Members of the Carter County Commission reappointed Josh Hardin to serve as the County Attorney and allocated funds to help the Carter County Landfill purchase items lost in a fire earlier this year.

One of the first items of business brought to the floor during Monday’s meeting of the Commission was the appointment of the County Attorney. Current County Attorney Josh Hardin was the only individual to submit an application for consideration, but nominations would also be accepted from the floor.

Hardin was the only person to be nominated for the position. He was reappointed to serve as County Attorney following a unanimous vote of 22-0 with two commissioners absent.

Members of the Commission also approved a couple of funding measures to assist the Landfill in replacing a structure and equipment lost in a January fire.

The fire destroyed three of the landfill’s trucks — a front-loader used to empty dumpsters and recycling bins, a pickup truck used to haul fuel for the landfill’s equipment, and the roll-off truck, which was also used for dumpsters and recycling bins. The fire also destroyed the landfill’s garage and a significant amount of equipment and tools which had been stored inside it.

The county is receiving $365,302.70 from its insurance carrier for the loss of the equipment. However, Landfill Committee Chairwoman Bobbie Gouge-Dietz said the cost to replace the garage, trucks, and equipment is $501,841.

To cover the remaining $136,538 in replacement costs, the Landfill Committee submitted a request to the Budget Committee asking to allocate $110,000 from the Landfill’s fund balance and requested the county provide the remaining $26,538 from the General Fund fund balance.

Earlier this month, the Budget Committee approved the funding request, and during Monday’s meeting Budget Committee Chairwoman presented the request to the full Commission for approval.

The Commission approved the use of $26,538 from General Fund fund balance by a vote of 22-0. The group then approved the expenditure of $136,538 to pay for the remaining expenses not covered by the insurance payment by a margin of 21-1, with Commissioner Larry “Doc” Miller providing the sole dissenting vote. Commissioners Buford Peters and Cody McQueen were absent from the meeting.

In other business, the Commission approved a change to sick leave policy for county employees. The change was first approved by the Rules and Bylaws Committee before being brought to the full Commission.

“They can start accumulating sick leave when they start work, but they can’t use it for six months,” Rules and Bylaws Chairman Randall Jenkins explained to the full group. The motion to make the policy change and update the employee handbook passed by a margin of 21-1, with Commissioner Robert Carroll casting the sole dissenting vote.

Commissioners also unanimously voted to adopt a policy that when a bridge or road is named in memory of a member of the military, a law enforcement officer, or a first responder who was killed in the line of duty the county will pay for the cost of making and installing the memorial signs.

A proposal to send a request for a traffic count study to the Tennessee Department of Transportation for the possibility of installation of a traffic light at the intersection of Highway 19E with Gap Creek Road also received unanimous approval on Monday evening, as did a resolution to allow the Carter County Highway Department to perform paving work at a county school facility.

Members of the Commission reappointed three individuals to serve on the Carter County Planning Commission — resident Jerry Smith and Commissioners Sonja Culler and Ray Lyons. Those individuals will serve four-year terms on that body.

The motion to reappoint the three individuals passed by a margin of 19-2 with Lyons abstaining from the vote. Commissioners Ronnie Trivett and Carroll provided the dissenting votes.