Whoever wins Thursday’s election for the County Commission District 8 seat will be officially seated by the commission on Aug. 12, about three weeks earlier than the Sept. 1 swearing-in date.
Being approved early will give the winner an opportunity to represent the county when it approves its new budget, Commission Chairman Fred Skillern said.
The seat has been empty since former commissioner Curtis Adams left in May to become city manager in Crossville, Tenn.
The four candidates for the seat are Democrat Kenny Smith, Republican Tim Boyd and independents Jim Winters and Terry Turner.
In other business, commissioners increased the contract for a railroad bridge over Bonny Oaks Drive by $60,000.
Mayor Claude Ramsey said the contractor, Kay & Kay Contracting, encountered problems with a water line and had to dig deeper than planned to hit bedrock.
Commissioners also approved buying used railroad track for $339,000, which Ramsey said saved the county about $700,000.
Both items are related to the rail line serving the Volkswagen plant at Enterprise South industrial park.
For complete details, see tomorrow’s edition of the Times Free Press.