Joe Foutch has been appointed to a new four year term on the DeKalb Utility District Board of Commissioners.
County Mayor Tim Stribling informed the county commission Monday night that he had reappointed Foutch to the board. Foutch’s current term expires August 31.
By law, the DUD board must certify a list of three names in order of preference to the county mayor, who has the sole authority to make the appointment.
During its regular monthly meeting Thursday, July 2, the DUD board voted to certify a list of nominees to the county mayor to fill the position. Foutch’s name was listed first followed by the names of Joe Johnson and Jimmy Herndon.
The DUD Board is made up of five members, three from DeKalb County (Jimmy Womack, Joe Foutch, and Hugh Washer), one from Cannon (Roger Turney), and one from Smith County (Danny Bass). The terms are staggered. All terms are for four years.

A 53 year old Smithville man has been indicted for the rape of a child.
Jacky Lynn Fults is accused of committing anal penetration with his finger on a seven year old girl at his Foster Road residence on September 28, 2014. According to the warrant at the time of his arrest, the child was examined by Our Kids in Nashville on September 29 and doctors did find evidence consistent with abuse. The child did give disclosure on September 30 at the Child Advocacy Center in Cookeville.
The case was investigated by Lieutenant Matt Holmes of the Smithville Police Department
The Grand Jury indicted Fults on Monday. The indictment alleges that “Fults, between September 25 and 28th, 2014 did intentionally and or knowingly engage in unlawful sexual penetration of a seven year old child constituting the offense of Rape of a Child.”
Fults will be arraigned in criminal court on August 10

Kathy Bryant has been named principal at DCHS.
Director of Schools Patrick Cripps made the announcement Tuesday. “She is a very intelligent, hard working individual. She has brought a lot to DeKalb County High School already. She has the respect of the teachers and she will take it another step. I have all the confidence in the world in her,” Cripps told WJLE Tuesday.
Bryant, who has served as assistant principal at DCHS for three years, succeeds Cripps, who was recently hired by the Board of Education as the Director of Schools.
“I’m humbled and I am excited. Mr. Cripps, Mr. (David) Gash, and myself we had a good thing at DeKalb County High School and I want to keep that same momentum. I’ve got big shoes to fill from Mr. Cripps. We’re just going to keep forging on. This has really become a good place to work and learn. We want students to keep being successful. We want to offer lots of programs for students that need to be challenged and students that need extra help too,” said Bryant in an interview with WJLE Tuesday.
After earning her B.S. degree in Interdisciplinary Studies at Middle Tennessee State University in 1996, Bryant received a Masters Degree in Instructional Leadership at Tennessee Tech in 2008 and then an Ed.S. degree in Instructional Leadership at Tennessee Tech in 2010. She is now starting her fourth semester working on a Doctorate Degree from East Tennessee State University.
Bryant began her teaching career in 1996 at Coffee County’s Hillsboro Elementary School and at North Coffee Elementary School. “My first job was in Coffee County. I taught at two different schools. I taught third grade and fifth grade Title I Reading and Math. My days were split. I would travel at lunch to a different school. My second year I was also at Coffee County and I taught fourth grade permanently at one of the schools where I was teaching,” she said.
Bryant then located to Memphis where she taught at Brookmead Elementary School before becoming director of the Sylvan Learning Center in Memphis. “I moved to Memphis. I met my husband. He was from Memphis. I taught half a year at Brookmead Elementary and then in January I was asked to be the Director of Sylvan Learning Center so I took that position. Then I came back home in 1999. I wanted to start a family. I taught fifth grade and then I moved to fourth grade at Northside Elementary School before becoming Assistant Principal at DeKalb Middle School in 2011,” said Bryant.
A year later, she went to DCHS to become an Assistant Principal along with Assistant Principal David Gash and Principal Patrick Cripps.
Bryant and her husband Neal are the parents of three sons, including a soon to be freshman at DCHS, a second grader at Smithville Elementary, and a four year old who will be in kindergarten next year. “I come from a family of educators. My grandmother was a teacher. My great grandmother was a teacher. Of course my dad (Aubrey Turner, Jr.) was an educator. He was Director of Schools here for sixteen years,” she said.
Bryant is the 11th principal at DCHS since 1963. Her predecessors are Amon Snyder, Jim Butler, Tucker Hendrix, Ernest Ray, Dr. Charles Collier, Larry Johnson, Dr. Barry Roberts, Weldon Parkinson, Kathy Hendrix, and Patrick Cripps.

