Amendment limiting public comment fails to pass Carter Co. Commission, petition to oust Woodby unsuccessful
At the start of the meeting, an amendment to limit public comment to just items on the agenda failed to pass but still drew overwhelming discontent from the crowd for even being considered.
'For one, we Carter County are important and this sticking to the agenda, if y'all would answer your phone calls, your emails, text messages. We wouldn't have to get up here and stand and talk about whatever,' Melissa Street said during public comment.
The county's attorney Josh Hardin addressed a petition submitted by James Byrd to oust Mayor Patty Woodby, which was presented at last month's meeting. After investigating, he said he could not find reasonable cause to remove Woodby from her position.
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'I have provided a written report detailing my reasoning and that has been mailed to Mr. Byrd, the address he provided on his petition. The outcome of that is, I do not find that there is reasonable cause to initiate an ousting.'
Mayor Woodby declined to comment after the meeting. Byrd said he plans to appeal the decision.
Several Hurricane Helene budget-related items passed, including approving a $3 million HEAL loan for debris removal from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA). The county also approved $300,000 for Schaus LLC, its disaster consultant, for ongoing services.
Also approved were check requests for work being done on temporary bridges in Poga.
Additionally, the commission decided to sign a new tourism contract with the Elizabethton-Carter County Chamber of Commerce for one year. The existing contract was set to end in March, and commissioners voted not to renew that initial three-year contract in December.
'We talked about the fact that they [Elizabethton-Carter County Chamber] had sent through their attorney response requesting some changes,' Hardin said. 'But since that time, they signed the proposal as is without any change. So they accepted it, just as you offered it.'
The new tourism contract starts on March 9, 2025 and does not include an auto-renewal.
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