Learning the ropes: Commissioner-elects attend state training
Joshua Anderson and Denver Waddell
CTAS is a part of the University of Tennessee’s Institute of Public Service and attending the training satisfied a recently enacted state law requiring newly elected and appointed county officials to receive a certain level of orientation training within 120 days of assuming office.
The two day conference, which hosted groups of commissioners and mayors from all 95 counties in Tennessee, covered a wide range of topics, such as the different forms of government and acts counties can operate under. Anderson County is one of 90 counties which operate under the regular constitutional form of county government, while three counties: Davidson, Moore and Trousdale Counties operate under consolidated metropolitan governments.
Only two counties in Tennessee operate under a charter form of government: Shelby (Memphis), and Knox.
Debt management and payment was also one of the issues discussed at the meeting. In Tennessee, county debt ranges from $0 for some counties to a staggering 5.4 billion dollars for the relatively small Clay County, population 7,800. The average debt per county is 130 million with the average debt per capita being $1,023.
Anderson County falls well below the state average with around 54 million in debt and a debt per capita of $629.
Other trainings were conducted throughout the week for offices such as Road Superintendents, Trustees, Register of Deeds, etc. Check out http://www.ctas.tennessee.edu for more information.
There will also be a formal swearing-in ceremony for the new commissioners at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4 in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse which is open to the public.