Smithville Volunteer Firefighter Hoyte Hale received the “Highest Attendance Award” Friday night during an appreciation dinner for city firefighters at the Smithville First United Methodist Christian Fellowship Center.
The award was presented to Hale by Smithville Fire Chief Charlie Parker.
Hale, currently deputy chief and a 30 year veteran of the department, attended 154 out of 175 calls during the year 2015. He also put in the most training hours at 136 for the year. “We only have about twenty five members in our department so it’s hard to pick a firefighter of the year from these twenty five guys because just about all of them are firefighters of the year. The officers and firefighters each do a fantastic job all year long so it makes it really tough to pick one. The biggest thing we do is give a “Highest Attendance Award” which honors the one who puts the extra commitment and dedication to get up at two o’clock in the morning and come to the calls. The “Highest Attendance Award” this year for the number of calls goes to Hoyte Hale,” said Chief Parker.
Other firefighters with high attendance responses to their credit were Lieutenant John Poss with 135 calls, Lieutenant Donnie Cantrell 134, Lieutenant Danny Poss 132, and Randall Hunt with 130 calls.
Meanwhile a new award was presented this year. Chief Parker recognized Gary Johnson for the most training hours among non-officer firefighters. He put in 50 hours of training this year.
Meanwhile city firefighters were recognized for years of service including the following:
Robin Summers: Rookie
Kim Johnson: Rookie
C.J. Tramel- 1 year
Dalton Roberts- 1 year
Cody Fults- 1 year
Bradley Johnson-1 year
Shawn Jacobs-2 years (Alderman and Auxiliary member)
Kevin Adcock- 5 years (2nd tenure with department) 16 years total
Cory Killian- 4 years
Glen Lattimore- 7 years
Stephanie Wright- 9 years
Randall Hunt- 10 years
Gary Johnson-10 years
Wallace Caldwell- (Chaplain) 11 years
Wink Brown- 17 years
Greg Bess (Photographer)- 20 years
John Poss (Lieutenant)- 24 years
Jeff Wright (Captain)- 29 years
Hoyte Hale (Deputy Chief)- 30 years
Donnie Cantrell (Lieutenant)- 35 years
Danny Poss (Lieutenant)- 35 years
Charles Parker (Chief)- 35 years.
Chaplain Wallace Caldwell briefly spoke offering words of encouragement. He read “Take Time for Ten Things”:
1. Take time to work–it is the price of success.
2. Take time to think– it is the source of power.
3. Take time to play–it is the secret of youth
4. Take time to read– it is the foundation of knowledge.
5. Take time to worship–it is the highway of reverence and washes the dust of earth from our eyes.
6. Take time to help and enjoy fiends– it is the source of happiness.
7. Take time to love– it is the one sacrament of life.
8. Take time to dream– it hitches the soul to the stars.
9. Take time to laugh–it is the singing that helps with life’s loads.
10. Take time to plan– it is the secret of being able to have time to take time for the first nine things.
Chaplain Caldwell also read the following poem by Robert H. Smith:
“The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.
To lose one’s wealth is sad indeed,
To lose one’s health is more,
To lose one’s soul is such a loss
That no man can restore.”
“The short time it took me to read these 53 words 39 people died. Every hour 5,417 people go out to meet their maker. You could have been among them. Sooner or later you will be. With that I would like to leave you with a question I ask. Are you ready?” Caldwell concluded.
In addition to the firefighters and their spouses, the event was attended by Mayor Jimmy Poss and Aldermen Jason Murphy, Danny Washer, Gayla Hendrix, Josh Miller and Shawn Jacobs and members of their families. City officials expressed appreciation to the firefighters for the work they do and their commitment to helping improve the operation of the fire department to keep residents safer.

