A petition with some 120 names of residents in the Landfill Road area where the Rhea County Commission is considering approval for a drug rehabilitation house has been presented to the Rhea County Commission.
Wendy Yates, who spoke to the Commission last Tuesday, returned with the petition and several more people from the neighborhood.
Tim Pogue asked if the county had checked on the regulations for a halfway house. He presented a document to the commissioners from the Tennessee Department of Corrections for guidelines of halfway and rehab centers.
“TDOC requires it to be certified that the house have 60 square foot per person for living space in the house and at least one lavatory for every three people in a restroom,” said Mr. Pogue.
Jim Downs from RockHouse Ministries & Programs of Spring City told the commission that only a TDOC certified center can do drug rehabilitation or be a halfway house for people who are on probation out of courts or jails.
“Putting these people next to a landfill makes them think that you’re putting trash by trash. It’s not the place for them to be in. For anyone coming out of a jail or prison they can only go to a TDOC accredited location,” said Mr. Downs.
Mr. Downs has been coming to the commission since the announcement of the Opioid Abatement being given to the county from the settlement. RockHouse Ministries and Programs is a life recovery ministry for men and women where, according to their brochure, “they can meet Jesus, engage in lifegiving community and experience true healing from the life controlling issues of this World.”
Mr. Downs and his wife Marisol began Rockhouse Ministries in 2019 starting with a women’s faith-based recovery program called Rise Up Women’s Recovery Program and then a year later the Brotherhood Men’s Recovery Program.
Mr. Downs also went on to tell the Commission that he has to spend $20,000 a year just for his insurance for his program. He currently is to capacity in both the men’s and women’s houses and has a long list of those waiting to get in. He said many have applied and are in the process of being screened.
The Commission also listened to Kathleen Wenke who said the Our Fathers House was a good idea, but then asked if there were any plans of creating a soup kitchen type place where people could go just to be able to get one meal a day.
Also at the meeting, the item came up of approving $5,000 for Soul Savage Ministries, and in particular of Jennifer Moore who has been coming to the commission meetings requesting the county to give them part of the monies allocated in the Opioid settlement. Commission Chairman Jim Reed asked for a motion on the matter which was made by Commissioner Billy Thedford. However, there was no second.
County Executive Jim Vincent said, “She (Ms. Moore) has been coming to the Commission meetings for months asking for funds from the Opioid settlement. She should be considered for the money. In the past year she has helped 150 people in Rhea County get into some of the various programs she works with. This is a serious problem. From 2022 statistics we had 415 non-fatal overdoses in the county, and 73 fatalities.
“I’m not trying to push anything on you all. I have looked at all the information that’s related to this matter. And with Our Fathers House I want to take time to analyze all the data on this program to make sure it is working. This problem is only going to get worse.”
County Executive Vincent went on to say that he was “not sold on how to use her. She sits through all the meetings and people are impressed with her knowledge. She may be the one to eventually run the women’s house for us.”
Chairman Reed then asked what the commission wanted to do on this matter. Commissioner Billy Thedford again made a motion to approve the request and, after a few minutes time waiting, a second was made by Commissioner Sandy Francisco. Mrs. Francisco said, “She’s been to a lot of the meetings, and I would hate to lose her. She could be valuable to us.”
Commissioner Mark Cashman asked if this motion could be postponed and put it in the September workshop and have Ms. Moore attend the meeting. “I have many questions that I would like to ask.”
Chairman Reed then called for the vote on the question. Commissioners Cashman, Dunn, Fisher, Stephens and Welch all voted no on the matter with Chairman Reed, Commissioners Tommy Ballard, Mrs. Francisco, and Commissioner Thedford voting for the item.
“For the first time in two years, this is the first time that the commission has not agreed on something together. This is what this money we have been given is for, said Chairman Reed. He then said that the commissioners who voted no did a disservice to the ones who voted yes.
Commissioner Welch said that the commission really needs to vet these places out very well. “Some of these programs work and some of them don’t. We just need to check them out really well before we commit.”
In a matter of bringing the county up to date, the commission voted to create a single county wide fire department.
Chairman Reed said, “We've had a county wide fire department since the 80’s, but this cleans up paperwork with the state of Tennessee. Before we had community fire departments with captains. Now this brings everyone under one heading with a clear definition of structure.
Chairman Reed also serves as chairman of the Rhea County Fire Authority Board.
The Commission approved a request from Sheriff Mike Neal to apply for a $525,000 grant for School Resource Officers for the county. This will provide an officer for every school in the county. The money is part of Governor Bill Lee’s school safety plan.
Governor Lee worked with the General Assembly to enhance his legislation and increase funding in the Fiscal Year 23-24 budget to place an armed School Resource Officer (SRO) at every Tennessee public school, boost physical school security at public and private schools, and provide additional mental health resources for Tennesseans. This carried over into this year as well.