The Public Building Authority (PBA) oversees the financially troubled Manchester-Coffee County Conference Center (MCCCC). You might remember that the PBA voted at its Sept. 14 meeting to amend the bylaws of the authority. Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service Writes Opinion Against Public Building Authority By-Law Change
The change allows for three members from Manchester and the other four can be from anywhere in the county. Before the change the City of Manchester had two, two representatives from Tullahoma, two represented rural Coffee County, and one member was designated at-large.
PBA Board Member Greg Sandlin, who represents Tullahoma, believes that the vote went against PBA bylaws. Sandlin believes the PBA is not a joint venture, rather, that is a singular county entity that oversees a joint venture.
According to a letter the University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) addressed to county Attorney Bob Huskey, Sandlin is correct. According to CTAS, based on their review of the information submitted, it is CTAS’s opinion that the Coffee County PBA was formed by Coffee County acting alone. The documents submitted to them included a resolution approving the application to form the Coffee County PBA adopted by the Coffee County Commission, dated September 5, 2000, as required under Tennessee law. There was no corresponding resolution adopted by the City of Manchester. On the same date, the Coffee County Commission passed a resolution appointing the initial board of directors. There is no mention of the City of Manchester’s participation in forming the Coffee County PBA in any of the documentation that was submitted to CTAS. Under the law, when two or more municipalities incorporate a PBA, ‘teach and every requisite pertaining to the application for incorporation, qualification of applicants, certificate of incorporation and amendment of certificate shall, as nearly as may be practicable, be incumbent in like manner upon each municipality joining in the creation of such public building authority.” In the documents submitted to CTAS they found no evidence of any action taken on the part of the City of
Manchester in the formation of the Coffee County PBA, and no mention of the City of Manchester in any of the documents evidencing the formation of the Coffee County PBA. Accordingly, it is their opinion that the county acted alone in forming the Coffee County PBA.
The appointment of the board of directors is governed by law, which provides, for PBA’s created by a single municipality, that the directors shall be appointed by the chief executive officer, in this case the county mayor, subject to confirmation of the governing body of the municipality, and they shall be so appointed that they shall hold office for staggered terms.” Accordingly, CTAS’s opinion that the Coffee County PBA should be appointed by the Coffee County Mayor with confirmation by the Coffee County Commission.
CTAS does not believe that the action of Coffee County and the City of Manchester, evidenced by an agreement dated November 21, 2000, to form a joint venture for the acquisition and operational funding of a conference center has any effect on the status of the Coffee County PBA as a single municipality PBA.

Smyrna Police are investigating a murder-suicide.
They were called to Wisdom Way Monday morning at 5am for a domestic assault with shots fired.
NewsChannel 5 reports when authorities arrived on the scene, they found 32-year old Tiffany Barnes, who had been shot and killed by her husband, 43-year old James Barnes. They believe after he shot her, he turned the gun on himself.
There were four children at the home at the time the shooting took place, but police say none of them were harmed.

Children’s advocates say while the need for Medicaid expansion has been overlooked by the Tennessee legislature, its impact on the growing number of uninsured children shouldn’t be ignored.
A new report from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families shows Tennessee topping states where the numbers are backsliding, partly due to lack of Medicaid expansion.
“Studies show that children are more likely to be insured when their parents have coverage,” explains Kinika Young, director of children’s health for the Tennessee Justice Center. “So it’s really important to close the coverage gap and make sure that everyone has insurance, so that children can grow up in families that have this coverage and are more likely to take advantage of the coverage that’s available to them.”
The report says uninsured children are more likely to have untreated medical conditions that could lead to longer-term health issues and missed days of school.
If the state were to expand Medicaid, at least 250,000 people would gain access to coverage.
Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown Center and a report co-author, says expansion is key.
“We found three-quarters of the children who lost coverage between 2016 and 2017 live in states that have not expanded Medicaid to their parents and other adults,” she points out. “Really, the only thing I think at this point that a state could do to overcome these negative national currents would be to expand Medicaid.”
Medicaid expansion has been a non-starter for most Republican lawmakers in Tennessee, who control both chambers of the State legislature.
The report also cites Congress’ trouble getting the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, reauthorized last year, and steep federal cuts to programs that inform people about their insurance options.
Alker hopes the one-year downturn doesn’t become a trend.
“We won’t have the 2018 data, of course, until next fall, but we’re very concerned that this number is actually going to get worse,” she states. “Barring new and serious efforts to get back on track, there’s every reason to believe this decline in the number of kids having health insurance may get worse in 2018.”

A man that served as band director for 30 years at Westwood Junior High, now Westwood Middle School, in Manchester has been arrested and charged with one count of aggravated sexual battery against a 12-year-old. That is a Class B felony in the state of Tennessee.
Evans Baird, who was also the chorus director at the school and was the director of various events in Manchester before his retirement, was indicted in Coffee County Court on Wednesday, Nov. 28.
District Attorney Craig Northcott says that Baird posted the $10,000 bond and was released from the Coffee County Jail.
Northcott added that the alleged incident apparently occurred recently.
Coffee County Judge Jere Ledsinger added a bond condition Thursday at Northcott’s request that restricts Baird from being in contact with anyone under 18 years old.
Baird is set to appear in court on Jan. 3, 2019. Evans Baird is currently the vice chairman of the Manchester Historical Society and is a member of the Manchester Steering Commission.
Northcott said that it is suspected that there might be other victims, and he is asking that anyone that could have been a victim or know of someone to please come forward. He says that if you can, contact his office or your local police department.

The body of David E. Steele, 33 yrs. old of Tullahoma, TN was found on October 26, 2017 in the Spring Creek/UTSI Road area of Franklin County. He had been reported as missing for over a month when his deceased body was found.
Now four people have been charged in this case. Bruce Edward Dorsett Jr., Shawna R. Haney, Voltaire Xavier Hickerson and Michael Andrew Taylor.
Both Dorsett and Haney are charged with first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and coercion of a witness.
Haney, 44, a resident of Tullahoma, is being held in the Coffee County Jail in lieu of $750,000 bond.
Taylor, 32, also of Tullahoma, is being held in the Coffee County Jail in lieu of $400,000 bond.
Dorsett, 32, and Hickerson, 38, are also being held in the Coffee County Jail.
All four have been charged with especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault and employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony.
No court date has been announced for any of those charged in this crime.