Question raised about THC-Select

By MIKE WEST/ Courier Editor

A misplaced electric bill caused Cannon Commission Chairman Bob Stoeztel to raise a question about County Executive Mike Gannon’s dealings with THC Select.

“We’ve gotten hold of records that in my mind raises the question of illegal action,” Stoeztel said during last Tuesday’s (June 11) meeting of the Cannon County Commission.

Stoeztel said he was forwarding the issue to the Tennessee State Comptroller’s Office. It is illegal for the county to pay the utilities of a private business, he said.

“The law states that once this kind of information is discovered that we must report it to the state,” he said. “We have no choice.”

“There is nothing there,” Gannon said in response to Stoeztel’s comments.

There was a bill for electricity for THC Select, but the issue carried on for two or three months because the bill was made out to Cannon County, he continued.

“It reached the point where we either had to pay it or Middle Tennessee Electric would have cut off electricity to all of our county buildings,’ Gannon said.

County Attorney Mike Corley advised Gannon to go ahead and pay the bill and resolve the issue later.
THC Select was quest-ioning the timing of the bill, Gannon said. THC Select thought it was Cannon County’s responsibility to pay the bill because the company was in the process of moving their business into Woodbury at the time and had not fully occupied the premise.

In the midst of haggling between the county and THC Select, Middle Tennessee Electric began to push for payment, he said.

“We have convinced them (THC Select) that the bill was theirs and they are in the process of refunding the money to the county,” Gannon said.

Commissioner Kevin Mooneyham told Stoeztel to “go ahead and send it” to the controller “that will resolve it,”
“Go ahead and send it,” Gannon said.

“Then we will know,” Mooneyham responded.

At that point, the County Commission adjourned and will reconvene at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 29 to continue deliberations on the budget for fiscal year 2013-14.

Among the items on the agenda is resolution of bids for a Farmer’s Market building adjacent to the Arts Center of Cannon County.