Commissioners

The Board of County Commissioners are the chief administrative and policy making body of Lawrence County Government. It consists of eighteen members and each board member is elected to a four-year term. Lawrence County is divided into eighteen districts with each district electing one commissioner. The county executive serves as a nonvoting ex officio member of the county legislative body.

County commissioners are elected by popular vote in the regular August election in those even-numbered years in which the governor is elected, and each county commissioner takes office on September 1st following the election, after receiving the proper certificate of election and taking the required oath of office.

The Lawrence County Commission is the primary policy-making body in the county. It sets a property tax rate that, along with revenues from other county taxes and fees as well as state and federal monies allocated to the county, are used to fund the budget. The county commission is subject to various restrictions in imposing most taxes (such as referendum approval or rate limits), but these do not apply to the property tax. The county legislative body serves an important role in exercising local approval authority for private acts when the private act does not call for referendum approval.

The county commission annually elects a chair and a chair pro tempore. The county may elect the county executive or a member of the body to be the chair, although the county executive may refuse to serve. If the county executive is chair, he or she may vote only to break a tie vote. If a member is chair, the member votes as a member, but cannot vote again to break a tie. If the county executive is not chair, he or she may veto most resolutions of the county legislative body, but this veto may be overridden by a majority vote.

Regular Session Meeting Schedule: The Lawrence County Board of Commissioners meet in regular session bi-monthly, on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 5:00 PM at the Lawrence County Commission Meeting Room at the Lawrence County Courthouse. The public is encouraged to attend.

2022-2023 Lawrence County Committees

In September 2022, the Commission approved the 2022-2023 Committee appointments. Many remained the same as 2022-2023, but some adjustments were made to give Commissioners the opportunity to serve in different capacities. Following are those committees, their purpose and members.

* Denotes Chairperson | ** Denotes Vice Chairperson

Pending Commission approval, here are the committees for 2023-2024:

The Animal Welfare Committee was established to consider partnerships to address Lawrence County stray dog issues.

Committee Members:

  • Shane Eaton *
  • Tammy Wisdom **
  • Dave Ray
  • Sandy Newton
  • Roy Hagan

The Audit Committee helps makes sure county finances are in compliance with Tennessee State law.

Committee Members:

  • Karen Woodall *
  • Scott Franks **
  • Jim Brewer
  • Jerry Putman
  • Kelsey Glass

The Beer Board ensures that retailers applying for beer sale licenses are in compliance with guidelines related to distance from schools and churches.

Committee Members:

  • Ricky Skillington*
  • John Bradley **
  • Travis Cauwels
  • Chris Sutherland
  • Tim Clifton

The Budget Committee reviews all department requests to prepare the annual budget for full Commission approval. The Budget Committee also reviews and approves any unbudgeted spending throughout the year, including bids approved by the Purchasing Committee.

Committee Members:

  • David Morgan *
  • Scott Franks **
  • Randy Brewer
  • Phillip Heatherly
  • Barry Luffman

The Courtroom Security Committee works to protect the safety of everyone involved in courtroom proceedings, including judges, witnesses, and observers. Another priority for the Courtroom Security team is maintaining proper decorum in our courtrooms.

Committee Members:

  • David Morgan *
  • John Myers **
  • Brent Cooper
  • Caleb Bayless
  • Tommy Lee Kidd

The Delinquent Property Tax Sales Committee

Committee Members:

  • David Morgan *
  • Scott Franks **
  • Travis Cauwels
  • Chris Sutherland
  • Phillip Heatherly

Our Economic & Community Development/Tourism/ Non-profit Committees work to bring more jobs and more tourists, respectively, into our county.  They operate hand-in-hand with the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce and the Joint Economic & Community Development Committee. They also primarily meet during budget time to determine the county’s annual contributions to the non-profit groups.

Committee Members:

  • Randy Brewer *
  • Ricky Skillington **
  • Shane Eaton
  • Sandy Newton
  • Chris Sutherland

The Emergency Services Committee was established in 2022-23 and includes members of the Commission and First Responders. This group will examine all of Lawrence County’s emergency services to make sure our facilities, equipment, and manpower are providing our growing community the best service possible.

