At the February meeting, Union County Commission approved a resolution entitled “Resolution Urging Governor Lee and the General Assembly Fund and Begin Construction of Improvements on State Highway 33 aka Maynardville Highway from Knox County Line Northwardly to the Municipal Limits of Maynardville.”
This section of Maynardville Highway is the last one to connect Knoxville and Maynardville with a four-lane highway. The five miles from SR 144 to the Knox County line has been “shovel ready” for several years.

Commissioners Present: Jeffrey Brantley, Danny Cooke, Bill Cox, Earl Cox, Gary England, Dawn Flatford, Kenny Hill, Janet Holloway, Sidney Jessee, Jr., R. L. Jones, Larry Lay, and Becky Munsey
Commissioners Absent: Jeff Chesney, Debra Keck, Joyce Meltabarger and Jody Smith
- Notaries approved: Shannon Brooks, Elbra Davis, Jennifer Helms, Travis Patterson, Sheila Ann Rice, Carrie Elizabeth Rule, Teresa Lynn Satterfield, Barbara J. Williams

At the November Union County Commission meeting, Vice Mayor Gary England presided since Mayor Bailey was chaperoning his son's school trip to the BETA Convention.
The October minutes and one notary were approved.
Gary England referenced the Mayor's Report and requested that commissioners review the printed report and contact Mayor Bailey with any questions they may have.
Sheriff Breeding reported 748 calls, eight wrecks with injury, 30 wrecks with no injury, 136 booked, 146 released and 89 as the current jail population for the month of October.

Orderly progress appeared to be the theme of the Union County Commission Meeting on September 23. Chairman Jason Bailey and Vice Chairman Gary England were re-elected to their leadership positions by acclimation. Commission approved the minutes and notaries as usual. Grants, building improvements, and finance highlighted the Mayor's Report.

When rumors circulated on Facebook regarding a resolution to amend the Regulations Governing the Cleanup of Illegal Dump Sites (Litter Ordinance), Mayor Jason Bailey candidly told the rather large crowd at the August County Commission meeting that “there will be no drama here tonight.”

By Marilyn Toppins

Monday, June 10 at 7:00 pm, the Commission will meet in special session to consider the FY20 Union County Budget. Mayor Bailey announced, “The budget is balanced.” According to Finance Director Ann Dyer, 1.06 pennies were moved from debt service and 2.97 pennies were taken from capital projects to balance the budget. The tax rate remains the same as last year.

Union County Solid Waste collected 421 pounds of household hazardous waste during its event on Saturday, May 18.

Union County has never had a county seal. Other counties have a seal that reflects their work, products, resources, or heritage. Believing that Union County should have a seal, Mayor Jason Bailey met with Ms. Lana Booker, who teaches graphic design at Union County High School. The Mayor challenged the students to develop several seals. He offered to personally fund the project with a $50 gift card to the student who developed the winning design. The students submitted their designs anonymously and a committee of county leaders narrowed the choices to the top three.

On a roll call vote at Monday's March regular meeting, Union County Commission voted to table the discussion of the Byrd Property. During the Mayor's Report, Mayor Bailey stated that a lot of people had asked him to bring the issue of the Byrd Mortuary property up for discussion.

A special thank you to Chantay Collins for videoing the December 10th Commission meeting.

For the second consecutive month, the County Commission opened its meeting with a moment of silence. Hugh Kitts, an employee of the Union County Highway Department, was remembered for his service. For the second consecutive month, the election of Chairman was on the agenda. When Chairman England called for nominees for Chairman, Commissioner Jody Smith nominated Commissioner Gary England. Commissioner England respectfully declined and stated that he felt accepting the nomination would continue to divide the Commission. Chairman England again called for nominees.

Written by Marilyn Toppins and recorded by Chantay Collins.

From the opening remarks to the vacant chair adorned with a white wreath, it was evident that the recent passing of Commissioner J. M. Bailey weighed on the minds of everyone who attended the Monday night Union County Commission Meeting. After a moment of silence, Chairman Gary England paid tribute to Commissioner Bailey by saying that he had lost a colleague and a friend. “No matter what you may have thought of his views, J. M. never voted on an issue that he did not understand. You could always count on him to ask a question, and I'll miss him,“ stated Mr. England.