Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and Sheriff Paul White have reached an interim agreement in their dispute over a salary agreement that will allow the sheriff to hire another 15 deputies for an expanded jail and also hire a coordinator for the Alternatives to Incarceration program.
Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and Sheriff Paul White have reached an interim agreement in their dispute over a salary agreement that will allow the sheriff to hire another 15 deputies for an expanded jail and also hire a coordinator for the Alternatives to Incarceration program.
“Attorneys for Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and Sheriff Paul White have jointly submitted to the court an interim order that allows the sheriff to continue to employ his current deputies and hire 15 additional deputies and a coordinator for the Alternatives to Incarceration program,” a Friday morning press release said. “This agreed order is consistent with the mayor’s position and will allow the sheriff to begin increasing the number of deputies he employs in anticipation of opening the new jail.”
The press release said the interim order will be in effect until resolution of the pending court case, and it effectively narrows the scope of the pending dispute to the additional 21 deputies the sheriff is seeking for the operation of the new jail.
The release, which was approved by Judge Dale Workman, said Frank and White will not provide additional comments.
Read the order and press release here:Â Mayor and Sheriff Agreed Order.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
Charlie Jernigan says
Thank you Judge Workman for bringing Anderson County back together.
Denny Phillips says
“The agreed order is consistent with the mayor’s position”
This may be difficult for some to swallow, but I do believe that is lawyer speak for “The Mayor was correct”.
Charlie Jernigan says
Well, not exactly since there are still outstanding issues. It took this long, at such a cost, and the county commission reminding the mayor that they had already funded this head count for half a year in order for the sheriff to ramp up during the last months of the year to a level to open the jail at the beginning of 2014.
It may be consistent with her position, but we are only part way to resolution. If the jail doesn’t open and our current facilities become de-certified by the state, she can have all the “consistent” PR pieces she wants, but the problem will have consistently occurred on her watch.
Denny Phillips says
Do the crocodile tears you are shedding for the ACSO lend a delightful brininess to your dinner of crow and humble pie, or are the sour grapes just to acrid to balance out?
Lauren Biloski says
actually it just means that the Order entered was what the Mayor’s position was but does not go to the truth of the issue… Just that the Order was what the Mayor wanted.
Denny Phillips says
You should be ecstatic Lauren. This agreement means that the ACSO will have to live with the amount of funding your mother appropriated for them.
I feel certain Robin is very greatful that the Mayor did not allow the ACSO to pull a little trick on County Commission and grab an extra million dollars.
Lauren Biloski says
I think everyone is ecstatic that a federal lawsuit may be avoided now and the parties are getting what they deserve. I am livid that my tax dollars are being spent on unnecessary legal fees when they could have funded two positions. I am also glad that the Alternatives to Incarceration program is back up and running to save precious resources and help those in our community who desperately need it.
Denny Phillips says
Yes Lauren, I too am very frustrated the Sheriff decided to bring this lawsuit at expense to the taxpayer.
johnhuotari says
Denny,
To be fair, I think if you point out Lauren’s familial relationship with Robin, you should also point out your familial relationship with the mayor. I’m pretty sure you have done that in the past, but it might not be clear to some readers in this thread.
Also, I’d like commenters to try to stay away from language that might be regarded as insulting. I’m referring in particular to your description of Jay Yeager. I’d like to keep the conversation as civil as possible.
Thank you for understanding this.
John
Denny Phillips says
John,
This is your site, so your rules will apply.
But since the subject has been broached, I find it odd that referring to someone as a “Golden Boy” crosses the line of civility and yet Mr. Jernigan has basically asserted that Mayor Frank is violating a court order, a libelous statement, and yet no moderation is called for.
As I am a human being with my own fully functional brain, cognitive abilities and opinions, I frankly find it insulting that you insist upon me putting forth a family disclaimer. My name is Denny Phillips.
To avoid future issues in this regard I will simply stop posting here and visiting this site.
johnhuotari says
Denny,
I’m sorry you feel that way. We try our best to provide a valuable community service, and we certainly try our best to inform current and former residents, listen to different perspectives, and foster civil discussion. We also try our best not to take sides on issues. One of my goals as a reporter and comment moderator is to try to be as fair as I can to people on different sides of issues. That can be a tough line to walk.
I try to monitor the comments to generally ensure they comply with the comment policy stated above. As you may know, I have enforced the first guideline (use your real name) several times at your urging in the comment section. So, I am trying to be fair to everyone.
I have appreciated your participation in the discussion here and your use of humor. I’ll be disappointed to see you leave, and I hope you reconsider.
Thank you,
John
Mark Caldwell says
Thank you John. I hope Denny reconsiders also.
Sam Hopwood says
I hope he reconsiders too. I enjoy reading his comments and one thing for sure, no one is confused about where he or Mayor Frank stand on the issues. A breath of fresh air in politics.
BTW I am not now, nor have I ever been, related to any elected or appointed representative in Anderson County or the city of Oak Ridge. I am neither Republican nor Democrat but Independant. Just so you know… 🙂
Lauren Biloski says
Thank you John. I
was speaking on my own behalf and was just trying to clarify a statement that
Mr. Phillips made – not in any relation to any action of Commissioner Biloski.
I appreciate the courtesy that you show all commentators on the blogs. I also very much appreciate the fair
and unbiased avenue to express individual views that you employ. Thanks!
