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THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012 ▪ VO L . 1 2 8 , N O. 3 2 ▪ T H E VO I C E O F TIPTON COUNTY S I N C E 1 8 8 6 ▪
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Mason refuses 911 fee increase County 911 director says city not paying its share
By SHERRI ONORATI sonorati@covingtonleader.com
The Town of Mason is refusing to pay its fair share towards county 911 user fees and according to Tipton County Emergency Communications District (TCECD) Operations Manager Dana Howeth, that puts everyone in the county at risk. In a letter to Mason Mayor David Ward, dated May 14, 2012, TCECD director Renee Downing explained due to the increase in emergency calls from the Town of Mason, an increase in county
911 user fees was warranted. Mason currently pays $4,280.76 annually or 1.07 percent towards the county’s 911 user fees. The letter stated according to call volume and population, Mason should be paying between $14,200 to $17,680 annually but the TCECD is only requiring Mason to pay an increase of one percent which would raise their annual payment to $8,280. At Mason’s monthly meeting of its board of mayor and alder-
man on May 14, the request for the increase angered Alderman Mike Harris. “That’s ridiculous!” Harris stated. “I’m sorry, but if someone is going to go sit in that chair for eight or 10 hours, whatever it is, they’re suppose to take it. I don’t care if their volume of calls is increased by 50 percent, that’s what they’re paid to do and to try to throw it on us because volume of calls is absolutely ridiculous.”
The mayor tried to explain that Mason had not had in increase in the county fees since 2006. “The Town of Mason has not paid any increase to 911 since 2006,” said Ward. “I feel like we’ve gone six years without paying our share and the other towns have. But every other week there’s an ambulance coming through Mason. The calls are up and they have statistics to show it. I understand our point SEE MASON PAGE A2
LEGAL
Supreme Court rules police must corroborate tips By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled last week that police must corroborate anonymous tips, an opinion directly related to a 2009 Covington case. After receiving an anonymous call reporting an armed party on May 31, 2009, police officers were dispatched to the Baxter Motel. The report from the supreme court states two officers testified to arriving less than a minute later; three others arrived shortly thereafter and one, Officer Rodney McCurrie, testified in court that Officer Rushell Guarian was pointing his service weapon at "a subject on the balcony" at that time. Testimony indicates McCurrie ended up frisking Guy Alvin Williamson, a convicted felon who'd been drinking, and found an inoperable .22-caliber pistol. Because of his status as a felon, it is unlawful for Williamson to both WILLIAMSON possess a firearm and to do so while intoxicated. The following year he was convicted on both felony counts in Tipton County Circuit Court. Last week's unanimous decision by the supreme court overturned the convictions, however, stating that officers did not have reasonable suspicion to believe a crime was being committed. "Because the anonymous report of an armed party, absent corroboration and other indicia of reliability as to criminal activity, did not establish reasonable suspicion based upon specific, articuable facts, there was insufficient basis for the investigatory stop and frisk of the defendant," said Justice Gary R. Wade, the supreme court judge who authored the opinion. "The evidence seized, therefore, should be suppressed." It was a big win for Williamson and his attorney, Parker O. Dixon, who have been working to suppress the evidence for most of the last three years. Before and during the trial, Judge Joseph Walker denied a motion to suppress the evidence; it was also denied in the Court of Criminal Ap-
Lightning struck a tree on the Holly Grove Road property of Nellene Kidd during a storm Friday, June 1. Photo by Tracey Holliday.
Struck by lightning By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com It’s a good thing Nellene Kidd was cold Friday evening. She’d been outside that night, watching lightning flash from approaching storms, and sitting on her front porch. And then, while she was inside getting a coat, she heard a loud noise. “It was really a sonic boom,” she said. “I thought it’d hit the house.” Lightning had struck the Willow Oak tree in her front yard, spreading debris all over her Holly Grove Road property and damaging her large picture window. Kidd said it made her nervous for awhile. “The only thing holding it up and keeping it from hitting her house is the next tree beside it,” said Kidd’s niece, Tracey Holliday. Kidd said she’s glad she went inside when she did, stopping to watch the weather while she was in the house. “They always tease me about being cold,” she said, laughing. “I really had an angel watching out for me.” Though Tipton County's had a rather uneventful spring storm season, this weekend Mother Nature has tried to make up for lost time with storms beginning on Thursday and going through the weekend and into early this week. No major threat has popped up locally, however. Thunderstorms are not expected again until Monday, June 11 when there is a slight risk of isolated storms.
SEE TIPS PAGE A3
Atoka aldermen to see pay increase in 2013
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KIDZ TRIATHLON
Results and photos from the first Kidz Triathlon are in today's issue! See page A11. HOW TO REACH US Call 901.476.7116 Fax 901.476.0373 Email news@covingtonleader.com Visit us at 2001 Hwy. 51 South, Covington, TN 38019 or online at covingtonleader.com
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By JEFF IRELAND jireland@covingtonleader.com Atoka aldermen will make a little more money in the future. At the monthly meeting of the Atoka Board of Mayor and Aldermen Tuesday night, the board voted unanimously to raise aldermen's pay from $50 to $200 a month. The raise will go into ef-
fect for aldermen that are elected in the future. “We were looking to make them market comparable,” Town Administrator Brian Koral said about the reason for the raise. Aldermen's pay has not been increased since 2001. “We looked at similar communities,” Koral said. “The new rate will bring our elected official compensation into line with
our neighboring comparable communities.” In other matters: • Public hearings were held on amendments to the fiscal year 2012 budget and a proposal for the fiscal year 2013 budget. Nobody in attendance made a comment during the public hearings and ordinances on both budgets passed unanimously on second reading later in the
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meeting. The 2013 budget will be $5.583 million with a property take rate of 55.5 cents per $100 of assessed value, which is unchanged from last year. Last year's amended budget is $5.233 million. • A resolution passed unanimously allowing the town to apply for a state grant to install a playground at Nancy Lane Park SEE PAY PAGE A3
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