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Administration - Historical Notes

Tennessee Code Annotated
Tennessee Attorney General Opinions

County Executive

The references below are of acts which once applied to the office of county judge, or county executive in Grundy County.  They are included herein for historical purposes only.

  1. Private Acts of 1951, Chapter 90, recited in the preamble to the Act that the administrative duties of the County Judge had become very heavy and burdensome and, further, that he is called upon to perform many ex-officio duties and furthermore, the Quarterly County Court has approved an allowance of $800 per year for the Judge as compensation for the aforesaid tasks, therefore, this Act authorizes the above amount to be paid to the County Judge in accordance with the terms herein as compensation for his extra duties and responsibilities.
  2. Private Acts of 1955, Chapter 85, recites substantially the same facts in the preamble as above except that $600 has been appropriated by the Quarterly Court as an allowance for the Judge and this Act increases the salary of the County Judge as the fiscal agent and administrative officer of the County and as compensation for the ex-officio duties the Judge is compelled to perform by $600 per year, making a total salary of $2,400, all to be paid out of the general funds of the County.

County Legislative Body

The following acts once applied to the quarterly court or the county legislative body of Grundy County and are included herein for historical purposes.

  1. Private Acts of 1843-44, Chapter 204, which created Grundy County, required the Quarterly Court, once elected to meet at Beersheba Springs until the County Seat was selected and prepared or until the Court decided to adjourn into another place.
  2. Private Acts of 1921, Chapter 358, provided that all Justices of the Peace in Grundy County would be paid $2.50 per day for the first day of any court term plus their mileage allowance but they would be compensated at the rate of $2.00 only for any days after the first one.
  3. Private Acts of 1955, Chapter 82 provided that the Justices of the Peace of Grundy County would receive ten dollars for each day's attendance upon the Quarterly County Court.  In addition the Justices would receive twenty cents per mile traveling expense for each mile traveled between their home and the county seat.  

Purchasing

The following acts once affected the purchasing procedures of Grundy County, but are no longer operative.  Also referenced below are acts which repeal prior law without providing new substantive provisions.

