In a vote of 10 For and 1 Against, the Union County commission voted to purchase ten acres of the Hubbs property on Prospect Road in Maynardville for $300K. Absent were Commissioners Lynn Beeler, Greg Dyer, Linda Effler, Larry Lay, and Eddie Simpson. Commissioner Gerald Simmons voted against the purchase. The purchase includes an additional two acres donated by the seller to be used to build a drug rehabilitation facility. The rehabilitation facility can be built by using opioid abatement money at no cost to the property taxpayers.

Spirit Architecture recommended the site as being an excellent location. Core drilling and sonar scanning revealed very little rock. Due to the lay of the land, the architect stated that minimal excavation would be needed. Finally, the site already has utilities. The jail plan including inmate areas, courtrooms, administrative offices and sally port fits on the site with plenty of parking.

Another ten acres are being considered for future purchase in the lower part of the Hubbs property. Presently, core drilling is being done on that land. Results of the core drilling will determine if sonar scanning is needed.

During Public Comment, citizens of Shirley Ann Lane notified the commission of the approval by the Union County Road Commission to widen and pave the single lane, dirt road located off of Highway 61 East. Mr. Newman stated that he was asked to obtain notarized signatures of property owners to ensure their agreement to allow a 25 feet right of way on their property in addition to the second lane. Mr. Newman presented the collected paperwork to Mayor Bailey, who agreed to take the documents to David Cox, Road Superintendent. Mr. Newman also opined that someone in the department should be collecting the information. Mr. Cox did not attend the meeting due to the serious illness of his mother.

Commissioners approved Mayor Jason Bailey to serve as Chairman, and Sidney Jessee, Jr. to be the Vice Chairman. They also voted to approve the Elderly tax Relief for FY 26. Mayor Bailey announced that under the current financial regulations for Union County, the responsibilities of the Budget Committee could be accomplished by the Finance Committee since the majority of the budget funded the county, the schools, and the roads and all of these department leaders were on the Finance Committee. He remarked that the Budget Committee worked tirelessly to hold multiple meetings to recommend a balance budget, only to see the budget changed and even torn apart by the full Commission. He submitted that he hoped this method would be better for all concerned. Commission approved the change as well as all committees and boards.

In the Mayor's Report, the Mayor explained and gave updates on county projects, noted the status of various grants, and introduced two new employees. He reminded commissioners that eventually a decision was needed on the Luttrell Industrial Park regarding a future owner. He itemized the repairs to the EMS Building in Maynardville while the grant for a new building was being processed. The windows will be replaced in order to keep the HVAC working efficiently and to avoid it malfunctioning due to inferior windows. The Big Ridge Community Center is ready for construction. The Speedwell Community Center site is being surveyed. The EMS Station at Sharps Chapel is in the design phase. Wendy wood is the new Director of the Union County Senior Center and the Office on Aging. Also at the Senior center is Mark Cook, the new Veterans Service officer whose hours are planned to be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and by appointment. Mayor Bailey has placed a Jail Construction tab on the Union County website at unioncountytn.gov. As for grants, applications for the CDBG for the new Maynardville EMS Station and a Work Release and Training grant for inmates are to be available soon. The 3 Star grant, the Tourism Enhancement Grant, and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Community Grant were not funded. But all will be analyzed and resubmitted in the future.. Mayor Bailey also shared that Union County has benefited from direct visitor spending in the amount of $32.8M which ranks 45th of 95 counties. These visitors include day visitors who attend festivals, events, parks, or lakes and purchase goods at small businesses or retail establishments and travel at greater than 50 miles. The visitor count also includes those who spend the night at cabins, Air B&B's, apartments, or homes. This visitor spending generated $397 in tax savings for every Union County household.

Mayor Bailey also read a letter from one of the first graduates of Recovery Court who after 22 years of addiction is now 20 months clean. In the last 20 months, the graduate paid all of the court fines, regained a driver's license, and move into their own home. Removal of the breathalyzer was another step toward freedom and the rebuilding of family relationships through the program. Mayor Bailey explained that the Recovery Court works and has placed Union County far ahead of surrounding counties in the development of positive, successful programs from the use of the Opioid Abatement Funds.

Greg Clay shared the Lewis Group's update on the new middle school construction. The entire facility is about 46% complete and will be completely under roof by the end of 2025.

At the October meeting, Commission plans to decide whether to use a general contractor or a construction manager for the jail project. Also in October, a decision on whether to increase the mineral tax from 15 cents a ton to 20 cents a ton is expected. The mineral tax is used for the county road fund to pay for construction, maintenance, and repair of county roads. The tax applies to the extraction of sand, gravel, sandstone, chert, and limestone. Commissioners asked for the Finance Department to provide a breakdown of the mining industries in the county and the amount of tax paid by each before the next regular meeting on October 27, 2025.