The DeKalb County unemployment rate for December was 6.7%, down from 6.8% in November and 7.5% in December, 2014.
The local labor force for December was 7,110. A total of 6,630 were employed and 480 were unemployed.
DeKalb County’s Jobless Rate for December was sixth highest in the fourteen county Upper Cumberland region.
Here’s how they rank from highest to lowest:
Clay: 8.5%
Pickett:8.4%
Van Buren: 7.8%
Cumberland: 7.5%
Jackson: 7.4%
DeKalb: 6.7%
Fentress: 6.7%
Overton: 6.2%
White: 5.6%
Warren: 5.3%
Putnam: 5.3%
Cannon: 5.3%
Smith: 4.8%
Macon:4.7%
County unemployment rates for December 2015 show the rates decreased in 43 counties, increased in 35, and remained the same in 17 counties.
For the month of December, Davidson County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate at 4.0 percent, down from November’s rate of 4.1 percent. Knox County was 4.3 percent in December, down from 4.4 the previous month. The Hamilton County rate was 5.1 percent, the same as November. Shelby County was 6.1 percent, down from 6.4 percent the previous month.
Tennessee’s preliminary unemployment rate for December was 5.6 percent, up one tenth of a percentage point from the previous month’s revised rate. The U.S. preliminary rate for December was 5.0 percent, unchanged from November.
The state and national unemployment rates are seasonally adjusted while the county unemployment rates are not. Seasonal adjustment is a statistical technique that eliminates the influences of weather, holidays, the opening and closing of schools, and other recurring seasonal events from economic time series.

DeKalb County 4-H recently held the county-wide public speaking contest at the County Complex. Twenty youth from various grades competed to earn a spot at the regional contest and for cash awards. The 4th-6th graders were all winners from their classroom contests held last fall.
In 4th grade, 1st place was awarded to Tess Barton from DeKalb West School, 2nd place to Peyton Norris from Northside Elementary, and 3rd place to Summer Morse from the homeschool 4-H club. Other participants from Northside included Jazmine Wagner, Chloe Lawson, Ian Colwell, Jacob Hendrix, Kathryn Hale, and James Anthony Brown. Riley Fuson from DeKalb West School was also a contestant.
In the 5th grade division, four Northside students participated. First place went to Cooper Brown, 2nd to Sheridan O’Conner, 3rd to Zoe Cripps, and 4th to Leslie Sosa. The 6th grade winner was Evan Morse from the homeshool 4-H club. Jacob Beaty, 2nd place, Kaydence Thompson, 3rd place, and Maeloree Kirby, 4th place, all represented DeKalb Middle School.
Lily Martin, 7th grader at DeKalb West School, and Kayla Belk, 10th grader at DCHS, also competed and will move on to the regional contest along with Tess, Peyton, Cooper, Sheridan, Evan, and Jacob. We know they will represent DeKalb County well!
Public speaking is one of the most important and valuable skills these young people will learn to help them with their future careers. There were a total of around 350 4-H members who gave a speech this year! We are proud of their hard work and courage. For more information about the 4-H program, please contact the UT/TSU Extension Office at 615-597-4945.
Photo Captions:
4th Grade:
Front Row: Tess Barton, Peyton Norris, and Summer Morse. Back Row: Jazmine Wagner, Riley Fuson, Chloe Lawson, Ian Colwell, Jacob Hendrix, Kathryn Hale, and James Anthony Brown.
5th Grade:
Leslie Sosa, Zoe Cripps, Sheridan O’Conner, and Cooper Brown
6th Grade:
Evan Morse, Jacob Beaty, Kaydence Thompson, and Maeloree Kirby
7th and 10 Grade:
Lily Martin and Kayla Belk

A fire destroyed a two story home in the Austin Bottom community of DeKalb County Tuesday evening.
The residence at 1000 Sunny Point Road belonged to Eric and Linda Westin. The family lost the home and all their belongings including two dogs and a cat. The fire is estimated to have caused $450,000 in damage.
David Agee, Assistant DeKalb County Fire Chief, told WJLE that Mr. Westin was home at the time and discovered the blaze in the basement when he went to check on his dogs after he heard them barking. He was unable to save the animals.
As firefighters were enroute, Mr. Westin tried to extinguish the blaze himself and suffered second degree burns to the tops of both hands. He was treated at Cookeville Regional Medical Center.
Mrs. Westin, director of the Friends of Cookeville/Putnam County Animals, was not at home at the time of the fire.
The Austin Bottom Fire Station was the first to arrive. Members of the Short Mountain Highway, Midway, Johnson’s Chapel, Tanker 1, and Equipment Truck also responded from DeKalb County along with Putnam County Fire Department who sent a tanker and volunteers through the counties’ mutual aid agreement.
The cause of the fire is undetermined.

The Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce recently had a Ribbon Cutting for new member, Poppie’s Boutique, 660 W. Broad St., Smithville (next to O’Reilly Auto Parts).
Poppie’s Boutique is a uniquely vintage-inspired mix of quality boutique clothing, boutique & handmade accessories, & one-of-a-kind gifts carefully handpicked for their customers! Owners Hunter and Sarah Collins stated, “Our boutique line has done so well with our Airstream boutique & Facebook sales, we couldn’t resist opening a storefront in our hometown. We offer excellent brands & extended plus sizes, as well.” They also feature almost 20 handmade & local artisans including handmade candles, goats milk soap & lotion products, antique spoon jewelry, reclaimed barn wood signs, monogramming, chalk paint, pillows, pottery & more. In addition, they offer chalk paint classes, essential oils courses, and “Poppie’s Parties,” where customers can invite friends after hours & earn free merchandise! Sarah and Hunter say, “We have loved being out on the road with our Airstream boutique, which we will still be doing, but we are so thankful & blessed to be able to have this storefront opportunity in Smithville!” Store hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 9 AM to 6 PM.
See attached pic.
Lots of family, friends, & community folks showed up to congratulate Poppie’s Boutique owners, Hunter and Sarah Collins, including County Mayor Tim Stribling, Chamber Director Suzanne Williams, and Chamber Board Members Kathy Hendrixson, Jacob Young, Dwayne Cornelius, Jane Brown, and Connie Tjarks.

Alexandria currently elects its city leaders in odd years during the month of September
But the Alexandria mayor and aldermen have begun the process of changing the city charter regarding the municipal election, having it to run in conjunction with the August County General Elections in even years to save the city money. The change will extend the terms of the present board of mayor and aldermen by at least one year to adjust their election cycles.
During Tuesday night’s monthly meeting, the aldermen unanimously adopted a resolution seeking to amend the city’s charter, an action which will have to be approved by the Tennessee General Assembly.
The terms of Aldermen Kelly Pyburn, David Cripps, and John F. Suggs currently run through 2019 while the terms of Mayor Bennett Armstrong and Aldermen Randy Payne, Danny Parkerson and Matt Boss are to expire in 2017.
Under the proposed amendment to the charter, a mayor and three aldermen are to be elected on the first Thursday in August, 2018, who will serve a four year term through Thursday, August 2022 or until their successors are elected and qualified. Those positions are currently held by Mayor Armstrong and Aldermen Payne, Parkerson, and Boss.
The proposed amendment to the charter further provides that at the municipal election on the first Thursday in August 2020, three aldermen are to be elected who will serve a four year term ending on the first Thursday of August 2024 or until their successors are elected and qualified. Those positions are currently held by Aldermen Pyburn, Cripps, and Suggs.
City attorney Vester Parsley told the mayor and aldermen that changing the dates of the municipal elections will keep the city from having to spend two thousand to three thousand dollars each election cycle.
Once the charter amendment is adopted by the state legislature, the Alexandria Aldermen will have to adopt it again by at least a two thirds majority.
In other business, the aldermen voted to opt in to the state residential building codes program. According to Tim Planer, who works for the State Fire Marshal’s Office as a State Residential Building Supervisor, the city has three options: to opt in to the state program; to adopt a plan of its own; or to opt out altogether. Planer addressed the Mayor and Aldermen Tuesday night.
“After each election there is a 180 day period for a jurisdiction to opt out of the state standard building codes. Each jurisdiction has three options as far as building codes. The first one is to opt out in which there are no building codes in the area and there are no inspections. Because of that there are no certificates of occupancies that are issued against the properties,” said Planer.
“The second option is to be an exempt jurisdiction in which you have your own building department. Your own inspector. You hire them and they work for the city,” he said
“The third option is to opt in to the state building code program. The statewide standard for building codes is that the state supplies the building that sells the permit. The state supplies the inspectors and we do the inspections and issue the certificate of occupancy on new construction. This new construction is for new housing and for additions only. Outbuildings and sheds are not required to have permits or inspections. Nor are detached garages. The only time is if you are changing the footprint of the house and that is either going out or up. That is the only time a building permit is required for those. In most cases there are three or four inspections required including footing or foundation; roughed in, which is roughed in framing, mechanical, and plumbing, and a final inspection. Upon passage of all these inspections, a certificate of occupancy is issued,” he concluded.
The aldermen chose the third option.

