Bradley County commissioners on Monday discussed allowing the agreement between Trinity Broadcasting Network and the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office to let inmates watch religious shows.
The agreement states TBN would install the equipment enabling the Sheriff’s Department’s correctional institutions to receive and retransmit TBN’s television programming throughout the facilities. TBN would pay to install the equipment and provide the programming in exchange for the Bradley County Sherriff’s Office making the programming accessible to inmates.
Headquartered in Costa Mesa, CA, TBN is an international Christian-based broadcast television network. It operates as an independent entity and is the world’s largest religious television network.
Bradley County Sheriff Eric Watson holds community devotions regularly.
According to Vice Chairman Jeff Yarber, faith-based “pods” exist in the correctional facilities that TBN would serve.
Commissioners aim to vote on allowing TBN access to set up its programming in the facilities on March 7.
They also aim to establish a better protocol for the consent agenda – the package of non-controversial items presented before the commission that do not require discussion or independent action like one agenda item does.
Vice Chairman Yarber said it came to his attention that certain items were being approved in the consent agenda that other commissioners did not necessarily agree on. The way it works is the commissioners are presented with the consent agenda before a meeting. If they want to remove an item from it for discussion, it is up to them to do so. Otherwise, the items are lumped together and approved in the consent agenda.
Chairman Louie Alford said commissioners voted to put the consent agenda into effect in 2009. He said it saved a lot of time by not having to discuss each item individually. He said it was up to commissioners to read the consent agenda thoroughly to see if they wanted to pull any items for discussion.
On a different topic, Dr. Linda Cash, director of Bradley County Schools, presented to commissioners the initiative to provide school supplies to all students before the school year started.
Dr. Cash said the school supply initiative was a community-wide effort with an annual cost of around $45 to $120 per student. The cost, she said, depended on the student’s grade level and classes he or she would take.
She said all the funds for the endeavor were going to one place, and that a donor could identify what school to give to if that donor desired.
The overall goal of the initiative is to ensure every child has what he or she needs to start school. Many commissioners voiced their admiration for the enterprise. Commissioner Thomas Crye said he knew some single parents for whom $20 spent on school supplies was a lot of money.
“It’s a blessing from the good Lord what you’re doing,” he said.