Although no foul play is suspected, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department is still awaiting findings of an autopsy before issuing a statement on how 21 year old Lauren Taylor Agee died.
The Hendersonville woman’s body was found Sunday afternoon by a fisherman on Center Hill Lake near the Still Point Boat Ramp across from Pates Ford Marina.
Reports say she had been enjoying an outing with friends known as “Wakefest” over the weekend and was camping near the edge of a steep cliff overlooking the lake prior to the tragedy.

Fifty seven people were indicted by the DeKalb County Grand Jury Monday including nine named in sealed indictments.
Those indicted will be arraigned in DeKalb County Criminal Court on Monday, August 10 at 9 a.m.
Names of the defendants and their charges in the indictments are as follows:
Jeremy Mark Ashburn: driving under the influence (2nd offense) and possession of a firearm while under the influence
Clay Andrew Bain: disrupting a meeting or procession and assault (2 counts)
Jeri Nicole Beckham: forgery (18 counts)
Eddie Dean Blair: driving under the influence (4th offense), driving on a revoked license (4th offense), and speeding
Willard Darrell Brown: vandalism over $1,000
Kelli Rae Bullard: driving under the influence and failure to maintain lane
Anthony Tyrone Crews: first degree murder
Darrell Wayne Crook: domestic assault and resisting arrest
Lindsey Paulette Davenport: assault on a viable fetus
Christina Ervin: driving on a suspended license, financial responsibility, registration violation, and speeding
Jimmy Lane Estes: Robbery
Douglas Ray Ferrell: driving under the influence, reckless driving, and leaving the scene
Jacky Lynn Fults: rape of a child
Clint Garrett: worthless check
Candice Rochelle Guidry: possession of schedule IV drug, possession of paraphernalia, and light law violation.
Victor Gingerich: driving under the influence (2nd offense), driving on a revoked license, driving on a revoked license (2nd offense), financial responsibility, registration violation (two counts), and open container
Rhonda Goff: driving under the influence and failure to maintain lane
Cheryl Gotro: driving under the influence and registration violation
Joel Thomas Hayes: theft under $500 (2 counts)
Jeffrey Hennessee: reckless driving
Paul Cox Herron, Jr.: driving under the influence (2nd offense) and failure to maintain lane
Nicholas Alton Hollingsworth: initiation of a process to manufacture methamphetamine
Jesse Jones: possession of a schedule II drug for resale, possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of paraphernalia; driving under the influence, financial responsibility, and registration violation
Chad Knowles: violation of the habitual motor vehicle offender status (2 counts), driving on a revoked license (2 counts), evading arrest, reckless driving, speeding (2 counts), possession of a schedule II drug, possession of paraphernalia, and financial responsibility.
Michelle Lasser: driving on a suspended license, registration violation, and light law violation.
David Linnear: possession of a schedule VI drug
Bradley Luna: driving under the influence
Carl Everett Martin: domestic assault
Patsy Lynn Estes McCoy: auto burglary (2 counts), theft under $500 (3 counts), theft over $500, and resisting arrest
Clayton Allen Moore: driving under the influence
Lynda Michelle Neville: theft under $500
Charles Payne: possession of a schedule VI drug and violation of an order of protection
Jerry Edward Perdue: aggravated burglary
Wallace Marlon Rackley: false report
Connie Nicole Randolph: driving on a suspended license
Michael Brandon Redmon: assault (2 counts), aggravated burglary, and theft over $1,000
Teesha Reynolds: fraudulent use of a credit card (2 counts) and theft under $500
Clarence Eddie Sexton, Jr.: driving on a suspended license, financial responsibility, and seatbelt violation
William Drane Smallwood, II: driving under the influence (2nd offense), driving on a suspended license, financial responsibility, reckless driving, and seatbelt violation (2 counts)
Amanda Louise Smith: introduction of contraband into a penal institution
Sara Nicole South: driving on a revoked license (2nd offense), financial responsibility, and seatbelt violation
Rachael Sprague: child abuse
Max Arnold Teeples and Kenneth Lavon Teeples: possession of a weapon by a felon; hunting without a license, failure to wear orange, tagging violation, illegal possession of wildlife
Mark Thompson: driving under the influence (3rd offense)
Joshua McNeil Vincent: driving on a suspended license, financial responsibility, seatbelt violation, and light law violation
Andrew Wesley Wilbert: driving under the influence
Michelle Yarbro: driving under the influence and possession of a schedule IV drug
Tina Beth Young: driving under the influence (2nd offense), driving on a revoked license, financial responsibility, seatbelt violation, and failure to maintain lane

