Rutherford County Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to reject Republican sponsored bills before the state's General Assembly proposed by the Secretary of State regarding county election commissions.
The last minute addition to the agenda by Commissioner Robert Stevens comes in response to two bills that force county's to pay the legal bills for mistakes made by state appointed county election commissioners.
"They pick them," Commissioner Stevens said of the state's selection of county election commissioners. "So if they make boneheaded choices the state should pay for their mistakes, not us. That, or let the local people choose who is on the commission."
The last minute addition didn't sit well with Commissioner Robert Peay, Jr. who felt like the matter ought to come through a committee before being thrust on the commission.
"I'm not saying any of this stuff is something I oppose, but I don't like something being put in front of me before I have to vote on it," Commissioner Peay said. Peay was the lone vote against adding the item to the agenda but later voted for the resolution.
"The Secretary of State is pushing this through very quickly, and we need to let our legislative delegation know that we oppose this," County Mayor Ernest Burgess told commissioners.
The strongly worded resolution urges the county's entire Republican delegation to oppose SB756 and its companion bill HB1119, both sponsored by Republicans Sen. Mae Beavers and Rep. Curry Todd, labeling it an unfunded mandate that forces county's to pay for the state's "unwise choices."
The resolution also attacks another Republican sponsored unfunded mandate on counties that restricts local governments from constitutional budgetary allocation authority.
SB0478 and its companion bill HB0453, sponsored by Republicans Sen. Mae Beavers and Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver, "restricts the ability of a county legislative body to eliminate line items included in a budget submitted by the administrator of elections."
"The people elect us to allocate money," Commissioner Stevens told the commission. "Their administrators should not dictate to us how to spend our money."
The commission also unanimously approved spending $350,000 in savings from Oakland and Whitworth-Buchanan Middle School projects for a design phase to expand Eagleville High School.
The new design will provide an additional 10 classroom, auditorium and other needed space.
Commissioner Allen McAdoo presented a resolution on behalf of the Sons of Confederate Soldiers seeking to place a plaque on a Civil War monument on the square to name the county's regiments who fought. The resolution passed unanimously. |
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