When the Carter County Commission meets next week it will be in a different location than normal due to an equipment malfunction at the Carter County Courthouse.
Normally, the County Commission meets in the courtroom on the second floor of the Carter County Courthouse, but on Monday the proceedings will move to the Carter County Health Department’s Truman Clark Annex, located at 403 E. G St.
At 5 p.m. on Monday, the County Budget Committee will hold a public hearing on the Certified Tax Rate. Following the public hearing, the full County Commission will meet in regular session at 6 p.m. During the Commission meeting, members are expected to debate and vote on the county’s budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year.
“It’s something that is beyond our control,” Carter County Mayor Leon Humphrey said on Tuesday regarding the change of venue for the two meetings.
The cause of the move? The air conditioning unit at the courthouse that services the courtroom malfunctioned and is out of commission. With the forecast temperatures remaining steady in the mid-80s and sometimes creeping into the 90s, Humphrey said he felt it was best to change the location of the meeting.
“It’s not a simple shelf item that we can get to fix it,” Humphrey said. “We are working very diligently to get the equipment fixed, but with the lead time it could be several weeks.”
Because of the age and size of the HVAC unit which has malfunctioned, Humphrey said the part needed to make the repairs is not one that is readily available, which is adding to the wait time for repairs to be completed.