DeKalb County Students will register for the new school year on Monday, August 3
Tuesday, August 4 will be an administrative day for teachers only
The first full day of school for all students will be Wednesday, August 5
A system wide in-service day will be Tuesday, July 28
All teachers will report to their individual schools on Wednesday and Thursday July 29 and July 30
Meanwhile, the annual First Day of School Education Celebration will be Monday, August 3 from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on the public square
Sixth grade orientation for new students and parents only will be Tuesday July 28 at DeKalb Middle School. Students with last names beginning with A-M orientation will be at 6:00 PM and students with last names beginning with N-Z orientation will be at 7:00 PM.
Smithville Elementary School will have Kindergarten Open House on Tuesday, July 28 at 5:30 p.m. for all kindergarten students who pre-registered in the spring.
All Kindergarten students who Did NOT pre-register will need to wait and come on Registration Day, Monday August 3. The first full day of school is Wednesday, August 5.
Northside Elementary School will host “Meet Your Teacher “night for rising 2nd and 3rd grade students on Thursday, July 30 beginning at 5:30 p.m.

The body of a woman was found in Center Hill Lake Sunday afternoon.
Sheriff Patrick Ray told WJLE that 911 received a call at 4:43 p.m. that a fisherman had found a body in the lake near Still Point Boat Ramp across from Pates Ford Marina.
“The body recovered was that of a young lady. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death. It doesn’t appear to be foul play,” said Sheriff Ray.
The name of the woman has not yet been released. According to Sheriff Ray she was last seen alive Saturday night.

