Welcome

In my last column, I wrote about the importance of representing Lawrence County in regional, state, and national organizations. Last week, I had another opportunity to share our story at the Governor’s Conference on Economic Development in Murfreesboro, where I participated in a panel discussion on ecotourism.

Lawrence County is blessed with natural beauty, and visitors who enjoy outdoor activities were among those who spent over $32 million here in 2024. Many thanks are due those who operate our parks and businesses catering to these visitors: their work boosts the economy and reduces the tax burden for all of us.

In addition to responsibilities that take me out of town, I am Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Lawrence County. It’s my job to ensure projects are carried out properly, to execute contracts and other legal instruments, make policy recommendations, promote economic development, and lead long-term planning efforts.

I am also responsible for all county departments that do not fall under another elected official. Our Trustee, Register of Deeds, County Clerk, Property Assessor, Sheriff, Circuit Court Clerk, and Road Superintendent run their offices as they see fit with the funds allotted to them by the Commission. I have no authority over them.

As for other departments, the buck stops with me. This includes Maintenance, Emergency Medical (Ambulance) Service, Archives, Budget, Election Commission, Health Department, Public Library, Information Technology, Solid Waste, Veterans Service, Lawrence County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, and my own office – a total of 134 employees. The idea of final responsibility for all these departments was intimidating when I first took office, but our department heads are experts at what they do and make the job enjoyable.

Maintenance – Director Mark Brewer and his crew are responsible for 18 facilities. In addition to housekeeping, HVAC and other operating systems, our Maintenance Department handles most remodeling jobs, saving taxpayers major funds.

Emergency Medical Service – Michelle Ayers is Director of Lawrence County EMS, our ambulance service. It is headquartered at 416 West Gaines Street, with satellite locations in Ethridge and Loretto.

Archives – Ashley Armstrong is Director of our Archives, located at 2588 Highway 43 South in Leoma. In addition to the resources available there, a lot of great information can be found at the website she developed, https://lawcotnarchives.org/

Budget – Director of Accounts & Budgets Brandi Williams and six others are responsible for the financial management of all departments, purchasing, accounts payable and receivable, human resources and payroll, and grant management. It’s an enormous job that’s very closely scrutinized by the Comptroller’s office and other state and federal departments that provide grant funding.

Election Commission – Tanya White is the Administrator of Elections, now operating at its new location, 702 Mahr Avenue. This is the former American Job Center, remodeled by – you guessed it – our Maintenance Department.

Health Department – Devin Ezell is Director of Public Health in Lawrence, Wayne, and Giles counties. Our Health Department is at 2379 Buffalo Road, Lawrenceburg, but a new facility is under construction at the corner of Liberty Avenue and Brannon Street.

Public Library – Library Director Marie Brennan oversees the main library in Lawrenceburg and a branch at Loretto. The library offers books, magazines, and DVDs for checkout, onsite computers for public use (including a new one just for kids), a genealogy department, and educational programming for all ages.

Information Technology – Director Steve Walker and Assistant Kyle Johnson make up our IT Department, and are responsible for computer and communication systems at all county buildings. Their office is at the Courthouse.

Solid Waste – Gary Wayne Hyde is our longtime Solid Waste Director, and his work in recycling is recognized statewide. In addition to the Transfer Station at 2126 Baler Drive in Lawrenceburg, we have a new Convenience Center in Loretto. He also oversees two closed garbage landfills and the City of Lawrenceburg’s demolition waste landfill.

Veterans Service – Lawrence County Veterans Service Officer Donnie Morris does such a good job, veterans from neighboring counties seek him out to handle their benefit claims. He and fellow VSO Jared Belew will be moving to a new location in a few weeks – the former Election Commission office on Centennial Boulevard, behind the Courthouse. Our Maintenance crew started remodeling work there a few days ago.

Lawrence County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (LCSAP) – Then-County Executive T.R. Williams and State Representative Barry Doss founded our Drug Coalition in 2016. Its Board, still chaired by Dr. John Beasley, hired Jenny Golden as its first director. Trea Dunnavant is the current director, and with Nicole Miller Ginger Wells-Smith, and Sarah Hamilton, serves this community in more ways than I can count. The Coalition is funded through state and federal grants, and many local contributions.

County Executive – Last but not least is my own department, where Christian Tyree and Nancy Brewer assist the public; send out announcements; manage our Facebook page and website; work with the County Commission, other departments, and agencies; and handle many other projects, often all at once.