, March 18th, I was aiding Deputy Johnson on a traffic stop at Easterly Motors. Upon consent to search the vehicle, I recovered a round white pill from between the seats on the passenger side of the vehicle. Upon placing the passenger, Ashford under arrest for simple possession, he produced another pill of some kind from his right sock. The pills are round in shape and believed to be xanax. Ashford was charged with simple possession of a schedule IV controlled substance. While at the police department, Ashford advised me that he had a half of a percocet in his cigarette pack. Upon recovering a half of a yellow pill, believed to be percocet, Ashford was charged with possession of a schedule II controlled substance.
27 year old Harold L. Spears of Saint Paul, Virginia was arrested Saturday and charged with being a fugitive from justice. He is being held without bond and will be in court March 25th.
In his report, Officer Travis Bryant states that “While conducting a traffic stop, I made contact with Spears at the parking lot of Mapco Express, who was a passenger of a vehicle. I asked for his identification, and he complied. I checked via dispatch for local warrants through NCIC and TCIC and was advised that Spears was wanted in Virginia for failure to return leased property valued at $200 or more.” Virginia has agreed to extradite him.
26 year old Anthony Charles Skaroupka was charged March 22nd with unlawful possession of a weapon. His bond is $3,500 and his court date is April 16th.
Officer Travis Bryant, in his report, states that Skaroupka admitted that he is the owner of a weapon (handgun) that was at his brother’s home at 500 South College Street. Skaroupka is a convicted felon, having been previously charged with domestic assault and aggravated assault.
21 year old Thomas E. Pendergrast of Woodbury was issued a citation by Officer Brad Tatrow March 21st for simple possession of a schedule VI controlled substance after Pendergrast admitted to having a bag of marijuana and a marijuana cigarette in his pocket as well as a bag of marijuana in his clothes bag.
Officer Tatrow also issued a citation on March 21st to Thomas Alvand Neal for possession of a schedule VI controlled substance after he admitted to having a blue Union Bank money bag containing a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana.
29 year old Scotty Wayne Knowles is charged with theft of property under $500. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court April 2nd.
Officer Scott Davis reports that Knowles took some clothes from Walmart without paying for them on March 20th. He was observed placing the items, valued at $59, inside his jacket. Knowles also had outstanding warrants against him for violation of probation and failure to appear in DeKalb County and a warrant in Warren County.
24 year old Scarlette Lawrence is charged with disorderly conduct. Her bond is $1,000 and she will be in court April 16th,
Officer Matt Holmes reports that he responded to 500 South College Street on March 22nd to assist Officer Bryant when Lawrence came out of the residence yelling and cursing at another female. She was advised to stop yelling and disturbing the neighbors and to go back into the house. She was asked numerous times to go back inside or she would be arrested. She did go inside but came out again yelling and cursing. Lawrence was placed under arrest and became very belligerent while being handcuffed jumping up and down.
36 year old David Russell Morris is charged with a second offense of driving on a revoked license. His bond is $3,000 and his court date is April 8th.
Officer Travis Bryant reports that on March 21st he observed a vehicle at the parking lot of Mapco Express matching the description of a vehicle that police had been looking for in another case. The tag came back (computer check) to a van but the vehicle in question was a town car. The vehicle began to leave driven by a male, but the vehicle pulled back into the parking lot and the driver got out to let a female get behind the wheel. The vehicle drove off. Upon stopping the car and asking for the male passenger for his license, he stated that he did not have one. A computer check revealed the license was revoked for a DUI and a first offense of driving on a revoked license on August 21st, 2000 in Rutherford County.

A suspicious person complaint last week led to the arrest of a 32 year old man believed to be responsible for several burglaries of boats at Cove Hollow Marina.
Arrested was Christopher Edward Young of Lancaster Circle, Lancaster.
Sheriff Patrick Ray says on Thursday, March 19th, officers received a call about a suspicious person at the Cove Hollow Marina on Dale Ridge Road. The complainant was able to give a description of the vehicle, but the suspect left the scene before officers arrived. A call was dispatched to deputies a short time later concerning an automobile accident on Long Branch Road. Upon arrival, officers discovered that it was the same suspicious vehicle which had been reported earlier at the marina and that Young was determined to be the driver.
