Washington County officials to appoint members to committees, boards

The newly sworn-in Washington County Commission will have its first regular meeting Monday to consider appointments to county committees and an interlocal agreement between the county and the City of Johnson City for maintenance and improvements on Hopper Road. Appointments The Committees on Committees met on Aug. 14 to elect commissioners to the county's standing committees. The seven standing committees have the authority to recommend resolutions to the full commission. Each commissioner must serve on at least two standing committees, which include public safety, public works, county-owned property, rules, commercial, industrial and agricultural, health, education and welfare and employee compensation and benefits. In addition to the full commission's consideration of the standing committee appointments, the governing body will also consider appointments to the ethics, investment and property tax implementation committees as well as the beer board. It will also consider Washington County Mayor Joe Grandy's appointments to the following bodies: Washington County Regional Planning Commission Kenneth Huffine, R-District 13 Freddie Malone, R-District 8 County Purchasing Commission Josh Edens, R-District 4 Mike Masters, R-District 15 Kenneth Huffine, R-District 13 Johnson City Development Authority Board Freddie Malone, R-District 8 Jodi Jones, D-District 11 Emergency Communications Board Keith Sexton Jodi Jones Lee Chase Tommy Burleson Gary McAllister David Bell Dan Wheeley Eric Dougherty Interlocal agreement — Hopper Road The full commission will also consider an interlocal agreement between Washington County and the City of Johnson City for maintenance and improvements for Hopper Road — a shared road between the two.The agreement includes more than 370 feet of Hopper Road. The city intends to make roadway improvements as well as widen the Hopper Road corridor, according to the agreement, due to increasing residential growth.The section of the road will remain owned by the county, but "the city will have authority and will control what can and cannot be put in existing and future Right-of-Way." Other agenda items The commission will also consider a resolution that would accept the highway department's annual inventory list and three rezoning requests recommended to the governing body by the regional planning commission.One of the rezoning requests the commission will consider is located on Cedar Creek Road and was submitted by the owner of Poplar Ridge Apartments in Gray. If rezoned from R-1 low density residential to R-3A high density residential, the requestor plans to expand the existing apartment complex by 43 multi-family units if public sewer service is made available, according to a press releaseThe full commission will convene at 6 p.m. Monday evening at the George P. Jaynes Justice Center. To see the full agenda, visit the county's website at washingtoncountytn.org/AgendaCenter.