JOHN COFFELTEditor

The Coffee County government is currently seeking to reintroduce to the state for approval a resolution that if approved, would limit it’s liability in homeowner association fees on unused property in the county.

A similar bill was previously introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly last year, where if passed the House but failed in the Senate.

Coffee County is potentially liable for fees to HOAs on property that has been seized by the county due to delinquent taxes.

If enacted by the state and approved by the County Commission it would delete the section providing a provision that allows non-governmental entities a vested right to payments from the county.

According to County Trustee John Marchesoni, the ruling by the Tennessee Court of Appeals in 2010,

held the county liable to the Lakewood Park Trustees in excess of $200,000 for property that the county does not use.

“This resolution would act as insurance and reduce liability to the county,” Marchesoni said. “We’re just trying to be good stewards of the county’s money.”

The resolution was approved during the Sept. 25 Legislative Committee meeting and will next go before the full County Commission.

In other news, an employee evaluation form is currently being developed by county officials to assist department heads in their annual employee evaluations.

The short questionnaire will report if an employee is at, above or below expectations.

County Commissioner Claude Morse, chairman of the Legislative Committee, said that employees ranked below expectations would be required to attend counseling that would show them how to better meet workplace standards.

Most employees would be expected to fall within the meets expectations, while the justification for rating employees above expectations would be required.

Coffee County Mayor Judd Matheny is currently reviewing the form and will request feedback from the various department heads.

“This will help settle a lot of problems down the line,” Policies and Procedure member and Commissioner Terry Hershman said. “If you have an employee you need to get rid of, and you have cause to get rid of, this makes it a whole lot simpler.”

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.