According to Sheriff Ray, deputies detected a strong odor of alcohol on Young’s person, he was unsteady on his feet, and he was very belligerent. Young, who refused to submit to field sobriety tasks, was placed under arrest for a second offense of driving under the influence.
Officers performed a pat down search of Young and found in his pocket, some marijuana inside a cellophane wrapper. A computer check revealed that Young’s license was revoked for a DUI in Smith County on March 5th, 2008.
Young’s vehicle was also inventoried and officers found a pair of hemostats and a marijuana pipe. Other items including a barbeque grill, 2 boat seats, a ski tube, and a Coleman cooler were also in the vehicle. Upon this discovery, deputies immediately contacted detectives of the sheriff’s department and through their investigation, learned that Young had burglarized at least 10 boats at the Cove Hollow Marina.
Sheriff Ray says Young admitted to his involvement into the crimes and has been charged with two counts of burglary, one count of theft under $500, one count of theft over $500, a second offense of driving under the influence, driving on a revoked driver’s license, simple possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Young’s total bond was set at $79,000 and his court date is set for April 9th. Young will be charged with more offenses later.
Meanwhile in other cases, 28 year old Leyder Guerra Desirena of West Broad Street, Smithville was charged Sunday, March 22nd with a first offense of driving under the influence and no driver’s license after deputies spotted him driving down the wrong side of the roadway on Highway 56 South. Officers also detected a strong odor of alcohol on his person and he was very unsteady on his feet. A computer check revealed that Desirena had no driver’s license. Desirena’s bond was set at $2,500 and he will appear in court on April 2nd..
Last Monday, March 16th officers answered a call on Bethel Road concerning someone who was intoxicated and walking in the complainant’s front yard without his pants on. 56 year old Jackie E. Trapp of Riley Avenue, Smithville was arrested for public intoxication. According to Sheriff Ray, Trapp did have an odor of alcohol on his person, he was unsteady on his feet, and he did not know how he got to the residence or where his pants were. His bond was set at $1,000 and he will appear in court on April 2nd.
Also last Monday, deputies stopped a vehicle on West Main Street in Dowelltown for a traffic offense. After obtaining consent to search, officers arrested 21 year old Heather Marie Griffith of Simms Street, Dowelltown after they found in her purse 20 pills believed to be hydrocodone, 7 pills believed to be roxycodone, marijuana, a cigarette roller, rolling papers, scissors, and other items. Griffith was charged with simple possession of a schedule six drug (marijuana), possession of a schedule three drug (hydrocodone), possession of a schedule two drug (roxycodone), and possession of drug paraphernalia. Griffith’s bond was set at $5,500 and she will appear in court on March 26th.
On Wednesday, March 18th, deputies arrested 21 year Jonathon Carl Davis of Peyton Lane, Smithville for criminal littering after he allegedly dumped several bags of trash on Big Wood Road in the Blue Springs area. Davis told officers that he was hauling a neighbor’s trash for profit and had gone to a DeKalb County dumpster site but was turned away because he was a Cannon County resident. Davis then went to Big Wood Road and dumped the trash on the side of the road. Davis’ bond was set at $2,500 and he will appear in court on April 9th.
Also on Wednesday, deputies responded to a reckless driver complaint on Highway 70 and arrested 47 year old Chip Allen Smith of Woodbury Pike, Murfreesboro for a first offense of driving under the influence. After stopping Smith, officers administered field sobriety tasks on Smith and found that he was under the influence of intoxicants. Smith admitted that he was wearing Fentanyl pain patches and was also taking pain medication. Smith’s bond was set at $1,500 and will appear in court on April 9th.

Jennifer Winfree is the new Chairman of the DeKalb County Republican Party.
She succeeds Kennith Vanatta, who has served as Chairman for the last six years.
Members of the local GOP met Saturday morning at the courthouse to reorganize.
