ELIZABETHTON â In a special called meeting on Monday evening, the Carter County Commission soundly voted down a bid of $3,428,687.40 for a new countywide communications system that would have provided up-to-date radio communication for 10 agencies, including law enforcement, emergency medical services, and fire departments.
The motion was to vote down the $3.5 million bid and to start over with a new request for proposals for a countywide communications system.
According to the Carter County Clerkâs Office, the vote to reject the bid was 19-2, with three absences. Isaiah Grindstaff and Thomas Proffitt were the only ânoâ votes. Mike Hill, Randall Jenkins and Gary Bailey were absent.
ELIZABETHTON â Despite a sharply divided disagreement over funding for the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter on Monday evening, it was mostly smooth sailing for the Carter County Commission in passing a new budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year. The commissioners also passed the certified tax rate of $2.03. That is down from the $2.47 rate passed by the commission last year, before the latest countywide assessment of property but determined by the state comptrollerâs office to bring in the same amount of property tax revenue.
The only serious controversy during the passage of the new budget was an attempt to reduce the countyâs contribution to the animal shelter that is jointly operated by the city and the county. The total contribution to the shelter by the city, county and other means in 2020-21 was $492,000. Several commissioners discussed reducing the total amount to $400,000 by reducing the countyâs share, but were not able to gather the 13 votes needed
ELIZABETHTON â A new organization is being set up in Carter County and Elizabethton to provide a one-stop resource center to meet the needs of the homeless population in the region.
The Carter Compassion Center received confirmation from the Internal Revenue Service last week that its 501 ( c ) 3 designation had been approved.
It was the latest step forward for a group that formed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic but which has still managed to maintain momentum in meeting its mission of ministering to the homeless.
It got its start a couple of years ago with an aim of the Health and Welfare Committee of the Carter County Commission to establish a joint task force of city and county groups to deal with the local homeless problem.
Carter County Commission wants to make animal shelter a nonprofit organization johnsoncitypress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from johnsoncitypress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.