The Union County Commission voted to abolish the position of constable for the second reading at the commission meeting on April 28. All voted for the motion by Sidney Jessee and seconded by Kenny Moore with the exception of Angela Conner-Murphy, who abstained. A handful of citizens and a representative of the Tennessee Constables Association requested that commissioners find another solution. But the recent lawsuits that have been filed due to the wreck in Sharps Chapel heavily influenced the vote. Current constables will complete their term, but beginning with the 2026 ballot there will not be a constable election.

Crystal Ivey from KUB presented information on the Connect Ed Program. Currently operational in Knox County, a Memorandum of Understanding between KUB, Knoxville and Knox County enables students to get one gig of internet free per month by meeting the program requirements of residency and economic eligibility. The program is provided by using a portion of the internet taxes that KUB pays to the city and county so there are no property taxes used for the program. KUB and Union County will research the feasibility of the program for the county.

Brittney Crawford, the 911 Director, requested approval of an interlocal agreement for 2026 between 911 and Union County. The agreement is a procedural requirement for 911 to provide services to the county and corrected a 17-year oversight of no formal agreement.

The commission adopted the 2024 International Building Codes to stay compliant with state regulations. Conner-Murphy, chairperson of the budget committee, reported that the committee was concerned that the private act regarding setting building permit costs at 50 cents a square foot failed to pass in the recent legislative session. The result is that residential permits will remain at $225 and commercial permits will be $450. Without the increase, the revenue may fall short of the expected revenue for the FY2026 budget and may cause commissioners to use money from the fund balance to have a balanced budget. Discussion revealed that some legislators thought the permit fee was too high. Representative Dennis Powers is exploring the drafting of a bill that would remove control of building permit fees from the state legislature and put the responsibility in the power of local commissions.

Director Greg Clay reported that the 6th grade wing of the new middle school is complete. The 8th grade tower for the stairs is progressing. The second story for the 7th grade will be completed by August. The projected completion timeline for other areas include the administration section by September, the 8th grade by November, the gym by December, and power turned on by February 2026. The school system is still using the remainder of the money in the school budget for construction. The first payment for the bond will be in the FY2026 budget. Excavation on the baseball field is continuing. The excavation expects to encounter more rock during the development of the softball field that will likely push the overrun to above $4M. But Clay assured commissioners that money was in the plan to cover these costs with no increase to the original bond.

All budget amendments and transfers passed. County Mayor Jason Bailey received approval on a quote of $9800 to fix the plumbing issue at Brock which will require digging up the pipes that are under pavement.

Commissioners Sidney Jessee and Greg Dyer agreed to postpone to May for the vote on the six-month option contract for the Hubbs property to do the core drilling and determine the suitability for the new jail.

Commission approved Lisa Holloway for the equalization board and Danny Cooke for the budget committee. Commissioners also approved the 911 employees to have the opportunity to join the county insurance plan at the employee’s expense.

Bailey noted a 6.4 percent growth in population since 2020 which puts Union County’s population growth ahead of most of the surrounding counties except Grainger and Jefferson. He also reported that the site plan for the Speedwell Community Center is complete and the property purchase is complete for the Big Ridge Community Center.

The next meeting of the Union County Commission will be on Tuesday, May 27, in the large courtroom due to the Memorial Day holiday.