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Hawkins County Mayor Jim Lee at the Spet. 24 County Commission meeting.
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Hawkins County Commission

Hawkins mayor's committee appointments up for vote at Oct. 22 commission meeting

Hawkins County Mayor Jim Lee's county commission committee appointments were released Wednesday with the Oct. 22 commission meeting agenda, with one commissioner from each of the seven districts represented on nearly every committee.

Oct 10, 2018 at 9:00 PM
Newly appointed Hawkins County Commission chairman Mike Herrell and chairman pro tem John Metz.
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Hawkins County Commission

Unified? Two votes needed to appoint Hawkins commission chairman

Prior to approving its chairman, however, the Hawkins County Commission voted 15-6 to place the power of appointing committees back in the hands of the county mayor, and not the chairman.

Sep 26, 2018 at 2:14 PM
Hawkins County Commissioners Mike Herrell, left, and Jeff Barrett, right, are both seeking the chairmanship of the Hawkins County Commission, which will be voted on by the commission at its Sept. 24 meeting.
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Hawkins County Commission

Herrell, Barrett seeking chairmanship of Hawkins County commission

There’s more at stake than who gets to bang the gavel. The chairman, who until now has always been the county mayor, also gets to make appointments to all of the commission’s committees including the all important Budget Committee. 

Sep 19, 2018 at 8:46 AM
Hawkins County Mayor Jim Lee
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Hawkins County Commission

New Hawkins Mayor Lee forgoes chairmanship of county commission

In light of Mayor Jim Lee's decision to forgo the chairmanship, newly elected Commissioner Mark DeWitte has submitted a resolution for the Sept. 27 Commission meeting nominating Commissioner Mike Herrell to serve as chairman of the commission.

Sep 12, 2018 at 6:00 PM
From left, Tennessee state Rep. Gary Hicks, state Sen. Frank Niceley, Mike Faulk's widow Holly and state Sen. Art Swann unveil a sign dedicating a section of Highway 11W in his honor.
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Judge Mike Faulk

Mike Faulk got a birthday present

On what would have been his 65th birthday, friends and state lawmakers dedicated a section of Highway 11-W in Hawkins County on Monday as the Judge Michael A. Faulk Memorial Highway. The segment honoring Faulk begins at the intersection of Netherland Inn Road and ends where the road crosses Goshen Valley Road.

Sep 10, 2018 at 6:00 PM
Commissioners Greg Fletcher and Mike Herrell presented a plaque of recognition to the wife (Betsy), son (Benjamin), and sister (Vickie Seay) of late commissioner Charlie Newton who passed away last month after 16 years on the commission.
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Hawkins County Commission

Rogersville will pay 60 percent of cost to install ADA doors at H.B. Stamps Library

The Hawkins County Commission approved an agreement Monday that calls for Rogersville to pay 60 percent of the cost of replacing doors at the H.B. Stamps Public Library, despite an attempt to delay approval for one month.

Aug 30, 2018 at 1:00 PM
Monday's meeting was the last for the 2017-18 Hawkins County Commission which has 13 new members and a new county mayor taking over on Sept. 1. The swearing in ceremony is Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Hawkins County Courthouse.
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Hawkins County Commission

Hawkins approves balanced budget following lengthy debates

There were still a few unresolved issues Monday evening, such as shifting property tax revenue to make use of the Spec Building sales revenue; the best way to give 92 employees on a flawed salary scale an extra 2 percent pay bump; and rising obligations to maintenance of effort for the sheriff's office.

Aug 29, 2018 at 6:00 PM
The Brian and Jessica Templeton have lived adjacent to the airport at 825 Main St. in Surgoinsville since 2007, but they didn't have flooding problems until runway construction was completed last year. Last week the Hawkins County Commission's Airport Committee received news that the Tennessee Aeronautics Division has agreed to pay 95 percent of the $11,200 cost to divert water away from the Templeton's residence. all photos courtesy of Jessica Templeton
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Hawkins County Airport

State to pay 95 percent of cost to repair drainage problem at Hawkins airport

The Brian and Jessica Templeton have lived adjacent to the airport at 825 Main St. in Surgoinsville since 2007, but they didn't have flooding problems until runway construction was completed last year.