Winfree says she looks forward to serving the party as chairman for the next two years. “I am very grateful to the people of DeKalb County for electing me to this position. I’ve got some big shoes to fill. Kennith has been a wonderful chairman these last six years. I just hope that I’ll be able to live up to everyone’s expectations. I want to continue to keep DeKalb County Red. I also want to continue to try to get more women into our women’s club. I’m very proud of them. We’ve done a lot of work in the last six years and I want to expand on that. We eventually want to try and start a young republicans club here. I just want to get as many people involved as I can and adhere to the principles of the Republican party. I have been President of the DeKalb County Republican Women’s Club for the past two years and I will step down next month in order to take on the party chairman position. Pat Zorno will probably be our next (women’s club) president.”
Vanatta thanked the party for the privilege of having served as chairman. “I’d like to say how much I have appreciated your confidence over the past six years that I have had of being chairman. It’s been a real joy to me. We’ve had some hard spots but we’ve had some happy ones too. I’ve gotten to do a lot of things because of being chairman in this county that probably I wouldn’t have gotten to have done if I hadn’t been chairman. So for that purpose I’d like to say thank you so much. I promised that we would do all that we could, with your help, to pull this county together and we have realized a great deal of that. I promised to you that we would see more people that would be in our courthouse (Republican elected officials) and we have. I think at that time (six years ago) we had one county wide elected official. Now you can look around and see quite a few. So all in all, it’s been good. I guess we’ve done well.”
Other officers selected by the party are Vice Chairman- Jerry Childress, Secretary- Barbara Vandergriff, Treasurer-Dennis Stanley, Vice Treasurer- Bertha McBride, and Laura Chandler, Representative of the DeKalb County Republican Women’s Club.
George LeFevre was presented a plaque for his long time support and devotion to the party. The plaque, presented by former party chairman Vanatta, reads “In Honor of his years of commitment to the cause, the DeKalb County Republican Party presents George LeFevre with a Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Another Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Mary Oaks at the Lincoln Day Dinner in April. She was unable to attend Saturday’s meeting.

(Top Picture- Jennifer Winfree)
Middle Picture- left to right: Bertha McBride, Laura Chandler, Jennifer Winfree, Jerry Childress, Barbara Vandergriff, and Dennis Stanley)
Bottom Picture- George LeFevre and Kennith Vanatta)

Two men involved in a burglary of a residence Thursday are wanted by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department.
Sheriff Patrick Ray says 39 year old William Osborne of Hendersonville, also known as William Sanford and 37 year old Timothy Peden of Lebanon are each facing charges of aggravated burglary and theft of property over $1,000. Bond for both is set at $75,000.
Both men are convicted felons and Osborne is currently wanted by other counties, including Sumner, Wilson, and Simpson County, Kentucky on burglary and theft charges, among possibly others.
According to the Sheriff’s Department, these two men went to 6740 Short Mountain Highway around noon on Thursday, where they used a pry bar to enter the residence. They took several items from the home including six long guns, a lap top computer, and other computer equipment, and loaded it into their car, an older model four door blue Honda Civic.
As the two men were still on the premises, the owner of the residence drove up and spotted them in the driveway. The men jumped in their car and drove away.
The owner of the home called 911 which connected with the Cannon County Emergency Communications District. He also followed the men in his vehicle on Highway 146 into Cannon County about a mile and a half when the suspects car overheated and stopped. The men jumped out of the car and fled on foot into the woods.
Cannon County authorities were notified and came to the scene.
The car was seized by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department. Found inside the vehicle were various items taken in the home burglary on Short Mountain Highway along with a glass jug containing change, numerous burglary tools, a pair of black gloves, and a black ski mask
At last report, the men had not been apprehended.
If you see the men, don’t confront them because they might be armed and dangerous. Contact the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department with any information you may have.
Osborne is a white male, 5 feet, 11 inches tall and he weighs 165 pounds. He has blond hair and hazel colored eyes.
Peden is a white male, 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes.

The landfill is currently closed to the public while some work is being completed on a new cell site.
County Mayor Mike Foster, during a workshop with members of the county commission Thursday night, made the announcement but added that the garbage collection convenience sites across the county remain open.” The landfill is closed right now. We’re still collecting garbage like we normally do at all the sites but nobody can come to the landfill and dump right now because we are in the final stages of getting the new cell completed. The liner is in but we’ve got two huge ditches cut in through there that tie the liner in. Until those are closed and we gravel into the cell, which will probably be another four or five weeks, the landfill itself will be closed but we’ll still take the garbage at the dump sites.”

