The April 2026 monthly meeting of the Cumberland County Commission opened with all commissioners present except Commissioner Wilson.

Following the recent passing of longtime Second District Commissioner Nancy “Miss Nancy” J. Hyder and the sad news of Fourth District Board of Education member Anita Hale’s death, the commission observed a moment of silence in their memory.

In new business, the commission addressed vacancies created by these losses. For the Second District commissioner seat (vacant effective April 20, 2026), members voted unanimously (16-0) to leave it vacant until the August election, which will proceed as a write-in ballot since Hyder was on the ballot. Similarly, for the Fourth District Board of Education seat, they voted 16-0 to leave it vacant until the election; independent petitions will be available starting the next day, with parties able to caucus if desired.

Several resolutions passed unanimously or by strong margins:
– Reappointments were made to the E-911 Emergency Communications District Board (John Stubbs, Dr. Kimberly Peaslee, and Jason Pilant).
– New members were appointed to the Board of Equalization (terms ending April 30, 2028).
– A resolution petitioned the state to rename the Renfro Hollow portion of Highway 70 East in honor of Kenneth “Ken” Nelson, a Marine veteran, law enforcement officer, and martial arts instructor killed in the line of duty in 1988.
– Multiple roads (Maple Ridge Drive/Lane, Nicholson Drive, and several in the Bluff View and Catoosa Ridge areas) were added to the county road list, with some developer maintenance requirements.
– A lease agreement was approved for the temporary relocation of the Election Commission to 2876 N. Main Street in Crossville following a fire at its prior facility.

Routine budget amendments were approved for various departments, including school funds, grants for preschool, literacy tutoring, safe schools, public health, the sheriff’s department, EMS, fire department, animal shelter, and the opioid task force. A correction to certain fund balances was also acknowledged.

Financial updates showed mixed results: the Codes Department collected $50,646 in March building/mechanical/plumbing permit fees (down from the prior year); EMS collections were below estimates (year-to-date shortfall of $656,828); sales tax came in above projections; property tax collections were strong at 98.96%; hotel/motel tax was slightly behind last year; and prisoner boarding payments exceeded the prior year and annual budget pace.