Deputies of the Carter County Sheriff’s Office could soon have a new weapon in their arsenal in the war against drugs — particularly when it comes to individuals attempting to smuggle drugs into jail.

On Monday night, members of the Carter County Budget Committee approved transferring funds within the Sheriff’s Office budget for the purchase of an x-ray machine for the Carter County Detention Center.

“It’s a walk-through x-ray machine to detect the contraband inmates put in various places in their body,” Chief Deputy James Parrish told the committee.

Parrish said the department’s officers have been doing a good job with hand searches in detecting contraband, but he said inmates frequently conceal drugs and other items inside their bodies in an attempt to sneak them into the jail.

“We don’t want anyone to overdose and die over there,” Parrish told the committee.

The committee unanimously approved the transfer of $120,000 within the Sheriff’s Office budget for the purchase.

In other business, members of the committee also approved a motion for the county to continue to contract with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee for health insurance for county employees.

Carter County Finance Director Christa Byrd informed the committee the county would see an increase of 8.65 percent in the cost of health insurance for employees. That increase, Byrd explained, is based on the claims filed on the county’s policy.

“Our claims warranted a 10 percent increase,” Byrd told the committee. “I don’t think we can get a better rate.”

The committee voted 6-1 to renew the county’s insurance policy with BlueCross BlueShield and accept the rate increase. Committee members Al Meehan, Ronnie Trivett, L.C. Tester, Bobbie Gouge-Dietz, Dr. Robert Acuff, and Chairwoman Sonja Culler voted in favor of the renewal and committee member John Lewis cast the lone dissenting vote. Committee member Robert Carroll was absent from the meeting.

The committee also unanimously approved a measure to help pay off one of the county’s loans quicker. The early repayment option was presented by Byrd to the committee and would represent an $11,000 savings for the county.

Some of the county’s debt is financed at a variable interest rate but in order to ensure sufficient funds are available, Byrd said the county budgets at a higher set rate.

For one of the notes, Byrd said the county had budgeted for 5 percent interest while the variable rate came in at around 0.8 percent, Byrd said.

“We have about $80,000 in budgeted interest that we are not going to be paying on this note because the interest is so low,” Byrd said.

The county has two options for how to deal with that surplus, according to Byrd — the county can use the extra money to pay on the principal of the note which would save the county money, or they could allow that excess to roll over into the Debt Service fund balance to help build up the emergency fund pool.

When asked her opinion, Byrd said her recommendation would be to pay the surplus on the note’s principal.

“Why not save the taxpayers $11,000,” Byrd said.

Tester made a motion to take the extra money and pay on the note’s principal. The motion was seconded by Lewis and passed unanimously on a vote by the committee.

All of the measures approved by the committee will have to be voted on by the full Carter County Commission before they go into effect.