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County backs off fees for home repairs
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Local residents made it known they did not want to be charged extra fees for installing new hot water heaters in their homes and members of the Warren County Commission listened.
Citizens crowded into a packed courtroom Monday night hoping to deter commissioners from approving a resolution which would allow the county codes enforcer, Nolan Ming, to collect fees on home plumbing and mechanical repairs.
The full County Commission didn’t even allow the proposed fee structure on the docket, voting 19-3 to not consider the measure to enact new permit fees.
“I have gotten more calls on this than anything since I have been on the court,” said Commissioner Wayne Copeland. “This concerns the whole county.”
Local residents became upset about the proposed new fees last week when it was revealed the county was considering charging $75 for a permit for mechanical or plumbing alterations, such as installing a new hot water heater.
For home owners who tried to slip under the radar and start work without a permit, there would be a $50 penalty imposed.
County Executive John Pelham said the proposed fee structure created a wide range of confusion.
“We have even been contacted that we were trying to pass an appliance tax tonight,” said Pelham referring to a Nashville TV station which asked about the proposed fees. “They said we were going to charge people if they were buying a refrigerator or washer and dryer, that they would have to buy a permit. Channel 5 News actually came by here today and interviewed us. Someone called Nashville and told them we were charging an appliance tax, which is not happening at all.”
There were a number of new fees proposed in various committee meetings. Pelham said there is still confusion about some fee schedules, but the fees for plumbing and mechanical repairs would not be taking effect.

Local law enforcement on the lookout for distracted driving
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April is National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Distracted Driving Awareness Month and McMinnville Police Department (MPD) is on the roads to educate motorists about appropriate hands-free driving.

The amplified focus of cracking down on distracted driving is a nationwide initiative, with many states taking part. MPD Officer Mark Mara indicated the local department is increasing patrols, funded by overtime grants, to enforce and educate about Tennessee’s Hands Free Law.

“We’re trying to get people to change their habits,” Mara said. “There’s a lot of people that are distracted while driving, whether its their cell phones or not. When driving, there are already so many distractions, so having electronics in your hands while you’re driving down the road is dangerous. We need to focus on getting where we need to go and getting there safely.”

According to its records, NHTSA estimates 3,308 lives were lost in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2022 and 8% of all fatal crashes could be attributed to the same. To illustrate the point on a larger scale, it approximates over 32,000 people have died and nearly 290,000 were left injured from crashes attributed to distracted motorists between 2013 and 2022.

Violation of the Tennessee Hands Free Law is a Class C misdemeanor and traffic citations based on the violation are considered moving traffic violations. A first-time offense is typically $50 with third-time offenses and violations resulting in a crash rising to $100; citations received in a work zone while workers or present or in a marked school zone while flashes are in operation carry a penalty of $200. Three points are also added to a motorist’s driving record for each violation with 12 points leading to license suspension.

While the law specifically mentions hands in its name, it is similarly illegal to prop the phone up with any other part of their body.

“We’re going to be stopping vehicles whose operators are distracted by using their cell phones or other electronic devices,” Mara said. “It is against the law for a motorist to be holding their electronic device or having it on their body, so if you’re holding it to your ear or with your shoulder, it’s against the law all the same.”

When using GPS technology, Mara recommends investing in windshield-, vent- or dash-mounted mobile device holder to support the phone while using it for those purposes so your hands can remain on the wheel without compromising your ability to navigate to a destination.

“I understand that your cell phones are a lifeline and we get that — we use them ourselves for GPS. If you have an important phone call that’s coming in and you really need to focus on talking to that person, just pull over to the side of the road and turn on your emergency lights,” Mara said. “When you’re on a phone call, you’re not paying attention to all of the things you need to. You’re going to be concentrating on that conversation and you’re going to find yourself drifting in your lane, going through a stop sign or not stopping properly before a red light.”

Mara additionally recommended drivers sync their phones to their vehicles in models with Bluetooth capabilities and to use phone mounts that do not obstruct vision of the roadways through the windshield.

“The greatest danger of distracted driving is ending up in a crash that was absolutely avoidable, which might hurt yourself or someone else,” Mara said. “You’ve got a lot in front of you when you’re driving and a vehicle is a piece of machinery. We want all motorists to be driving safely on the roads and getting to their destinations without misadventure.”

Warnings and citations will be rendered at officers’ discretion during the increased patrols.