County clerk requests additional employee for busy Church Hill satellite office

Hawkins County Clerk Nancy Davis told county commissioners last week her Church Hill satellite office is so busy she need an additional employee.

The cost of that employee’s salary would be covered by new revenue generated when the County clerk’s office prints vehicle titles.

Davis told the commission’s Personnel Committee at its March 6 meeting that she is asking the commission to fund that employee’s non-salary compensation including health insurance and retirement.

The salary would start at $29,149, which would be covered from the county clerk’s budget under Davis’s request.

The extra amount needed from the county would depend on the health insurance policy that the new employee signs up for.

Not including health insurance the guaranteed benefits for that position are roughly $4,500 for Social Security, Medicare, retirement, workman’s comp and life insurance.

“We have been so busy it’s blowing my mind,” Davis said. “I didn’t think I was going to need another employee for Church Hill, but that business up there has actually exploded. Especially during the three-hour period of lunch times. I have three clerks up there full time. One goes to lunch, and I only have two clerks, who are trying to manage the front and the drive through.”

From July through December the county clerk’s office handled 32,407 transactions. Davis told the committee that 42% of that business was transacted in Church Hill.

“They handle a lot of business up there (in Church Hill), which I believe is where our largest population of citizens is,” Davis said.

In July of 2022 Gov. Bill Lee signed a new law which said every title printed by the local county clerk generates an additional $3 for that office.

Those funds are held in a reserve account for the county clerk to use for matters related to titles and registration.

During the first full fiscal year after the title fee went into effect, from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023, Davis’s office generated $47,484.

“My proposal is that if you would allow me to hire this additional position, I can pay the salary of this person, if the county would agree to pick up the benefits,” Davis said. “I have no way to calculate those benefits because I don’t know if they’re going to need insurance, not need insurance, they need a family plan — I don’t know. I’d hate to obligate myself to pay all of it because I don’t want to run short.”

The Personnel Committee voted 5-1 in favor forwarding the request to the Budget Committee, which would then consider recommending approval of the funding to the full commission. The only no vote was cast by Commissioner Josh Gilliam.