DeKalb County property owners will have to ante up a little more when their tax bill comes due this fall.
The county commission Monday night, by a vote of 9-4, increased the overall property tax rate to $1.78 cents per $100 of assessed value, as recommended by the budget committee. That’s a sixteen cent increase from the current rate of $1.62.
The new budget totaling $40,936,094 was also approved.
(CLICK LINK BELOW TO VIEW THE 2015-16 BUDGET IN ITS ENTIRETY)
DeKalb-16 Budget WITH 16 CENTS 7-7-15.pdf (229.82 KB)
According to Steve Bates, the county’s financial advisor, the primary reason for the tax increase is to keep the county from digging too deeply into fund balances to operate. “If we don’t increase the revenue this year then more than likely you’re going to start having to borrow money in order to just meet payroll. That is not a position that DeKalb County has ever been in and doesn’t want to be in,” Bates told the commission earlier this month
Bates said the county’s budget woes are primarily due to a stagnant economy in recent years in which revenues have been down while the cost of government has increased. Extra added costs due to the Affordable HealthCare Act (ObamaCare) and lower than anticipated receipts from the ambulance service are also factors.
Four commissioners voted against the sixteen cent tax increase, Joe Johnson, Betty Atnip, Elmer Ellis, Jr. and Jimmy Midgett. Ellis said while he had respect for the budget committee, he could not vote himself a tax increase. Midgett, a member of the budget committee, had previously voted for the proposed budget and tax increase when it came out of committee earlier this month.
The nine commissioners voting for the sixteen cent tax hike were Mason Carter, Jack Barton, Bradley Hendrix, Wayne Cantrell, Anita Puckett, Jerry Adcock, Jeff Barnes, Kevin Robinson, and Larry Summers. Jonathon Norris was absent.
Prior to the vote on the tax levy, the commissioners voted 10-3 in favor of the appropriations resolution for the 2015-16 fiscal year. All voted in favor except for Johnson, Midgett, and Atnip. Both Hendrix and Puckett, who are employed by the school system as teachers declared that while they had a conflict, they were representing their constituents and voting their conscience in supporting the resolution which includes school appropriations.
Meanwhile all thirteen members voted in favor of funding various non-profit groups, as is done each year, and in favor of the consolidated budget, which brings all individual funds under one spending plan.
Prior to the meeting, a public hearing was held. Only one person addressed the commission in opposition to the tax increase, asking what the new revenues would be used for. Several members and supporters of the DeKalb Animal Coalition also addressed the commission asking that the county commit funding to help start a new animal shelter. The City of Smithville has already budgeted $75,000 for this purpose. County Mayor Tim Stribling and Commissioner Jack Barton said the issue would be addressed at the next county commission meeting in August.
The new tax rate is divided up as follows:
County General Fund: 94 cents (a 12 cent increase)
General Purpose Schools: 57 cents ( a 2 cent increase)
Debt Service: 12 cents
County Highway Department: 4 cents ( a 1 cent increase)
Capital Projects Fund: 11 cents ( a 1 cent increase)
The solid waste fund, under this budget as in recent years, will not receive any property tax money but will continue to be supported by revenues derived from payment-in-lieu of taxes, local option sales tax, hotel-motel tax, state revenue sharing-TVA funds, alcoholic beverage tax, bank excise tax, and the state and wholesale beer tax.
Full time county general and sheriff’s department employees due a pay raise under the existing step wage scales will get them under this budget. The sheriff’s department budget includes a new modified pay scale that adds two more tiers to the plan. Some funding in the sheriff’s department budget was reallocated to help offset the costs. The budget also includes a $500 per month increase in pay for the county attorney.
The school budget includes funds for a new computer teacher position at Smithville Elementary School, a new part time janitor position at DeKalb West School, a new school nurse, technology and equipment upgrades, additional supplies for classrooms and intervention programs, a deaf education contract, a new scrubber, and a few other proposed new expenditures.
The county volunteer fire department budget includes funds to start an incentive pay plan based on a points system intended to help retain members and recruit new ones.
Under the incentive approach, firefighters may accumulate points for performing duties or services within the department. The more points accumulated, the greater the reward. The cost is $50,000 but only $15,000 in new money will be needed to fund the program. “We’re basically deleting the training incentive program and the fuel reimbursement program and putting it all (funding from these two programs) toward the points system as a more comprehensive approach to provide different incentives to volunteers,” said Chief Donny Green in previous meetings.
Three fire trucks in the fleet which have failed pump tests will be repaired using $33,670 from the Capital Projects Fund. And $25,000 in seed money will be set aside toward developing a new fire station in the Four Seasons community at some point in the future.
Work will continue toward completion of the new solid waste transfer station. The county has budgeted $475,000 for paving to the facility. After the transfer station is in operation the county will close its existing Class I landfill but develop a Class III/IV site on the same property for the disposal of construction material, household furniture, and other non-household garbage.
Capital projects fund expenses for the year total $373,670 including:
*”Motor Vehicles” Ambulance- $95,000
*”Other Equipment”$12,500
*”Motor Vehicles” Patrol Cars-$82,500
*”Other Equipment”- Fire department (repairs to fire trucks) $33,670
**”Other Construction”- Striping $15,000
*”Building Construction” Omega Building $40,000
**Building Construction”(seed money for Four Seasons Fire Station) $25,000
*”Solid Waste Equipment” Skidsteer/Backhoe $70,000 (landfill)
The county will be making appropriations of $146,681 to the following non-profit organizations:
Upper Cumberland Development District- $2,000
Tennessee Division of Forestry-$1,500
DeKalb County Rescue Squad- $16,821
Plateau Mental Health-$7,180
Families First-$750
Senior Citizens Program-$25,839
DeKalb Soil Conservation District-$33,166
DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce-$17,500
Imagination Library- $7,200
Genesis House- $1,500
Veterans Honor Guard-$2,000
Upper Cumberland Child Advocacy Center- $1,780
DeKalb County Fair- $1,500
WCTE-TV- $5,000
Prospect Incorporated-$12,500
Upper Cumberland Human Resources-$1,200
UCHRA Assessment-Homemaker Aide, etc-$9,245