Dr. Denise Dingle resigns as DeKalb County Medical Examiner
by: Dwayne PageFeb 02, 2025
Dr. Denise Dingle has stepped down as the DeKalb County Medical Examiner.
The resignation, effective January 31, comes just as a new county policy went into effect February 1 regarding how the medical examiner and medical investigator are to be paid per death call.
Dr. Dingle issued the following statement to WJLE Saturday through her attorney Jon Slager
“Dr. Denise Dingle, MD, did, in fact tender her resignation as DeKalb County Medical Examiner. The most recent adoption of new policies and procedures for the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office, over the objection of Dr. Dingle, is the most recent example of an untenable work environment which began last year with the County Mayor’s failed attempt to suspend and ultimately fire Dr. Dingle as medical examiner,” the statement concluded.
As a contracted service, Dr. Dingle was paid $5,000 a year by the county as medical director and $100 per body as medical examiner. However, County Mayor Matt Adcock reported to the county commission in November that an invoice from July, when Dingle was on suspension and not the ME, charged a $200 fee for one decedent.
During December’s regular monthly meeting, the county commission adopted the following written policy as recommended by the government services committee to become effective February 1, 2025.
Under the policy, “$200 will be paid to the Medical Examiner per decedent. The $200 will be $100 for the Medical Examiner and $100 for the Medical Investigator. 911 will notify the Medical Examiner. The Medical Examiner will be responsible for contacting a Medical Investigator on each body. The Medical Examiner will be responsible for paying the Medical Investigator within 30 days of receiving the money from the county. A DeKalb County employee can be the Medical Investigator as long as they are not on the DeKalb County clock during the investigation”.
County Mayor Adcock said members of the DeKalb Ambulance Service trained in medical death investigations may be called upon during their off times to perform this duty but not while they are on the clock because that amounts to double dipping according to the state comptroller.
Alexandria City Council Says “Yes” to Extension of Sales Tax Agreement
by: Dwayne PageFeb 02, 2025
A done deal!
Thanks to the Alexandria Mayor and Aldermen, the final piece of the puzzle is in place to make construction of a new Smithville Elementary School eventually become a reality.
By a six to nothing margin, the Alexandria Aldermen Friday night voted to extend their existing local option sales tax agreement with the county through the year 2055. The current agreement was set to expire on July 16, 2037.
The county commission had set February 1, 2025 as the deadline to hear from Alexandria on the proposed extension.
Aldermen voting for the extension were Jeff Ford, Sherry Tubbs, Luke Prichard, Bobby Simpson, Tiffany Robinson, and Jonathan Tripp. Mayor Beth Tripp is the mayor.
Alexandria now joins all the other municipalities, Smithville, Liberty, and Dowelltown in extending its local option sales tax agreements in partnership with the county and Board of Education to ensure that funding is in place for debt payment up to $55 million for the life of a 30-year bond yet to be issued for new school construction. The county commission went on record last fall committing to proceed with the funding for a new school if all the cities signed on to an extension of their local option sales tax agreements with the county. Smithville made its extension conditional upon the county issuing bonds within 12 months.
Prior to the vote Friday night, County Mayor Matt Adcock addressed the Alexandria Mayor and Aldermen.
“This agreement was set in place in 1967 with all the municipalities and the county,” said County Mayor Adcock. “Although they are a separate department of county government, we do approve the school budget and their debt. Any debt they accrue we have to fund. We are a funding source for the school board, but they run the school operation”.
“In 1967 DeKalb County and the municipalities made an agreement to create a school sinking fund. Its also called the Local Purpose Fund,” said County Mayor Adcock. “The state statute requires that every municipality in DeKalb County provide 50% of their sales tax proceeds toward schools. This agreement calls for an extra one third of the sales tax to go into the school sinking fund only to be used for school construction and operation ($1.9 million budgeted annually for school operation). In the past we have used this money for construction of Northside Elementary. We built a storm shelter (Tornado Safe Classrooms) at DeKalb West School and a new cafeteria at the high school. An energy efficiency project was funded at the west school. The initial agreement between the county and cities was extended for another 30 years and the agreement we are under now runs through 2037,” said County Mayor Adcock.
“The school board approached the county commission about replacing the elementary school. It is the oldest school and it is antiquated. This (sales tax money) would go toward construction of a new pre-K to 2nd grade Smithville Elementary School and it would be put next to Northside Elementary School on North Congress Boulevard,” County Mayor Adcock explained.
“As a county our responsibility is to find a way to fund it. When we started looking at what a bond would take to build this facility, we couldn’t guarantee any revenue for it past 2037 which is when our sales tax agreements with the cities would expire,” Adcock said. “This is just one school in a plan they have to eventually replace all their schools. Revenues after 2037 cannot be allocated into our debt service forecast because we don’t know if its going to be there. The only way we can know for sure that we have the funding in place to make future payments is if we extend this agreement at least through the life of the bond. That’s why we have based it (sales tax extension) only on the life of a 30-year bond. We are adding another 18 years to go from 2037 to 2055. On July 16, 2055 this agreement would expire at the same time that the school bond would expire. If they want to build another school past that date in 2055 they would have to seek another sales tax extension agreement in order to build the next school,” said County Mayor Adcock
“I would like to ask for your vote for this. All the other municipalities in DeKalb County have passed this along with the county and school board. We would appreciate your cooperation. The only way we have been able to fund schools like we have in DeKalb County is because of this agreement. We have all worked together to make it happen,” Adcock concluded.