Jul 31, 2018 at 5:30 PM
Two Lame duck commissioner started the discussion about eliminating last year's $40 wheel tax increase. Commissioner Darrell Gilliam, right made the motion which was seconded by Dwight Carter, left. The motion failed 8-10.
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Hawkins County Commission

Hawkins commission votes down $40 wheel tax exemption, elimination

What started as a Hawkins County Commission proposal Monday to offer a $40 wheel tax exemption to disabled seniors living in poverty quickly escalated into a debate on whether or not to do away with the last year's $40 wheel tax increase altogether. Neither proposal was approved.

Jul 23, 2018 at 7:30 PM
Hawkins County Jail kitchen officer Jayne Brooks, right, supervises an inmate Friday afternoon. On Friday Hawkins County Sheriff Ronnie Lawson asked the County Commission to consider adjusting his pay scale for 13 correctional officer positions, including kitchen jailers, Sgts. and Cpls. which at a cost of $27,046, would hopefully help retain experienced jailers and curb the constant turnover. The request was denied.
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Hawkins County Jail

Sheriff: Paying Hawkins jailers more is cheaper than constant turnover

In the past 18 months the HCSO has paid $16,000 to cover accrued vacation time, comp time and other benefits to two jail sergeants and a corporal who resigned to take higher paying jobs, not including the cost of equipping and training their replacements .

Jul 16, 2018 at 10:00 PM
Hawkins County Trustee Jim Shanks conceded Friday that its too late to get a salary scale for 97 county employees excluded form receiving annual salary scale pay bumps, and the county commission agreed to take up the issue again in October.
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Hawkins County Commission

New Hawkins salary scale on hold, but some employees may get a bigger COLA

A slim majority of county commissioners who attended Friday's Personnel Committee agreed to double a proposed cost of living increase for the county’s 97 employees who don’t receive annual salary scale pay bumps.

Jul 16, 2018 at 3:15 PM
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Hawkins County Commission

Hawkins has three hurdles in way of budget vote, including proposed wheel tax exemption

The commission had hoped to vote on the budget at its July 23 meeting, but in light of the discussion that took place at Friday’s workshop, the vote won’t come earlier than Aug. 27.

Jul 10, 2018 at 10:00 PM
Danny Alvis, left, and Stacy Vaughan. Vaughan, right filed an ethics complaint against Alvis Monday regarding "misleading" information on one of Alvis's recent campaign ad. Both are involved in a four way fight for three available District 3 Commission seats in the Aug. 2 county general election.
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Hawkins County Commission

Hawkins commissioner files ethics complaint over 'misleading' campaign ad

"I feel Commissioner Alvis openly printed a lie in an attempt to gain votes. ... It is not my intent to cause harm to the Danny Alvis campaign, however I can not continue to let untrue information be circulated." — Commissioner Stacy Vaughan

Jul 3, 2018 at 8:02 AM
The Hawkins County Commission will utilize state grant funds to pay for a new roof at the Hawkins County Health Department's Rogersville facility.
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Hawkins County Health Department

Hawkins approves grant funding to help pay for new health department roof

County buildings manager Alana Roberts told the Buildings Committee in April that if the leak above the dental area of the Rogersville Health Department building isn't fixed soon, there's a possibility that mold will set in.

Jun 28, 2018 at 6:30 PM
Sheriff Ronnie Lawson, right, explains that he stopped sending inmates to the Lakeview Recycling Center after a March 15 escape from that facility due to lax supervision by the county solid waste department's previous inmate supervisor. Commissioner Mark Linkous, left, said he has receive many calls asking that plastics recycling be resumed.
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Hawkins County Commission

Vote on funding that would revive Hawkins plastics recycling delayed

The inmate who escaped from the Lakeview recycling center on March 15 was caught 10 days later, but the investigation revealed that the previous inmate supervisor at the recycling center had left inmates unsupervised at times, allowed them to go to the store by themselves, and make phone calls.

Jun 28, 2018 at 11:30 AM
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