Franklin County Commission approves $598,820 loan for new garbage trucks for Franklin County Solid Waste Department

The Franklin County Commission approved a loan of $598,820 from Valley State Bank for the purchase of two new garbage trucks for the Franklin County Solid Waste Department at its November 17th meeting.

Valley State Bank submitted the lowest interest rate of all bidders (2.95%) for the 60-month loan.

In other agenda items at the November 17th meeting, the commission:

—tabled consideration of a Delinquency Policy and Procedures for delinquent solid waste bills. Commissioners had an extensive discussion at the November 10th work session about the proposed policy but decided to allow County Attorney Evan Hargett to prepare a draft policy.

—approved a holiday schedule for the Franklin County Courthouse and all county offices. All county offices will be closed Thanksgiving Day and the following day (November 27-28), Wednesday-Friday of Christmas week (December 24-26) and New Year’s Day (January 1, 2026).

—tabled consideration of roof repairs for the Franklin County Courthouse Annex.

—approved payment of invoices for repairs to the emergency sirens in Mountain Star, Frankfort and Spruce Pine, which are all now in working order, and authorized Franklin County Emergency Management Agency Director Mary Hallman-Glass to obtain estimates for repairs to the remaining county sirens that need repair. They include East Franklin and Belgreen.

Sirens located in municipalities are the financial responsibility of the city where they are located.

—authorized Probate Judge Barry Moore and Hargett to workout access to a closed road off County Road 21 to Tammy O’Malley, who has a lease with the property owner to access the land for hunting. The access will be for one year.

—authorized advertising for bids for a storm water cross drain replacement project on Highway 90.

—approved the hiring of Tiffany Buchanan as a Corrections Officer/Dispatcher in the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, hiring Justin Sharp, William Vickers and Chris Pierce as temporary Corrections Officers/Dispatchers, transferred Matthew Crum from courthouse security to patrol deputy, accepted the resignation of Corrections Officers/Dispatchers James Fleck and Caleb Tavares, authorized advertising for the same.

The next regular meeting of the Franklin County Commission will be Monday, December 15th at 8:30 a.m., in the Franklin County Courthouse Annex.