(September 11, 2014) JACKSON Tenn — To help new commissioner get familiar with their new jobs the county hosted a training session at the county Finance office.
Commissioner Mark Johnstone is the chairman of the 25-member board. He met with the group to familiarize them with the rules and procedures and give them a better knowledge of how the county’s legislative body operates.
For example there are ethics rules and regulations, rules about talking from the floor, the time you can talk, and who to address. The meeting covered rules of order and the goals of committees and how the function.
The orientation was voluntary but all but one of the new county commissioners attended County Attorney Steve Maroney and County Commission Chairman Mark Johnstone led the orientation. Any commissioner was welcome to attend
The newly elected commissioners are Larry Sipes, District 7, Savannah Williamson, also from District 7, Traci Carney, District 9; and Harold Petty, District 10.
County Attorney Maroney told the group about being cautious when serving in public office.
Some of the legal areas he covered included
Conflict of interests
Open meeting laws
Accepting gratuities
The next county commission is at 8:30 a.m. on Monday. The CLB meets at the UT Ag Research Center on Airways Blvd
