Putnam Redistricting Committee Structure Approved By Commissioners

Putnam County will begin the work of redistricting with a new nine-member committee.

County Commissioners approved the committee structure Monday night. The group will include a representative from each of the county’s four municipalities, the election commissioner, the board of commissioners’ chair and three at-large members. Cookeville, Algood, Baxter and Monterey will decide on its member with final approval by the commissioners.

County Mayor Randy Porter said state officials are now saying census data could arrive as soon as August.

“I don’t think having something to the commission in November is going to be an issue as long we can get the census data,” Porter said. “We were supposed to already have it but for whatever reason it’s being held up on the federal end. We hope that we get it in August.”

Porter told the commissioner’s nominating committee the 15-member committee used in 2010 was too large.

Also Monday night, commissioners approved the changing of the speed limit on Charlie Maxwell Road to 30 mph. Bo Stout was approved as a Judicial Commissioner. Brian Payne was confirmed to serve on the Library Board for a three-year term.

Commissioners also improved multiple end-of-year budget transfers. The county wrote off some $623,740 in EMS billing deemed uncollectible. EMS Chief Tommy Copeland said the 7.4 percent write-off was down from 8 percent the last two years.