“We would like for people, if they have, like a barn or house or something that they’re going to tear down and bring to the landfill to put that off until we get the landfill open again. Household garbage from all of the convenience sites is being transported to either Carthage or to Sparta right now and we’re paying them to dump it there, but we’re not transporting any rough garbage, like a house destruction or demolition, because it’s time consuming and very expensive for us to haul it, plus we have to pay them to dump it.”
“We still have room at the landfill to dump, we just can’t get up there right now because of the ditches. As soon as they get that finished, we’ll continue to dump at the old site. We probably still have three more months of dump site remaining on the old site. On the new site, we can only put household garbage for the first two or three months until we get the liner covered.”
“If the weather holds, they will probably complete all the work, maybe within a week. Then we’ll take about two weeks to put the gravel on and as soon as the state inspects it, the site will be released to where we can go ahead and start dumping garbage.”
“A company out of Alabama got the contract to do the final work but we did a lot of the early excavations ourselves at the landfill which will hopefully save about $300,000 off the bid price. We put in some silt fence, drainage ditches, and some of the rip rap. It saved $300,000 off of the bid price, but it probably cost us $60,000 to do the work. We’ll still save $240,000 off of the initial bid price which was an estimated $1.3 million.”
Meanwhile, Foster says some repair work is being done on a leachate tank at the landfill. “The leachate tank had some little leaks in it. We’ve been working on it, putting sealer on it. It was a very small amount of water that was leaking out, but we’ve already got that stopped. We’re painting the whole tank with two new coats of this crystalline thing that you paint on and it actually grows into the concrete and seals that up. It’s very expensive, about $4,000, but it’s on a leachate tank that’s been there probably 25 years. By doing this we ought to get at least another ten years of service out of it. The water that seeps into the cell, instead of it going into the ground, we pump it up into this leachate tank, and then we can either dump it back into the cell or we can carry and have it treated and dumped.”

DeKalb County Circuit Court Clerk Katherine Pack is hosting a Passport Fair on Saturday, March 28th from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. to provide passport information concerning new travel regulations to U.S. citizens and to accept passport applications.
The Passport Fair will be held in the clerk’s office at 1 Public Square, Room 303, Courthouse, downtown Smithville.
Ms. Pack is joining the Department of State in celebrating “Passport Day in the USA”, a national passport acceptance and outreach event.
On June 1st, U.S. citizens must present a passport book, passport card, or other travel documents approved by the U.S. government to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda at land borders and sea ports of entry.
Information on the cost and how to apply for a passport book and or a passport card is available at www.travel.state.gov. U.S. citizens may also obtain passport information by phone, in English and Spanish, by calling the National Passport Information Center toll-free at 1-877-487-2778.

A Remote Area Medical Expedition is scheduled for April 18th & 19th in Van Buren County but residents of DeKalb County may also take advantage of it.
County Mayor Mike Foster says a couple of vans will be available to transport people from DeKalb County who can’t make it on their own to this event in Spencer.
A similar event took place in DeKalb County at the high school in August, 2005

RAM is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization that provides free medical care to people who cannot afford to pay – those who are uninsured, underinsured or unemployed. Services include eye exams and prescription glasses, dental care, including cleanings, fillings and extractions; hearing exams, bone density tests, blood work, cholesterol and diabetes screenings, pulmonary checks, pap smears, cancer screenings and medication assistance.

Eight candidates will be in the race for a seat on the city council in the Smithville Municipal Election this summer.
The qualifying deadline was noon today (Thursday), March 19th.
Three aldermen will be elected on Tuesday, June 16th, each to serve a two year term. Early voting will be held May 27th through June 11th. All voting will be conducted in the basement courtroom of the courthouse near the election commission office.
The three incumbent aldermen, Jerry Hutchins, Sr., Tonya Sullivan, and Willie Thomas, will all be seeking re-election. The challengers include Gary Durham, Shawn Jacobs, Aaron Meeks, Todd Van Dyne, and W.J. (Dub) White.
