KIMBALL, Tenn. - New growth and development in parts of Kimball have led to a jump in speeding drivers, city leaders say.
At its October meeting, the Kimball Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted unanimously to purchase a Solar Evolis radar speed sign for $2,670 in an effort to put the brakes on speeding.
Mayor Rex Pesnell said the purchase would be paid for through a grant from the Governor's Highway Safety Office.
"We have a lot of complaints from different neighborhoods where they're complaining about speeding," he said. "This is a portable sign. We can take it, put it up, and leave it for a week. A lot of times, people don't realize they're speeding until they have something showing them what they actually are doing. If they see it, maybe it will help them to slow down."
Vice Mayor Jerry Don Case described the solar-powered sign as "pretty neat" since it produces messages of encouragement or caution based on drivers' actions.
"For instance, if the speed limit is 30 mph, and you're running 29, it says 'Thank you' in green," he said.
Speeding could produce a message like "Warning" or "Slow down," Case said.
"Maybe it will slow some people down in certain areas where we've had problems," Pesnell said.
Case said he spoke with Police Chief Tommy Jordan recently to "get his thoughts" on the sign.
"He [Jordan] agreed that he thought it would be good to have to put around some places in the city," Case said. "Hopefully, it don't get vandalized."
In other business, the board voted unanimously to change the city's personnel policy regarding the calculation of overtime for employees.
City Attorney Billy Gouger said the need for a change came up in a routine audit of Governor's Highway Safety Office funds. The auditors found the city's overtime calculation didn't comply with the personnel policy.
"What [Kimball] has done and what [the GHSO] has approved is not actually what the policy calls for," he said. "So, it's just to bring the policy in line with the practice."
The policy will state now that employees eligible for overtime will have paid holidays, vacation days, sick days and other paid days off counted toward calculating hours necessary for overtime pay.
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.