By Bill Grubb

ROGERSVILLE - Hawkins County commissioners have cleared the way for Sheriff Roger Christian to use the Internet to sell surplus vehicles, but not before an unsuccessful effort to limit the sale to a local public auction.
    A resolution, approved Monday, authorizes the sheriff to dispose of a fleet of patrol vehicles taken out of service and other items "either by sealed bid, or at a public or electronic auction."
    While the sheriff can now use the Web site GovDeals.com to dispose of items, commissioners also voted to give him two less vehicles to sell.
    The commission unanimously approved an amendment, recommended by the legislative body's Public Safety Committee, to donate a 1998 and 1999 Crown Victoria to the Town of Mount Carmel.
    A second amendment, proposed by Commissioner Hanes Cooper, would have required the sheriff to have a local sale rather than rely on the Web site.
    "There are a lot of people who don't have computers or Internet and I think it would be better to have an auction so local people have a chance to bid," Cooper said.
    "However you want to sell them is what we will do," Christian replied.   "I feel that we will get significantly more money with the online auction."
    The sheriff compared the GovDeals site to the popular Ebay auction site, although he noted only governments are allowed to sell surplus and confiscated items on the GovDeals site.  Cooper's amendment failed, with Cooper, Danny Alvis and Stacy Vaughan voting "yes" and all other commissioners voting against the move.
    "I know they have computers up at the Mount Carmel Library and the staff will be more than glad to help someone get online if they want make a bid," Commissioner Chris Jones noted.
    Commissioners rejected a resolution to accept Martin Lane, of Carter's Valley Road, as a county road, sending the proposal back to the commission's Road Committee for further review.
    Vaughan said he had a copy of guidelines from 1989 which included a requirement any new road have a 50-foot right-of-way, although Martin Road had a 40-foot right of way.
    "All the years I was on the road committee we rejected several request because of that right-of-way requirement and if we accept this one I want to apologize to everybody we turned down," Alvis noted.
    The body also approved a resolution establishing a reserve account to be used by the assessor office to upgrade computer equipment used in Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping.
    The resolution approved by commissioners notes the revenue generated from the sale of the GIS maps has increased from $1,700 to the current $10,800.
    "This is something we are going to be doing more and more of and we are going to need to keep the equipment up to date," Assessor Jack Price told commissioner.  "Hopefully, we will eventually have a self-supporting GIS department."
    In other business the commission:   
    •  Recognized Otis and Kathy Eldridge for their accomplishments to the county, including the Memory Lane attraction.
    •  Confirmed County Mayor Crockett Lee's appointment of Andrew Bradley to the 911 Board.
    •  Voted to create the position of medical investigator, replacing the coroner's post.
    •  Approved an application for a Litter Grant.
    •  Voted to decrease the reimbursement rate from 54-cents per mile to 51-cents per mile, effective July 1.
    •  Adopted a continuing budget resolution until a 2009-10 budget is adopted and a tax rate established.
    •  Approved a series of budget amendments.