The deadline to register to vote in time for the election is May 18th.
The election commission also wants to remind you of the registration requirements.
In order to vote in the City of Smithville Elections, you must either reside inside the city limits or own property inside the city limits.
If you own property within the corporate limits of the City of Smithville but live outside the city, you may become a property rights voter as long as you reside in DeKalb County and own property at least 7,500 square feet in size inside the city.
This privilege is extended to no more than two persons per deed. If you meet these conditions you may register as a city voter with the DeKalb County Election Commission provided you show proof of property ownership and residency.
Officials say you must provide a certified copy of a deed and an affidavit that verifies that you still own the property. You must also provide a copy of your most recent DeKalb County property tax notice and proof of residence in DeKalb County by whatever proof is required by the Administrator of Elections.
Absentee Voting by Mail
To vote by mail, a registered voter must fall under one of the following categories:
The voter will be outside the county of registration during the early voting period and all day on election day;
The voter or the voter’s spouse is enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited college or university outside the county of registration;
The voter’s licensed physician has filed a statement with the county election commission stating that, in the physician’s judgment, the voter is medically unable to vote in person. The statement must be filed not less than five (5) days before the election and signed under the penalty of perjury. The statement must be notarized;
The voter resides in a licensed facility providing relatively permanent domiciliary care, other than a penal institution, outside the voter’s county of residence;
The voter will be unable to vote in person due to service as a juror for a federal or state court;
The voter is sixty-five (65) years of age or older;
The voter has a physical disability and an inaccessible polling place;
The voter is hospitalized, ill, or physically disabled and because of such condition, cannot vote in person;
The voter is a caretaker of a person who is hospitalized, ill, or disabled;
The voter is a candidate for office in the election;
The voter serves as an election day official or as a member or employee of the election commission;
The voter’s observance of a religious holiday prevents him or her from voting in person during the early voting period and on election day;
The voter possesses a valid commercial driver license and certifies that he or she will be working outside the state or county of registration during the early voting period and all day on election day. The request should contain the CDL number;
The voter is a member of the military or is an overseas citizen.
Requesting a Ballot
A registered voter may request a by-mail ballot by sending a written request to the DeKalb County Election Commission. The request must have the voter’s signature. The request may be mailed or faxed to the county election commission office. Upon receipt of the request, the local election commission will mail an application for ballot to the voter. The application must be mailed back to the election commission and a ballot will be mailed to the voter.
However, if the voter wants to expedite the application process, the voter may place the following information in the request for ballot:
The name of the registered voter;
The address of the voter’s residence;
The voter’s social security number;
The address to mail the ballot outside the county (this applies only when the reason for voting by mail involves that the voter will be outside of the county during early voting and on election day);
The election the voter wishes to participate in. If the election involves a primary, the political party in which the voter wishes to participate;
The reason the voter wishes to vote absentee; and
The voter’s signature. (If the voter is unable to sign his/her name, contact the Election Commission office for details.)
A request that contains this information will be treated and processed as an application for ballot, and a ballot will be mailed to the voter.
A registered voter may request an application for by-mail ballot no earlier than ninety (90) days before the election and no later than seven (7) days before the election. To be processed for the next election, the application must be received by the election commission no later than five (5) days before the election.
In order to be counted the ballot must be received by election day. The ballot must be returned by mail and not hand delivered.
For more information call 597-4146 or go by the election commission office in the courthouse.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol has added a valuable asset for law enforcement, rescue, and emergency management agencies in the Cookeville District of the THP.
A Bell Jet Ranger THP helicopter is now stationed in Crossville and available for service in the fifteen counties that encompass the Cookeville District, as well as calls for service in adjoining districts.
“We are very excited to have this valuable resource available within our district,” stated Captain David Allred, Commander of the THP Cookeville District. “This asset will greatly reduce our response time when the services of a helicopter are requested.”
Previously, the Bell Jet Ranger helicopter operated out of the Nashville District. The helicopter is equipped with an infrared system, as well as a fifteen million candlepower spotlight to assist in searches and rescue missions. The helicopter will also partner with ground units to conduct traffic enforcement during peak travel times, such as holidays.
