Menu
County Commission talks water conditions, EMS costs, and grants during Monday’s meeting
RACHEL TOWNSEND
Managing Editor
The Dyer County Legislative Body convened Monday night, October 14 for a lengthy agenda including conversations regarding a potential increase in the cost of EMS coverage, the condition of water from Dyersburg Suburban Consolidated Utility District (DSCUD), and an update on grants from Dyersburg-Dyer County Chamber President Slater Barr.
The meeting followed subcommittee meetings of the Local Government Committee and the Budget Committee and was held in the General Session Courtroom due to ongoing renovations at the Dyer Courthouse.
Commissioners present for the meeting included Chairman John Uitendaal, Jimmy Hester, James “T” Bubba Cobb, Debbie Bradshaw-Hart, Debra Roberson, Brandon Dodds, Larry Shawver, Hunter Jackson, Terry McCreight, Steve Sartin, Steve Moore, Bradley Gray, Kim “Peck” Peckenpaugh, Pam Newell, Doug SIngleteary, Greg Vestal, Dob Johnson, Dyer County Mayor David Quick, and Victor McLin.
Absent: Robert Kirby and Mark Korn
DSCUD
Quick noted that while issues have arisen due to water conditions at DSCUD, the Board of Directors is taking an active stance in improving conditions for residents. He said DSCUD received roughly $942K in American Rescue Plan funds that were matched by the county in the amount of $141K. Quick said a match was also provided by the Dyersburg City Water District in the amount of $144K. Quick said DSCUD still has $1.189M of those grant funds to use for infrastructure improvements.
Quick said improvements are slated to begin in April of 2025. He also noted that DSCUD has an employee certified in both water distribution and water filtration. He also informed the Commission that Well #1 is fixed and running after 46 water leaks were addressed. Well #2 is under construction, and lines are being flushed at regular intervals in accordance with state laws.
Quick said the board will review the plant in Finley for maintenance and determine if the Finley plant will be hooked up to Dyersburg’s water lines. Conversations with DSCUD’s attorney and the City of Dyersburg are in progress, according to Quick. If DSCUD does connect to Dyersburg’s lines, Dyersburg City Recorder Scott Ball says the city would only serve as a water provider and would not be responsible for any maintenance or upkeep of the lines.
Quick says the board plans to apply for a Community Development Block Grant in October of 2025. DSCUD Board members overseeing DSCUD were named: Robert Mauldin, Phil Jones, and Tom White.
The State Gazette spoke briefly with local resident Tim Vestal who was present for the meeting. Vestal says he and others share concerns over the condition of water provided by DSCUD and plan on being placed on the November agenda to confront the Commission.
Vestal says he filled out the necessary paperwork to be placed on the agenda to speak for October, however, his request was denied by Chairman Uitendaal. Vestal says he has concerns over how the water situation will impact schools and children at Holice Powell and Finley Elementary as well as the roadways.
In a conversation with Uitendaal on Tuesday, October 15, he told State Gazette that Vestal’s request to speak was denied as DSCUD business was not slated for the agenda nor is DSCUD a county-owned entity on which the Commission can vote. He noted his decision was based on the language of the Public Comments Resolution passed by the CLB in 2023 which states that comments should concern "matters that are germane to the items on the agenda for the meeting". He said any citizen concerns regarding DSCUD should be relayed to the respective commissioner(s) of their district, at which point the commissioner could make an address.
HVAC at the Dyer County Community Complex
Quick addressed a question raised by Jackson regarding the HVAC system at the Dyer County Community Complex. According to Quick, one of the units needs to be replaced. He informed the Commission that there is a grant that could possibly fund the replacement.
EMS update
Singleteary announced that Medical Center EMS will experience a shortfall of roughly $922K. EMS services are due to be re-bid for coverage beginning in July of 2025. According to Quick, $850K of the shortfall comes from wage increases for EMS workers.
Raises for workers were first discussed in March of 2024 when it was reported that Dyersburg EMS was having a difficult time recruiting talent due to its inability to offer competitive wages [https://www.stategazette.com/story/3033959.html].
Addressing the cost of the county starting its own EMS services, Quick noted that consultant Mark Alley advised the county should not start its own ambulance service. He said Alley advised it would take three years to start a service with a $10M initial investment and $3M annual budget allocation. Quick advised the county to start early bidding to secure a more affordable contract.
Tourism and Grants
Chamber President Slater Barr addressed the Commission with updates regarding grants, specifically mentioning one the county was recently denied for $100K. If awarded, the grant would have funded the installation of a sprinkler system at the Dyer County Community Complex to create an event center space. Barr told the Commission he felt that the grant was likely not awarded due to the lower number of tourists the event center would attract.
