Hamblen fire department to pave parking lot

The Brown County Council approved the Hamblen Township Fire Protection District’s use of $50,000 from its tax district fund to pay for the paving of the fire department’s parking lot.

Fire district Secretary/Treasurer Roy Shea said the district has more than $1 million worth of equipment that runs through “ruts, potholes and rocks” in the gravel lot now, which is not good for it.

The district has about $115,000 in its tax district fund. Shea estimated paving the lot would cost between $40,000 and $80,000.

“We have the money there to do the work; we just need the authority to pay for it out of our budget,” he said.

Health department seeks pay grade increase

The Brown County Health Department is asking for a pay grade increase for an employee who is working to collect septic records.

Health department Office Manager Judy Hess asked the Brown County Council for $1,100 more for Taylor Hardesty, the vital record clerk and assistant office manager. Along with collecting septic records, Hardesty will begin maintaining a spreadsheet of residents who are on pump-and-haul because their septic systems have failed, “making sure if we do have a property owner on pump-and-haul, she’ll make sure we’ll get the water built in and how much the pumper is pumping out, making sure they match,” Hess said.

The change would move Hardesty from a grade 7 to grade 8.

“You can come in and ask her about septics and she can just about answer any question regarding that,” Hess said.

At the July 15 meeting, the council told Hess they wanted to wait until after the budget hearings in August were over and the budget was finalized before making a decision.