As of Monday, January 25th the DeKalb County Trustee’s Office had collected 47.07% of the $8.5 million in 2015 county property taxes to be collected by February 29, 2016. That includes property, residential, commercial, personal, and public utility taxes.
In a quarterly report to the county commission Monday night, Trustee Sean Driver said collections to date are up over last year’s collections of 44.81% by this date (January 25). The tax base this year is also larger because of the sixteen cent property tax increase adopted by the county commission last summer for this fiscal year. Trustee Driver said the county’s tax base this year has expanded to $8,578,328, an increase of $835,000 over last year’s tax base of $7.7 million.
Monday, February 29 is the last day to pay the 2015 property taxes before penalties start accruing March 1.
For 2015 you can:
1.Come in person to pay at the office.
2. Mail in your payment.
3. Pay online at tennesseetrustee.com then select DeKalb. The Vendor accepts Discover, MasterCard, Visa, or American Express. A Vendor convenience fee of 2.75% on the total tax bill may apply and fees are subject to change for using credit/debit cards. Also, a $2.75 fee will be assessed on an e-check payment of any amount.
4. A Dropbox is also located on the outside of the county complex building (where the Trustee’s Office is located) for your convenience after hours or on weekends.
Partial Payments are accepted and you the taxpayer may set the amount to pay.
You may also qualify for the State of Tennessee Property Tax Relief Program The last day to sign up for tax relief is April 5. If you would like more information come by the County Complex in the Trustee’s office at 732 S. Congress Blvd-Room 103, Smithville, TN 37166 or call at 615-597-5176.
The Trustee’s Office is open regular hours from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday- Friday.
Any 2014 unpaid property taxes may be paid with interest and penalty through March 31. However any 2014 unpaid taxes will be turned over to the Chancery Court on April 1 for collection. The Trustee’s Office will soon be sending out a notice to those still delinquent.

The name of a road in the sixth district is being changed to honor a man in that community who passed away last year.
The county commission Monday night voted to change the name of Mason Cemetery Road to Porter’s Way upon the recommendation of the planning commission. The request was initiated by property owners in the area as a way to remember the late Porter Webb.
“A couple of months ago we were approached by some people who had bought some property from the estate of Porter Webb who were wanting to change the name of Mason Cemetery Road to Porter’s Way. They wrote a letter to the county mayor’s office which says “the landowners along Mason Cemetery Road including D &J Farming, Jonathon Puckett, Charles Webb, Greg Driver, and David and Nancy Womack respectfully ask to have the name of the road changed to Porter’s Way. We are all in agreement for this change to honor the late Porter Webb” and they all signed it. I passed this along to the county commissioners in that area Betty Atnip and Jeff Barnes. The planning commission met last Monday night and recommended the name change. There are no structures on this road so there will not have to be any 911 addresses changed,” said County Mayor Tim Stribling.

The DeKalb County Commission Monday night adopted a resolution authorizing the filing of an application to the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development for a Community Development Block grant to help fund the extension of water lines to a portion of DeKalb County.
The county has applied for and been denied the grant twice within the last two years. But this time in order to improve its chances, the county plans to ask for a little less grant money while the DeKalb Utility District has committed to ante up more. The total project cost would be the same.
If approved, the grant would be $501,000 with a $120,000 local match by the DeKalb Utility District.
Amanda Mainord of Grassroots Planning & Consulting, grant administrator, said the project would serve around 40 households on Tramel Branch, Oakley Road, Carter Lane, Old Givens Hollow, and the Dismal to Alexandria Road. Officials say many of these residents have to live with poor quality water or little or no water.
“I have been contacting residents who live on those roads and the utility district will be doing well testing again to check for bacteria in the water. We will then compile all that information in an application for the grant at the end of February,” said Mainord.
“The goal of the Community Development Block Grant is to serve low income communities. We have to prove that at least 51% of the area is low income. The more people who live in the area makes our costs per person lower. Last year’s survey showed about 40 families in the area or about 113 people. I’ve recently traveled the road and found that there’s about five extra houses than there were last year. The more people we have on the road the better we will score (for the grant). We’re up to about 137 people right now so this water line extension is greatly needed,” Mainord continued.
The grant application is due by the end of February. “I’ll submit the application to the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. The staff there will review the applications and rank them in comparison with other grant applications for water line extension projects. They will go out and visit the area and count the number of houses. After ranking the list, they will submit it to the Governor’s office. In 2014 about twelve water line extension grants were approved. In 2015 they only approved seven,” Mainord concluded.
It may be fall before its known if the grant is approved.

County Fire Chief Donny Green and Assistant Chief David Agee will serve in those positions for another year.
The county commission Monday night gave its approval.
County Mayor Tim Stribling read a letter to the commission from Chief Green stating that he and Agee were recently recommended for re-appointment by the county firefighters. “The membership of the DeKalb County Fire Department met January 3, 2016 for our annual election of officers. The following were nominated unanimously by the membership for your approval: Donny Green, Fire Chief and David Agee, Assistant Fire Chief for a one year term to end on January 8, 2017”.