COUNTY COMMISSION MEETING

REGULAR MEETING

AUGUST 10, 2026

BE IT REMEMBERED that the Clay County Commission met in Special Session on  Monday Evening, August 10, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. at the courtroom in the Clay County Government Complex.  Present as Chairman was County Mayor Dale Reagan.  Present as County Clerk was Donna R. Watson.  Present as County Commissioners were:  Jennifer Ritter, Liz Boles, Austin Smith, Bryan Coons, Parrish Wright, Jeff Gentry, Dorothy Forney, Jerry Rhoton and Winton Young ~ A majority of the Commission having been present for the opening and holding of the meeting; the meeting was held in due form of law to wit. 

Deputy Sheriff Anthony Cain called the meeting to order ~ Mayor Reagan asked Commissioner Gentry to lead the Pledge of Allegiance ~ Mayor Reagan led the in-vocational prayer ~ County Clerk Donna R. Watson led the Roll Call of the Commission

Before meeting was to commence, State Representative Kelly Keisling wished to recognize and honor the distinguished Brenda Browning, Clay County's Register of Deeds.  Mrs. Brenda has been the Clay County Register of Deeds for twenty-eight (28) years.  Mrs. Brenda “has carried out her responsibilities with diligence and integrity; her remarkable success as a public servant and civic leader is directly attributable to her reliance on the time-honored values of hard work and common sense and her uncommon ability to work well with people from all walks of life”.  Mrs. Brenda has served Clay County for a total of 30 years; with beginning her career in 1996 as the secretary/bookkeeper for the County Executive.  She was given a proclamation that was taken to the House of Representatives by Representative Keisling and Todd in a form of a House Resolution and the recognition passed with the utmost respect.  After the recognition, there was a picture taken with Representative Keisling and the Commissioners of Clay County.  Mrs. Brenda has proven time over time she was definitely for the residents of her Clay County!  She will be missed

Motion made by Coons and seconded by Gentry to re-elect Shannon H. Cherry, Amanda G. Hatcher, Laura M. Tidwell, Rayne M. Smith, Jennifer Smith, Brooklyn N. Brannon, Kaylee B. Pritchell, Gwendolyn Atchley and Chelsey Knight as Notary Publics ~ All Commissioners present voted aye 

Motion was duly made by Rhoton and seconded by Wright to approve minutes of the June 29, 2026 County Commission meeting ~ All Commissioners present voted aye 

Motion was duly made by Rhoton and seconded by Young to approve minutes of the June 27, 2026 Planning Committee meeting minutes ~ All Commissioners present voted aye with the exception of Ritter and Forney who passed on their vote

Motion was duly made by Coons and seconded by Gentry to approve and accept the Trustee's report ~ All Commissioners present voted aye

PUBLIC COMMENTS

(this is a new platform being offered at the county commission meetings, each person who signs up to speak has a maximum of three (3) minutes to speak) ~ with that being said the following people have spoken with their concerns:

The floor was given to Marlene Rhoton ~ Tracy Pennington respectively.

Marlene, on behalf of herself and some of the Clay County constituents, spoke of the many concerns that have emerged.  Mostly, in the respect of the current building code inspector for Clay County.  She had documentation from the State regarding the laws and requirements to be able to qualify for said position.  There was much concerns of the required qualifications needed to perform the duties and responsibilities of said position vs. the qualifications or certifications of said current building code inspector having completed.  Marlene provided documentation of qualifications that were not met and/or obtained; according to the State of Tennessee Fire Marshall.  She, on behalf of the concerned citizens, were requesting that the current building code inspector be terminated

~ she yielded the floor to Tracy Pennington.

Tracy provided petition that was signed (by approximately 630 individuals) in regards to reversing the passed resolution #3 which said resolution was to establish fines and fees for non-compliance with building permits and inspection requirements.  Which this said resolution would have given building inspector more on control of fees and fines ~ once it +-was realized of what this resolution was leaning towards ~ the Clay County constituents were pushing back stating that is something the county doesn’t need or want ~ therefore, purpose of the petition showing the commissioners they wanted to be heard  and wanted the reversal of said resolution #3

Resolution 1.  Resolution to approve Appropriation of Funds for Clay County, Tennessee for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 ~ Motion was duly made by Coons and seconded by Gentry ~ All Commissioners present voted aye

Resolution 2.  Resolution fixing the Tax Levy in Clay County, Tennessee for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2026 ~ Motion was duly made by Young and seconded by Forney ~ All Commissioners present voted aye

Resolution 3. Resolution to opt out of statewide building code standards for one-family and two-family dwellings in Clay County ~ Motion was duly made by Ritter and seconded by Smith ~ All Commissioners present voted aye with the exception of Boles and Forney who voted nay

Resolution 4. Resolution to transfer surplus property from Clay EMS to Clay County Volunteer Rescue Squad ~ Motion was duly made by Coons and seconded by Young to postpone said resolution until the next planned commission meeting ~ All Commissioners present voted aye

Due to the following resolution wasn't in the Commissioners packets at the previous Planning Committee Meeting; Mayor Reagan asked a show of hands of approval to allow the resolution to be brought up for discussion and vote ~ All Commissioners present raised their hands in approval ~ so, therefore,

Resolution 5. Resolution to transfer surplus property from Clay EMA to Clay County Mt. Vernon Fire Department ~ Motion was duly made by Wright and seconded by Gentry ~ All Commissioners present voted aye

Motion was duly made by Rhoton and seconded by Forney to adjourn.  Motion carried