Several members of the county commission attended the meeting in support including Daniel Cripps, Sabrina Farler, Tony Luna, Glynn Merriman, Larry Green, Andy Pack, and Beth Pafford.
Director of Schools Patrick Cripps also addressed the Mayor and Aldermen.
“We have not made a decision on what we would do with that (existing Smithville Elementary School) property but I do want to add to what the county mayor said about the infrastructure of the school. We are outgrowing that school. We actually have two second grade classes at Northside Elementary School and we are looking at moving another one next year. Those second-grade kids are separated from their peers at Smithville Elementary because we have run out of space due to the different programs we have had to add at Smithville Elementary to meet the individual needs of the students that are attending that school,” said Director Cripps.
During the public comment period, William Lambert, who lives just outside the city on New Hope Road spoke out against the extension of the sales tax agreement.
“I am here tonight as a concerned citizen of DeKalb County and a close neighbor and friend of the town of Alexandria,” said Lambert. “I have lived in this area for 20 years both here and in Smithville. My family of origin has lived here for almost 30 years. I can remember when this little town was bustling. I am here to ask you to retain your sales tax for local use. Everywhere I look around town I see ways revenue could be used to improve the area. Further because of our geographic proximity to Davidson and Wilson Counties we could be a growth anchor for the entire county if the town invests properly. Look past today and what the future might be for this town I love so much,” he said.
City resident Mike Prichard spoke in support of the move.
“I am Mike Prichard and I have lived in this town for 73 years. I think the county has made a good presentation. This is DeKalb County. Its not Wilson County or Smith County. We’re DeKalb County. Our school system is all together here in DeKalb County. I would encourage the city to vote yes on this and give them the tax money like they deserve. We need a school,” he said.
Essay Winners Awarded at DeKalb West School D.A.R.E. Graduation
by: Dwayne PageJan 31, 2025
Keeping kids away from drugs and alcohol is one key part of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program. Sixth grade students have been learning from the law enforcement curriculum during the first part of the school year at DeKalb West School. Under the guidance of School Resource Officer Billy Tiner, students were also taught assertiveness training techniques, anger management and conflict resolution skills, interpersonal and communication skills, how to enhance self-esteem, positive alternatives to substance use, and developing risk assessment and decision-making skills.
DWS D.A.R.E. students graduated from the program Friday (January 31) in a special ceremony that was coordinated by Officer Tiner and attended by county officials, law enforcement personnel, Coordinated School Health staff, the DeKalb Prevention Coalition, school administrators, families and students. Students were handed certificates for their successful completion of the program. Essay winners for the best paper on what they learned in D.A.R.E were announced. Jace Davis was the essay winner from Ms. Missy Sliger’s homeroom while Bradi Turney had the best paper in Ms. Kayley Curtis’ homeroom. Each received a $25 gift card from the DeKalb Prevention Coalition and other prizes. Paisley Avera was the top essay winner overall. She won a $50 gift card from the DeKalb Prevention Coalition and other gifts. Paisley read her essay during Friday’s D.A.R.E. graduation program.
Paisley will compete with the overall DeKalb Middle School essay winner to be named later and one of the two will advance to the state for the Tennessee D.A.R.E. Essay Competition sponsored by the Tennessee D.A.R.E Officer’s Association. If a student from this district wins the state competition, the Tennessee D.A.R.E Officer’s Association will pay for the student and their family to attend the D.A.R.E. luau in Pigeon Forge at the state D.A.R.E. conference.
Members of the 2024-2025 D.A.R.E. Graduating Class include: Paisley Avera, Wyatt Bain, Oliver Bell, Hayden Caraway, Jameson Carter, Leah Chittwood, Samson Chittwood, Tyler Clemons, Taelyn Cork, Jayden Curtis, Jace Davis, Stanton Fakes, Zara Fox, Kylnee Griffith, Caison Grisham, Chase Groshong, Nixson Hale, Cash Hancock, Addison Harbaugh, Sawyer Hendrix, Sylar Hickman, Bella Holder, Cainnan Humphrey, Lorenzo Johnson, Luke Johnson, Waylon Ketchum, Holden Leiser, Jackie Lloyd, Bailey McDaniel, Hailey Medrano, Ivy Melton, Zadah Miller, Karson Mullinax, Jaxson Murphy, Mason Nicholas, Griselda Nicholson, Adysen Olivas, Karlee Pierce, Derek Pinkston, Shayla Rebertus, Conner Robinson, Jasen Sandlin, Colton Saso-Varble, Isabella Scott, Kayla Sebolt, Lexie South, Turner Stanley, Bradi Turney, Maddox Vickers, Kensley Womack, and Lucas Yancey.