Committee Members: 

  • David Morgan *
  • Shane Eaton **
  • Will Burnett
  • Roy Hagan
  • Barry Luffman
  • Tyler McDow
  • Shelton Barnett

The Facilities/Property Committee (includes Public Safety & Jail)

makes the initial decision about any construction, major repair, or addition to any county building. Members determine the need and how it can be addressed, then ask for bids (see above).

Committee Members:

  • Scott Franks *
  • Randy Brewer **
  • Tim Clifton
  • Wayne Yocom
  • Travis Cauwels

The Grievance Committee considers complaints filed by county employees.

Committee Members:

  • Tammy Wisdom *
  • Will Burnette **
  • Roy Hagan
  • Holley Cody
  • Tammy Hardy

Highway Committee members make recommendations regarding road projects, speed limit changes, and road name changes. They also make sure changes don’t create problems for 911 dispatch and emergency responders.

Committee Members:

  • Wayne Yocom *
  • Denny Gillespie **
  • Tim Clifton
  • Barry Luffman
  • Ricky Skillington

The Human Resource Committee (includes Ethics, Rules, Benefits, & Sick Bank) are job classifications, comp time, insurance renewals, and pay scale for county employees. They also meet as needed to address any ethics violations in county government or the county workplace. The Rules committee gathers when necessary, to deal with questions about meeting protocol.

Committee Members:

  • Phillip Heatherly *
  • Shane Eaton **
  • Delano Benefield
  • Tammy Wisdom
  • Denny Gillespie

The Purchasing Committee approves bids for large purchases or projects like building construction. An advertisement for bids goes out in local newspapers; sealed bids are submitted by the specified deadline; then they are opened at a Purchasing Committee meeting. Low bids win as long as they meet all specifications.

Committee Members:

  • David Morgan *
  • Travis Cauwels **
  • Dave Ray
  • Sandy Newton
  • John Bradley

The Resolution Committee, which meets prior to each full Commission meeting to go over its agenda. This committee makes sure resolutions coming before the Commission are completely accurate.

Committee Members:

  • Phillip Heatherly *
  • Tammy Wisdom **
  • Shane Eaton
  • Chris Sutherland
  • Delano Benefield

Committee Members:

  • Rick Skillington *
  • Shane Eaton **
  • Phillip Heatherly
  • Travis Cauwels
  • John Bradley
  • Barry Luffman

The School Board Liaison Committee’s job is to keep the lines of communication open between the Commission and School Board.

Committee Members:

  • Scott Franks *
  • Ricky Skillington **
  • Sandy Newton
  • Will Burnett
  • Dave Ray

The Solid Waste Committee is tackling issues that include a leak at the solid waste facility; a drainage issue that can flood the building’s offices; and repairs necessary in the chert/topsoil “cap” over a closed area of the landfill.

Committee Members:

  • Denny Gillespie *
  • Wayne Yocom **
  • John Bradley
  • Tim Clifton
  • Shane Eaton

The Technology Committee address computer needs in the county.

Committee Members:

  • Dave Ray *
  • Steve Walker **
  • Roy Hagan
  • Tammy Wisdom
  • Wayne Yocom

The Utilities/Energy Efficiency Committee, which does exactly what its names suggests. They look for ways to save energy and therefore taxpayer dollars.

Committee Members:

  • Denny Gillespie *
  • John Bradley **
  • Delano Benefield
  • Barry Luffman
  • Phillip Heatherly

The Workplace Safety Committee addresses issues regarding the physical safety and wellbeing of Lawrence County Government employees. This can include adjustments needed in the work environment or certain task protocols.

Committee Members:

  • Ricky Skillington *
  • Tammy Wisdom **
  • Chris Sutherland
  • Delano Benefield
  • Roy Hagan

Committee Members:

  • Denny Gillespie *
  • Tim Clifton **
  • Shane Eaton
  • Travis Cauwels
  • Donnie Morris

As you can see, being a Commissioner involves much more than casting votes at bi-monthly meetings. Committee work can demand an enormous amount of time and energy, and rarely makes headlines. Be sure to thank your Commissioner for the hands-on, behind-the-scenes work that keeps our county running smoothly.

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