The pilot of the helicopter is Trooper Greg Brown, who has served as a pilot for the Tennessee Highway Patrol Special Operations unit since 2007. Trooper Brown began his career with the THP in 1997 as a road trooper in Bradley County. He transferred to Special Operations in 1999, working as a sniper, bomb tech, diver and Entry Team member. Prior to his employment with THP, Trooper Brown served in the U.S. Army from 1991-1996 as an Army Ranger in the Intelligence Division.
Trooper Brown introduced the helicopter recently at Cumberland Mountain State Park, along with Highway Patrol Command Staff, to various leaders of public safety agencies who might request the services of the Bell Jet Ranger Helicopter. The purpose of the presentation was to make local officials aware of the capabilities of the aircraft.
For more information, contact Special Programs Lieutenant R.C. Christian (931) 644-1980 or 931-526-6143.

Smithville Fire Chief Charlie Parker had some good news for the Mayor and Aldermen Monday night.
According to Chief Parker, the fire-protection services of the City of Smithville, as evaluated and rated by Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO), has improved from Class 7 to Class 6, which will likely mean a savings on city homeowner’s insurance premiums. “A little over a week ago we received our new ISO rating. A representative from the ISO was here in November and did a survey which is what determines our rating for the city for our fire protection, which the insurance companies use to rate insurance premiums on homes and businesses inside the city.”
” I am proud to announce that we actually dropped down a class. We were at a class 7. The grade that we came back with is a 49.64 which puts us in a class 6 category so we did improve and drop down one class. We’re only about a half a point away from going down to a class 5 which is a big accomplishment. The lowering of one class will help on insurance rates. We still want to continue to try to lower it even more and get into a class 5. That will help (reduce) insurance rates inside the city even more for residential homes, businesses, and factories. It’s also a drawing card for other industries who start looking around and when they see the classification for the city, it is a bonus to them.”
“I would also like to see the fire department continue to improve even more. I would like to see if we could sit down in a workshop or a meeting with the mayor and board of aldermen and go over this review plan that we have and explain any questions that you may have on how we can improve it. There are areas we can improve in. It’s not just in the fire department, there’s water protection things we have to work on. We have a goal of at least going to a class 4. It’s well within our reach. We are very lucky to be at the class 6 where we are (compared to other cities). It would be even better to go to a class 5. It would be phenomenal if we could go to a class 4. There are some proposals we have, looking toward the future for personnel, equipment, and there are some grants that are available but we do need to have a commitment from the city on that (grants).”
“I would like to see if we could sit down and discuss it and see if we can move forward for all the citizens of Smithville.”
Although it was not specifically mentioned Monday night, Chief Parker has said previously that the department would like to have at least a few paid firefighters on staff and a ladder truck at some point in the future.
The mayor and aldermen have agreed to conduct a workshop with members of the fire department to discuss their plans.
In other business, concerned citizen and Smithville Alderman candidate Gary Durham came before the mayor and aldermen Monday night with questions about why the city’s water supply is not treated with flouride. “Has the flouride treatment at the water plant been out of service for sometime? Is it in service at present? If it has been out of service, how long has it been out? And what’s the date that you expect to put it back in service?
Mayor Taft Hendrixson responded, ” It is not in service. Flouride is not being added. I’m not sure how long it’s been. It’s not state mandated. We get letters in here from different people. Some say use it, some say don’t use it.”
Durham: ” I have statements here from the U.S. Surgeon General and from the American Dental Association and several others that totally recommend it and have recommended it for over 50 years. It’s basically for kids and mostly teenagers and younger for decay and plaque (prevention).”
Durham asked, “Why wasn’t it (information) given to the media so they could have at least addressed it so parents could have been told to buy toothpaste with floruide or given them some type of warning? Is there any reason?”
Secretary-Treasurer Hunter Hendrixson: ” I talked to Mr. Johnny Walker who is over the water supply with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. It is not state mandated. The last time I talked to him, which was last week, he said that just three or four months ago, EPA put out a bulletin and they recommended not using flouride in water, especially warning women mixing baby formula to not use water with floruide.”
