By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
Paris, Tenn.—It was a relatively short, but busy session for the Henry County Commission when it met Monday evening at the county courthouse.
County Mayor Brent Greer outlined rules for the upcoming special election to fill the commission seat vacated by the recent death of Bobby Freeman and commissioners approved a request to set aside the delinquent tax sale of the former Puryear School.
Long-time Commissioner Bobby Freeman died in early December, leaving a vacant seat for the 2nd District. At the recommendation of Greer, commissioners approved a resolution establishing rules for the special election to fill that vacancy.
The election will occur at the February commission meeting and Greer said each candidate for the seat will be granted the opportunity to speak to the commission for five minutes at the meeting. Candidates are asked to provide a letter or resume outlining their qualifications to Greer’s office in the courthouse.
The selected candidate will fill out Freeman’s term through the August election.
Whichever candidate receives eight votes from the commission will be appointed to fill the vacancy.
In other business, County Attorney Rob Whitfield presented a resolution requesting that the Chancery Court set aside the delinquent tax sale for parcels purchased by Henry County that constitute an economic and environmental hardship.
The two parcels are: the former Puryear School and a home at 45 Hill Rd. in Paris.
The Puryear School building has been unused since it closed several years ago and has deteriorated. Whitfield reported that no interested party bid the minimum necessary to purchase the parcel during the public tax sale, which was $4,542.60.
He noted the structure is dilapidated and the cost to demolish the structure is estimated to exceed $250,000, due to the presence of asbestos in the building. The cost to secure and maintain the structure exceeds the parcel’s resale value and constitutes an undue financial obligation, he said.
The property at 45 Hill Rd. has been quarantined by the sheriff’s office due to the presence of meth. Whitfield said the cost to decontaminate the structure is estimated to cost thousands of dollars and the parcel constitutes an obvious environmental risk.
Whitfield said after the meeting that if the Chancery Court approves setting aside the delinquent tax sale for the Puryear School, ownership will revert back to its present owner (the nearby nursing home in Puryear) and it would be their responsibility. At that point, Whitfield said, the future of that building would be between the city of Puryear and the parcel owner.
During Monday night’s meeting, the commission also:
–Appointed former Commissioner Rev. James Travis to the board of trustees for the Henry County Medical Center. Travis had been a member of the body before he retired from the commission.
–Approved a complete list of Henry County’s roads as submitted by the county road board.