Eileen Slater says
So what is the truth of the issue then?
Denny Phillips says
Other language from the Agreed Order:
“ORDERED that the petitioner may employ, during the pendency of these proceedings, up to fifteen deputies and assistants, in addition to the number that were in his employ on June 30”
The commission approved 15 new positions during the budget process, thus nothing new here. The ACSO requested 36 new employees, thus this agreement denies his request.
“ORDERED that the petitioner is authorized to compensate and provide benefits to his deputies and assistants, during the pendency of these proceedings, at levels no less than 2012-2013 levels, consistent with the budget approved by County Commission for the 2013-14 fiscal year”
Or in other words, the ACSO must live with what Commission approved during the budget cycle.
Further language was included about the hiring of Whitey, err, I mean an Alternatives to Incarceration Director, which was already on the books as well.
In the end, what the Agreed Order ends up doing is exactly what the Mayor said to begin with, to live with the budget passed by commission, that she could not, indeed, simply appropriate the ACSO another $1.5 million with a stroke of her pen.
Thank you Mayor Frank for upholding the law, respecting the duties of your office (including its limits), and defending the budget passed by the County Commission.
How odd it seems then, that a Commission, that passed a budget 15-1, would lambast, belittle and deride a Mayor for defending their collective decision and stopping the ACSO’s end run around the budgetary process.
If I did not know any better, I would almost believe there was political gamesmanship at play here in an effort to pit the Sheriff and Mayor against each other.
Let this be a lesson to all those out there that the rule of law still trumps grandstanding and that leadership comes from principled, dedicated work from people like Terry Frank and not from a piece of paper declaring “Out to Lunch” scotch-taped to the County Mayor’s office door which passed for leadership from the previous administration.
TJ Garland says
All attacks against Terry are politically motivated. The Demorats can’t have a conservative in office that knows what she is doing.
Reminds me of the attacks against Sarah Palin-a very accomplished governer who cleaned up the Alaska machine.
Liberals are still attacking her.
Charlie Jernigan says
Well politics goes both directions…
Since a majority of the posts on this subject here are by the Mayor’s family, it certainly flies in the face of the order that neither side to make PR statements on this. I am glad that our Sheriff can follow court orders.
Sam Hopwood says
Now Charlie, there you go again…. the court order restricts both the Mayor and Sheriff from making comments concerning the subject. Nothing is said about supporters in either camp.
Eileen Slater says
To me, this order clarifies what the Sheriff’s lawsuit boils down to: Is the funding and hiring authority the commission passed in the budget sufficient for him to fulfill his obligations as Sheriff.
Under state law, he may sue the Mayor if he determines his authorized budget is insufficient. Since the judge has ordered him to now effectuate the budget as passed by the commission, the remaining question is whether or not further authorization is immediately required for him to do his job.
During budget deliberations, which the Sheriff did not personally attend, the commission recognized the potential need for more personnel for the new jail, and the likelihood they would be able to authorize that later in the year with discretionary funds. But the Sheriff initially requested the Mayor exceed the budget’s provisions with a stroke of the pen by signing a Salary Agreement which exceeded the budget as passed by the commission. I’m glad she didn’t do that as it seems like an end-run around commission.
One wouldn’t think the Mayor would draw such criticism, especially from multiple commissioners, given this reality. Equally disturbing is the silence of the rest of commissioners who should be willing to defend their own budget.
Sam Hopwood says
“equaling disturbing is the silence of the rest of the commisioners who should be wiling to defend their own budget.” Bullseye!!
Denny Phillips says
I will give bullseye credit where it’s due.
Tracy Wandell also hit a bullseye when he said “This is making us look like idiots”.
Looks aren’t always deceiving, as it turns out.
Denny Phillips says
The additional funding will be difficult to prove a need for given
that Chief Lucas of the ACSO is already on record as saying that the ACSO does not anticipate needing the money and that the reason they tried to slip another $1 million by the Mayor’s desk boils down to ” that’s what the paper work asked for”.
One would have thought that the Golden Boy Litigator In Chief Jay Yeager would have noticed the discrepancy when he reviewed the Sheriff’s salary agreement.
TJ Garland says
I have lived in a dozen different counties in my life and have never had a sheriff less accessible than White.
I am 12 years new here and ask- who are Franks’ relatives that post?
I may sound Republican, but I am pure blooded Conservative Libertarian.
Both parties at the state and Federal level are mostly bought by the banksters or probably blackmailed by NSA.
We desperatly need term limits at all levels. We need to not allow any”person” to donate campaign money to anyone they can’t vote for. There goes all the PACS.
We Libertarians want a government small enough to live within the Constitution.
MORE FREEDOM LESS GOVERNMENT!
Mark Caldwell says
Then you must support the complete legalization of all currently illegal drugs.
TJ Garland says
You apparently are geting your info about Libertarians from The MSM again.
We believe the Federal government has NO Constitutional right to tell citizens what they can or cannot ingest. It is entirely another matter for states or local governments to address this issue. Read a few of Ron Paul’s books. Don’t just guess our platform.
What is wrong with more freedom, less government?
Are you pushing for the bombing of Syria for the banksters?
Are you ready for WW3? Blowback is he££.
Mark Caldwell says
So you don’t believe in the Libertarian platform for state and local governments?
Cody Franklin says
I just want to be hired and tax dollars saved