Durham: “If we put it (floruide) in this water, and I know it was there in 1984 and for at least 20 years, why did we stop? And if we did stop, why didn’t we notify the people? You notified them when it was going in (the water), I know. I think we should have at least notified the people if we were not going to put flouride in the water.”
Hunter Hendrixson: “I knew flouride wasn’t being put in there, but I had contacted the state.”
Durham: “It’s not a state issue. It’s a local issue.”
Mayor Hendrixson: ” I guess, Gary that’s a decision of this board, if they want it in there.”
Durham:” I think it ought to be brought up. I would like an answer to it for the public.”
Hunter Hendrixson: I’d like to get a statement from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Mr. Johnny Walker out of the Cookeville Office, and see what he has to say. I know many cities are getting away from flouride. I’ve had several people tell me that dentists are concerned about it but I’ve not had the first dentist contact me.”
Alderman Tonya Sullivan: ” I have had a dental hygienist report to me that she has a letter stating that Smithville does not have flouride in the water and that it is a problem for children.”
Durham: “I personally talked to a dentist in this town and that dentist particularly is very concerned along with other dentists, which I did not talk to but he has.”
The mayor and aldermen agreed to conduct a workshop to study the issue further and report back with their findings at another city council meeting.
Also Monday night, Mayor Hendrixson appointed Walter Burton to fill the unexpired term of the late John Bill Evins on the Smithville Electric System Board. He also appointed Tim Stribling as a member of the Smithville Industrial Development Board, to serve out the remaining term of his brother Leon Stribling, who recently resigned.
The aldermen voted 4 to 0 to approve the appointment of Stribling. However the board was split 2 to 2 on Burton’s appointment. Mayor Hendrixson cast the tie breaking vote in favor of Burton. Aldermen Steve White and Cecil Burger voted for Burton but Aldermen Tonya Sullivan and Jerry Hutchins, Sr. voted no. Alderman Willie Thomas was absent.
Alderman Sullivan complained that the appointments of Stribling and Burton were not included on the regular meeting agenda for Monday night, and that the mayor may have violated the city charter by not presenting his request in writing to the aldermen. “I’m just wondering why we can’t get this on the agenda so we could have time to talk. I have spoken to several people who are interested in that Smithville Electric position, but we (aldermen) haven’t discussed anything and I haven’t seen it in writing on the agenda, as to be able to talk to anyone from Smithville Electric to see what their thoughts are on who they want to work with. I’m not opposed to appointing someone but I would like to be a little more notified.”
Mayor Hendrixson responded, “It can be on the agenda, but it doesn’t have to be on the agenda.”
Alderman Sullivan: “I think in the (city) code and charter it says that you’re supposed to submit that to us in writing as to who you want to appoint.”
Mayor Hendrixson answered, “No ma’am I don’t think it says that. The code says I will lay before the board any business I deem necessary to come before the board. That’s what the charter says.”
Alderman Sullivan: “But I’m talking about specifically appointments to city boards. I think it says you’re supposed to do that in writing.’
Mayor Hendrixson: “I would like to appoint Walter Burton to the board of Smithville Electric.
Alderman Steve White: “I move that we appoint him.”
Alderman Sullivan: “Was this not already declined at a previous meeting?”
Mayor Hendrixson: “Yes ma’am it was”.
Alderman Sullivan: “So once we vote on it, we just keep voting on it until you get the answer you want? We’re not going to do this in writing?”
Mayor Hendrixson:”I may not get the answer I want. Are you going to decline it until you get the answer you want? Is that what you’re telling me too?”
Alderman Sullivan: “No sir, I would like for this to be on the agenda or in writing like the code and charter says and I would like to appeal to the secretary-treasurer that he check to see before we make that vote.”
Alderman Steve White: “There’s a motion on the table.”
Alderman Sullivan: “Okay. We’ve got a code and charter, I thought we were supposed to be following that.’
Mayor Hendrixson:”We do and to my knowledge we are following that.”
Alderman Sullivan: “We’re not following that.”
Mayor Hendrixson tried to appoint Burton to the Smithville Electric System Board during the February 2nd meeting, but the aldermen denied the appointment on a 3 to 2 vote with Aldermen Sullivan, Hutchins, and Thomas voting no and Aldermen White and Burger voting in favor of Burton.