“I think just from the conversations I’ve had with the Department of Tourism and given by own numbers that we use and based upon the performance of the facility in Henderson, TN, the Williams Auditorium, they were reporting that 32% of their attendees were tourists coming from more than 50-miles away,” said Barr. “So, I think the Department of Tourist Development views this as a 70% community and a 30% tourist project, and they deal with tourism. I’m sure that weighed into why we didn’t get it.”
According to Quick, the sprinkler system would have brought the county one step closer to utilizing the building, in part, as an event center, housing household name entertainment, and generating additional sales tax revenue and tourism dollars to Dyer County.
Barr also noted the Chamber’s receipt of the Rural Arts Facilities Grant for $100K which is currently being used to fund renovations at the Dyersburg Farmers Market for the addition of an indoor/outdoor stage.
Barr said members of the Tennessee Arts Commission recently toured the Farmers Market to check on the progress of construction. During that time, they discussed the potential of the Dyer County Community Complex’s event center.
Barr said the county was highly encouraged by the Commission to apply for an upcoming grant of $200K. Barr expressed willingness to handle the grant himself on behalf of the county. The grant cycle will open July 1, 2025-June 15, 2026. Applications will be taken beginning November 15.
At the request of Quick, Barr noted the event center could potentially generate $662,400 per year in new spending, raising total Dyer County tourism revenue to $69.4M per year.
A motion was made by Jackson to approve Barr pursuing the grant on behalf of the county. The motion was seconded by Johnson, with all in favor.
Barr also discussed a grant opportunity that will allow for an additional 60 acres of property to be added to the site development location. Funding for the additional acreage was made possible through a $500K TVA Invest Prep Grant. A $5M grant was awarded to the Industrial Development Board in 2023 for the site development project. The grant is the largest site development award in Tennessee history and will be used to pave the way for a new 100,000 sq. ft. industrial spec building.
McIver’s Grant Public Library
McIver’s Grant Public Library Director Vanessa Cain brought this year’s Library Card Signup Month ambassador, Optimus Prime, leader of the Transformers, with her to the County Commission meeting. She thanked the board for its continued support of the library and asked them to take a photo with Optimus.
Appointments
The Commission unanimously voted to re-appoint Mickey McClure and Hunter Newbill to 4-year terms on the Planning Commission.
The Commission unanimously voted to re-appoint Wally Childress and Roger Long to 2-year terms on the Bogota Drainage Committee. Additionally, the Commission unanimously approved the new appointment of Pete Kizer to the Bogota Drainage Committee.
The Commission unanimously voted to appoint Lyn Taylor to the McIver’s Grant Public Library Board of Trustees for a 3-year term.
The Commission unanimously voted to appoint Danny Watson to a 5-year term to the Zoning and Appeals Board.
Fund Appropriations
Budget Committee Chair Debbie Bradshaw-Hart motioned to approve various fund transfers that had been approved by the Budget Committee before the CLB meeting:
Included in the motion, Bradshaw-Hart asked the Commission to approve the Cooperative Purchasing Agreement with OMNIA Partners, as discussed during the Budget Committee meeting.
The motion was seconded by Jackson with all others voting in favor.
Local Government
The Local Government Committee convened before the CLB to discuss agenda items to be brought before the CLB including an amendment to the Hotel/Motel Tax Resolution. Chair Brandon Dodds motioned for the Commission to accept an amendment to the Hotel/Motel Resolution that would allow the Trustee to collect 1% of the motel/hotel tax per state law. The motion was seconded by Roberson, with all others voting in favor.
Law Enforcement
Law Enforcement Chair Kim “Peck” Peckenpaugh motioned for the Commission to approve two items of business approved by the Law Committee including automated license plate readers and a resolution for an agreement for Electronic Monitoring at Will services through A2i, LLC.
According to Dyer County Sheriff Jeff Box, the LPRs would only be used on state highways to identify tags that would aid in criminal investigations or in the search for missing or endangered persons. Box says LPRs would not be used to fine citizens for speeding or expired tags. The LPRs are grant-funded for one year. Box says the annual cost to maintain services for the LPRs is roughly $300 per year. He said an LPR was recently used to identify a sex offender who was attempting to attend an event at Dyer County High School.
The motion was seconded by Shawver, with none opposed.
Concerning the monitoring devices, Box said the devices would be paid for by the offenders and would be implemented at the discretion of the judge in the event of certain crimes, including domestic violence and stalking through the use of geofencing and additional monitoring devices. Box said all aggravated assault offenders are now required to wear the monitoring devices.
The motion was seconded by Dodds, with none opposed.
With no further business, the meeting adjourned.