Washington County Commission to Address Employee Pay, School Buses, and Law Enforcement Needs

Photo bycourtesy of Washington County, Tennessee, Government

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. — The Washington County Commission will discuss a packed agenda on Monday. The agenda includes several key issues, including employee pay adjustments, school bus purchases, and law enforcement needs. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the George P. Jaynes Justice Center in Jonesborough.

While the full agenda can be found here, Commissioners are expected to reappoint Richard A. Thompson as the county’s superintendent of highways. Thompson has held the position since May 2022, following the retirement of John B. Deakins Jr. The four-year appointment is crucial for maintaining the county’s infrastructure.

A significant item on the agenda is a resolution to amend the current fiscal year’s budget to provide an hourly pay increase for part-time employees of the Washington County Public Library. The county’s Budget Committee has recommended a $30,000 allocation to support a $2 per hour raise for 14 part-time employees at library branches in Jonesborough and Gray. This follows the June budget approval, which included a similar pay raise for all full-time county employees.

In addition to the pay issues, the commission will consider a request from the Washington County School System to use $600,000 in budgeted education capital funds to purchase six new school buses. The acquisition includes three propane and three diesel buses as part of the school system's ongoing replacement program.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has submitted requests totaling $503,000, all already budgeted within the capital fund. Among these is a $250,000 allocation to construct a firing range and training facility near Interstate 81, off Tennessee Highway 93. The project also requires a 50-year lease and rezoning of the property located near the Washington County Emergency Medical Services station in Fall Branch.

Additional requests from the sheriff’s office include $100,000 for body cameras and radio upgrades, $70,000 for a crime scene camera and scanner, and $32,000 from military surplus funds for a mobile command post. Sheriff Keith Sexton is also seeking $186,000 from opioid litigation settlement funds to establish a pre-arrest diversion program. This initiative would involve contracting with Frontier Health to provide behavioral health specialists who will work with deputies to intervene in drug-related behavioral cases, an effort aimed at reducing incarceration rates.

The commission's decisions on these matters could have significant implications for Washington County’s budget and public services, highlighting the importance of Monday's meeting.