  1. Acts of 1845-46, Chapter 172, appointed A. E. Patton, Solomon P. Goodman, William B. Smart, Noah Bass, and John T. Neal, of Bedford County, as Commissioners to locate the County seat of Grundy County.  It was their duty to locate the County seat in the center of the county, or as near thereto as possible, having due regard to the locality for its water supply.  It was made the duty of the County Court of Grundy County to make an allowance out of any money, unappropriated by law for their services in this regard.
  2. Acts of 1847-48, Chapter 96, established Altamont as the County seat of Grundy County.  Greek Bawley, John Fultz, Noah Bass, Robert Tate, and Thomas Burrus were appointed as Commissioner to sell the lots in the town according to the plan on which they were laid off and to apply the proceeds to the construction of the necessary public buildings.  James Tate, who has already built a house on one of the lots, may dispose of the same and retain the price received.  The several courts of the County would be held at the house of Jesse Wooten until suitable arrangements could be made to have them meet in Altamont.
  3. Acts of 1853-54, Chapter 140, provided that Grundy County shall belong to the Shelbyville Bank District, and shall have one Director in the Branch of the Bank of Tennessee at Shelbyville, provided, however, that the number of Directors in the Branch for Bedford County shall not be reduced.
  4. Acts of 1853-54, Chapter 184, incorporates Altamont under the Mayor - Aldermen form of Charter and government, conferring upon the newly fashioned city all the authority and privileges incidental to municipal types of corporate institutions.  The Sheriff, or a Constable, will hold an election within the boundaries of that city on the first Saturday in March, next, for the purpose of electing five Aldermen who would choose one of their number to be Mayor.
  5. Acts of 1857-58, Chapter 126, abolished the office of Entry Taker in Lawrence, DeKalb, White, Macon, Decatur, Grundy, Humphreys, and Wilson Counties.  The Surveyors in those counties will hereafter perform the duties of the Entry Taker and receive all the pay and emoluments normally given to the Entry Taker.  This Act was repealed insofar as Grundy County was involved by the one below.
  6. Acts of 1861-62, Chapter 11, repealed Chapter 126, Acts of 1857-58, insofar as that Act applied to Grundy County thus restoring the office of Entry Taker.
  7. Acts of 1867-68, Chapter 65, created a County Commission composed of three members who would serve three year, staggered terms of office, so that one would be elected each year, and who would be sworn and bonded.  The remaining members would be the ones to fill any vacancy until the next general election.  The Commission was required to hold quarterly meetings of which the County Court Clerk would keep records.  All the powers of the County Court plus some others enumerated in this Act were granted to the County Commissioners.  All Magistrates were stripped of all their duties, responsibilities and powers.  No Commissioner could be interested in any public work, scheme, or contract.  Section 14 extended the provisions of this Act to Coffee and Grundy Counties where the Grundy Chairman would be paid $150 per year and the Commissioners would receive $100.
  8. Acts of 1869-70, Chapter 49, repealed the Act passed March 12, 1869, which created a Board of County Commissioners for Madison County and all other Acts which created these Boards in the past.  All Acts which may have been repealed by those creating these Boards for any county expressly or impliedly, are hereby revived and restored to effectiveness.
  9. Acts of 1870, Chapter 15, Section 4, repealed the Act which created a Board of County Commissioners in Grundy County, and elsewhere, and reinstated the County Judge law all over the State for all the counties which had them prior to the passage of this Act.
  10. Acts of 1870, Chapter 119, repealed every Act in the State which created a Board of County Commissioners and restored all laws which may have been repealed by them.
  11. Acts of 1870-71, Chapter 30, declared that the Elk River lying in Grundy County and running from the Franklin County line to the Big Spring near John Burroughs to be navigable.  The question of whether or not the County Court should levy a tax to  produce funds with which to remove the obstructions from the river must be submitted to the vote of the people in a referendum for that purpose.  If approved, the tax money would be collected by the County Trustee who would pay the same out on the warrant of three Commissioners who would be appointed by the Quarterly Court to oversee the work.
  12. Acts of 1897, Chapter 124, regulated the salaries of the County officials of all the counties according to the population of that County.  This Act was among the first to do this and served as a model for those which followed.  The salary would be paid out of the fees of the office and each office holder was required to submit sworn, itemized, monthly reports to the County Judge or Chairman.  The fees were declared to be the property of the counties, and the salaries would not exceed the fees.  Deputies could be appointed only as the County Court authorized and these were to conform to the schedule for each population group contained in this law.  This Act was tested in the courts in the case of Weaver v. Davidson County (1900), 104 Tenn. 315, 59 S.W. 1105.
  13. Private Acts of 1963, Chapter 217, authorized, empowered, and directed the Quarterly Court to create a Purchasing Commission which would have and exercise the powers set forth in the Act.  The Commission would consist of three members who would be elected by the County Court for one year terms.  They would be paid $10 per day not to exceed 20 days per year and would assume primarily the functions of the Purchasing Agent, and the County Judge in this respect.  This Act was rejected by the Quarterly Court of Grundy County and, therefore, never became effective as a law under the Home Rule Amendment to the State Constitution.
  14. Private Acts of 1973, Chapter 56, provided that any person desiring to construct, or alter, any building in Grundy County which construction, or alterations, would cost more than $2,000 must apply on the form specified in the Act to the Tax Assessor of Grundy County for a permit to do so.  The Tax Assessor will issue the permit and take note of the proposed construction, or alteration, for tax records.  The property was not to be reassessed until completion of the work for which the permit was issued when the permit was required to be returned to the Tax Assessor within thirty days, or a penalty of $5.00 be levied against the permittee.  This law did not apply to cities where a building permit was already required.  The Tax Assessor could charge a fee of $5.00 for this service.  The County was empowered to start appropriate legal proceedings when this Act was not observed and all public utilities were prohibited from furnishing their services to the location until the owner, or occupant, complied.  This Act was likewise rejected by the Quarterly County Court of Grundy County and never became a law.