Downsizing Sullivan commission may be a no go

BLOUNTVILLE — The 2026-30 Sullivan County Commission's first work session ended Thursday night with the likelihood of withdrawal for a resolution that would reduce the commission from 24 to 14 members, effective for the 2030-34 commission. That is a reboot of a resolution that was withdrawn by its sponsor in mid-May of 2024. And the commission also reviewed a resolution to make a one-time appropriation of $50,000 to the Petworks Animal Services operated by Kingsport, a measure left over from the last commission, but opposition by commissioners may make passage of that at next week's meeting unlikely, too. However, a host of commissioners including Dwight King of Piney Flats decried that funding because of a past promise he said Petworks officials made that a $75,000 contribution to that operation would be the last asked of the commission. Sponsoring Commissioner Joe Carr of Kingsport said Petworks officials would attend the next meeting to answer questions. Carr also attempted to introduce two Flock camera resolutions but was told he missed the deadline of noon Tuesday. It was unclear at press time if the two camera resolutions would appear on next week's agenda or would be delayed until October. One would by a "trigger" resolution to ban license-plate reading cameras across the county by law enforcement or private businesses, if the federal or state government enable such a ban. The other would require, under Article 1, Section 7 of the Tennessee Constitution, a very specific warrant for Flock to gather information and would apply inside the cities as well as outside city boundaries, Carr said. "It's not about declaring a war on the cities or making them look bad," Carr said, explaining that the action would protect cities as well as citizens from violations of the state constitution. Sheriff Jeff Cassidy recent agreed to halt operations of 10 Flock Safety cameras after controversy about them. The commission also heard a proclamation honoring the late Charlie Kirk, a conservative Christian college campus speaker who began Turning Point and was killed in Utah Sept. 10, 2025. It did not require a commission vote. In addition, new Mayor Zane Vanover announced at the start of the meeting grants coordinator Sherri DeVault, a retired county school system principal, would become vice mayor but also would continue her grant duties, with assistance from an additional full-time or part-time position. On the 24-member body, 12 reelected commissioners joined 12 newly elected ones, along with Vanover, who replaced the retiring Richard Venable. DOWNSIZING COMMISSION The commission Thursday evening took a look a Commissioner Hunter Locke's resolution to downsize the commission, which the commissioner from Kingsport said also would rectify what he said is a problem with one-man, one vote requirements. The reason is that the commission has 24 commission seats spread across 11 districts represented by one, two or three commissioners in each district. "They (constituents) don't have equal representation throughout the county," Locke said, adding that the change also is "about efficiency." But at the end of the discussion, which included opposition from the proposal from Commissioner Mark Vance of Bristol, Locke said he would defer the resolution to the Sept. 17 meeting at which time he may withdraw it. Vance said he'd rather see a redrawing of district lines and possible reduction after the next U.S. Census. He also said Bristol and some Kingsport people want to know how many city-centric commissioners they would get. It would be based on two commissioners each from seven school board districts. Locke eventually withdrew his proposal to downsize the commission from 24 to 14 members at the May 16, 2024, commission meeting, indicating he might bring it up later. At that time, commissioners indicated the resolution would have passed by a narrow margin if at all. Commissioner Carr of Kingsport, like Locke reelected to the commission in August of this year, back in 2024 said he favored downsizing but to 16 or 18 members, not 24. Former Kingsport Mayor Pat Shull, who once served on the county legislative body, has publicly called for the number of commissioners to be downsized. Aside from recommending the downsizing of the commission, Shull also has opined that the commissioners' pay, currently more than $900 a month based on a percentage of the county mayor's pay that is set by Tennessee, should be reduced and that commissioners' pay should be based on attendance at commission meetings. Downsizing the 24-member commission at one time was approved by the commission but later scrapped before it was to take effect. The last downsizing of the commission occurred after a state constitutional convention in the 1970s, reducing the 48-member "Quarterly County Court" as it was then known to a 24-member commission that met once a month. REMEMBERING KIRK County Commissioner Lakie Derrick of Kingsport proposed the Kirk proclamation, which was approved at the voting meeting on zoning and work session on next week's voting agenda on everything else. Normally, proclamations are recited at voting meetings, but Vanover read it before zoning. Derrick, one of 12 newly elected members of the 24-member commission, proposed the resolution to honor Kirk with a proclamation that Sept. 10 would be designated Charlie Kirk Day each year in the county. She is an employee of the Turning Point group in its Club America group that serves high schools. Derrick helped start the Turning Point chapter at East Tenenssee State University while a student there. Derrick and former Commissioner Jessica Means of Kingsport helped spearhead a remembrance of Kirk Sept. 17, 2025. The Wednesday event became a combined Constitution Day, Candlelight Vigil and Community Prayer event after it was expanded to remember Kirk in front of the historic courthouse on state Route 126. That is also where the commission meeting was held in the second-floor meeting room Thursday. ZONING MATTERS In the zoning votes, the commission approved two requests both by votes of 23-0 with Commissioner Travis Ward of Kingsport absent. One rezoning was a proposal from Sammy and Lilibeth Ford, 1038 Highway 394, Blountville, to rezone property from A-2, agricultural-residential, to Planned Business District/ Shopping Center, to place a heating and cooling business. The other was a proposal to rezone property of Chester H. Trivete Jr. 4118 Weaver Pike, Bristol, Tennessee area, from R-1, residential, to A-1, general agriculture in order to place a single-wide mobile hope on the property.