HUNTINGDON, Tenn. — The Carroll County Commission will take on a vote to overhaul the county’s payroll system at their meeting next Monday, April 13. Commissioners are also going to consider a Resolution allowing the Sheriff’s Office to spend over $400,000 on new radios that are tied in to the Tennessee Advanced Communications Network (TACN).
The Commission meets at 7 p.m. at the Carroll County Office Complex located at 625 High Street in Huntingdon.
Payroll Policy Overhaul.
Resolution 4-07-2026 would approve an updated Payroll Policy transitioning Carroll County Government to a semi-monthly pay-for-days-worked structure, effective July 1. The change was recommended by the county’s auditor.
County Mayor Joseph Butler explained that under the current system, some employees are effectively paid before they’ve worked the days. If payday falls on the 15th but payroll has to go to the bank on the 12th, the county was paying out for those gap days in advance.
“Maybe that person didn’t work, or maybe they pulled overtime, and then you have to turn around and write a check in the next pay period,” Butler said. He called it an issue the Finance Committee has “had some angst about for quite some time.”
Under the new policy, compensation would be based on actual days worked, approved leave, and recognized holidays. The county would stay on its current semi-monthly schedule of 24 payrolls per year. Holidays would be paid in the period they occur and would no longer be banked or carried forward.
The sticking point is the transition. Because the county is currently paying ahead, there has to be a lag in the first pay period under the new system to get caught up, meaning employees would have to wait several weeks before receiving their first check.
Commissioner Dan Willman said that’s already generating concern.
“I’m getting some calls. People are upset because they think they’re going to lose pay,” he said.
Butler acknowledged the worry.
“On a fundamental level, we know that a lot of people live paycheck to paycheck, so any lag period will definitely hurt,” he said.
Butler added that annual pay would remain the same.
Willman suggested a softer landing. He said a previous employer handled a similar switch by paying the first period normally and then recouping the difference in small amounts over the rest of the year.
“You’re talking probably $10 to $15 or $20 a paycheck, which is a lot easier to take than a whole week,” he said.
Butler said the Finance Committee had discussed similar ideas, including a one-time bonus to bridge the gap, but that nothing had been finalized. He noted that the resolution can still be amended or voted down by the full commission, and that the Department of Labor requires 90 days’ notice before a payroll change, which is part of the reason for acting now ahead of the July 1 target.
TACN Radio Equipment.
Resolution 4-01-2026 is the largest item on the agenda by dollar amount. It would amend both the General Fund and Drug Fund budgets of the Sheriff’s Office and the Jail to purchase Tennessee Advanced Communications Network (TACN) radio equipment for the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.
The funding comes from three sources: the Sheriff’s Office budget would be restructured to free up $138,000 by reducing overtime, contracts, maintenance, supplies, travel, gasoline, and other line items; $42,000 would come from the Jail budget, with $40,000 from food supplies and $2,000 from library books/media; and $260,000 would be drawn from the Drug Fund balance. In total, the resolution directs $440,000 toward new TACN radios.
Last month, commissioners approved $90,000 for TACN equipment for the Fire Department (Resolution 3-08-2026). This resolution extends the radio upgrade to law enforcement.
Sheriff Andy Dickson said the amounts being moved within the General Fund represent a projected surplus in the current operating budget. He said that the money would have gone back to the county at the end of the fiscal year on June 30 anyway.
On the Jail side, Dickson said inmate populations have been running lower this year, around 100 inmates or even below, compared to a capacity of 176. He said this left the food budget with more than it needed. Staffing vacancies also contributed to leftover salary funds.
The $260,000 from the Drug Fund is being used under a provision that allows a one-time yearly purchase, Dickson said. As long as all the radios are purchased at once, the expenditure meets comptroller standards for how drug fund money can be spent.
Dickson said the county hopes to have a TACN tower repeater at the Jail site online by the end of May. The new radios will be capable of operating on both the current county radio system and the TACN system.
When asked whether scanner listeners would still be able to hear dispatch traffic on the new system, Dickson said he specifically requested that the primary dispatch channels remain accessible to the public, as was done when the county moved to its current DMR system.
Budget Amendments.
The agenda also includes several smaller budget amendments.
Circuit Court (4-02-2026): A $1,000 reallocation to cover overages, increasing dues and memberships ($50), office supplies ($890), and data processing equipment ($60), offset by a decrease in jury witness fees.
Carroll Academy (4-03-2026): A $500 shift to fund an assistant coach for the boys basketball team, moving money from other charges to salaries and wages.
County Clerk (4-04-2026): A $10,200 amendment to purchase six new computers as recommended by an IT audit due to a Windows 11 requirement, drawn from the County Clerk’s reserve account.
Solid Waste Fund (4-05-2026): A $1,945 amendment to increase part-time personnel funding along with associated Social Security and Medicare costs, offset by a decrease in clerical personnel.
Grant Fund (4-06-2026): A $49 increase to account for Highway Safety Grant (GHSO) reimbursement funds that weren’t originally budgeted, and a $5,000 increase from a Sheriff’s Recruitment Grant to cover salary supplements for employee recruitment and retention through the end of the fiscal year.
