Cannon County Sheriff Darrell Young in a Facebook post recently reported that the Cannon County Jail did not pass the state inspection this year. During the past year the Sheriff’s Department has been working with the State Tennessee Correctional Institute in trying to get back up to standards. Some of the reasons Sheriff Young states that the jail failed the inspection report included the square footage standard cannot be met because of serious inmate overcrowding. Staffing does not allow for officers to perform necessary functions with only two officers on each shifts. Inmates can not be classified because of overcrowding in both male and female pods. The Cannon County Commissioners will discuss the jail tonight at their regular monthly meeting. A resolution will be discussed in regards to creating a jail projects capital outlay fund. Two other resolutions are set to be voted on during the meeting. A resolution to levy an additional sales and use tax. Currently the Sales Tax in Cannon County is 8.25%. With the commissioners knowing how bad revenue needs to be raised in Cannon County, one of the ways to do it is through Sales Tax. All other surrounding Counties have a 9.75% sales tax. The Commission will vote on this issue and once again if passed it will have to go to the voters per referendum to vote on during the next election. Another resolution is for a 20 cent increase in the county’s wheel tax. The wheel tax resolution must pass by two thirds vote on two consecutive readings. This means that this method of funding will not take place possibly until 2016-2017 fiscal year and would have an impact on a proposed property tax increase to fund this years budget. The proposed property tax increase however will not be decided on tonight as it is part of the funding of this fiscal year’s budget and will be decided on during a special called meeting. The meeting tonight however starts at 5:00 at the Cannon County Courthouse.
