🏛️ Courthouse Corner: Van Buren's Commission Results Are In, Sequatchie Schools Sell a Spare Lot on Jones Drive, Dunlap Talks Tourism, and Bledsoe Builds a School Office Without Borrowing

Or: A Plain-English Tuesday Look at Monday Night’s Votes in Spencer, a School Lot Sale by the New Bus Garage, a Team Asking What Makes Dunlap Special, a Pay-As-You-Go Office in Pikeville and the Results Still on the Way

By Thomas Seest, Dunlap.Today · Tuesday, October 20, 2026

The day after a meeting night is like the morning after a church supper: you find out who brought what and what got passed around. One of Monday night’s meetings has reported back. Van Buren County commissioners voted on three money matters, all of them housekeeping. Here at home, this week’s paper reported the Sequatchie County school board approved selling a piece of land it doesn’t use, and a branding team spent two days asking local folks what makes Dunlap and Sequatchie County worth a visit. Over in Pikeville, the Bledsoe County school board is building a new office a piece at a time so it won’t have to borrow money. And a few results, including Dunlap’s Main Street rezoning, still aren’t posted.

Here’s what’s in this fifteenth Courthouse Corner in Plain English: Van Buren County’s Oct. 19 commission votes, the Sequatchie school board’s Jones Drive land sale, Dunlap’s tourism listening sessions, Bledsoe County’s phased school office, and what we’re still waiting on, plus the week ahead.

We label each item Local (Sequatchie County or Dunlap), Neighbors (nearby counties) or Statewide. Facts come from local news reports, government websites and official notices, linked in each section. Items on an agenda have not been voted on yet. This is not an endorsement of any official, candidate or proposal.

⏱️ What this means for you in 30 seconds

• Van Buren votes: Commissioners voted unanimously to switch the district attorney’s court-cost fund to a $12.50 fee, and approved $48,264.01 for school resource officers.
• Sequatchie schools: The board approved selling an unused tract on Jones Drive next to the new bus garage. Next regular meeting: Mon., Nov. 2.
• Dunlap tourism: A branding team gathered local input last week. Results come later.
• Bledsoe school office: Being built in phases to avoid borrowing. Possible move-in: August 2029.
• Remember: Absentee ballot requests due Sat., Oct. 24. Early voting ends Thu., Oct. 29. Election Day is Tue., Nov. 3.

⚖️ Neighbors: Van Buren’s Commission Reports Back With Three Unanimous Money Votes

At its meeting Monday night, Oct. 19, the Van Buren County Commission in Spencer approved a request from District Attorney General Matt Colvard, who serves Van Buren and Warren counties, according to The UC Now. The change replaces a $75 court cost charged in certain economic-crime cases, like theft or bad checks, with a $12.50 fee charged across a wider range of criminal cases. Colvard said the state legislature allows this option, often called the “12-50 Fund.” He said the old fund could only be spent fighting economic crimes, while the new one can be spent on anything that furthers public safety by his office. His office can’t collect both, so the old fund will wind down. All nine commissioners present voted yes.

Commissioners also approved:

• A $48,264.01 budget amendment for the School Resource Officer program, to replace state grant money that was returned.
• A $7,000 amendment from inmate telephone service funds to provide $200 gift cards for employees and Christmas door prizes for the Sheriff’s Department.

What it means for you: This is like switching from a jar that only buys chicken feed to a jar that can buy anything for the barn. Same farm, just more freedom in how the money gets used. If you don’t live in Van Buren County or have business in its courts, nothing changes for you. If you do, the officers in your schools stay funded. And the budget lines show how a county pays for small things, like a holiday thank-you for deputies, out of a specific fund instead of the general budget.

👉 Read more (The UC Now: Van Buren approves change to district attorney funding)

🚌 Local: Sequatchie’s School Board Says Yes to Selling a Spare Lot on Jones Drive

At its monthly meeting on Oct. 12 at Griffith Elementary School, the Sequatchie County Board of Education approved selling a tract of property on Jones Drive that the school system isn’t using, The Dunlap Tribune reported Tuesday. The land sits next to the school system’s new bus garage, which is being worked on now. The paper’s report didn’t give a sale price or say who might buy it.

The meeting had a front-porch feel. Fourth graders from teacher Lois Gould’s music class played drums for the board, and kindergartners dressed as storybook characters introduced themselves.

The board’s next regular meeting is Mon., Nov. 2, at the central office on Cordell Lane.

What it means for you: When you’ve got a corner of the pasture you’ll never fence, selling it puts it to good use and saves you mowing it. A school board selling land it doesn’t need works the same way. If you live near Jones Drive, this is the step that lets the sale go forward. For the details, like how it’ll be sold and when, call the school central office or ask at the Nov. 2 meeting.

👉 Read more (The Dunlap Tribune: Students show musical talent at board meeting)

🗺️ Local: A Branding Team Asks What Makes Dunlap Worth the Drive

Over two days last week, four groups of local stakeholders met with a team from Chandler Thinks, a firm from Franklin, Tenn., to give input on branding Dunlap and Sequatchie County for tourism, The Dunlap Tribune reported. The goal, the paper said, is to bring in more visitors while keeping a good balance and not changing the area’s resources.

The team shared the most recent tourism figures, as reported by the Tribune: Dunlap/Sequatchie County, $6.9 million; Marion County, $63.6 million; Van Buren County, $49 million; Grundy County, $19 million; and Bledsoe County, $4.9 million. Participants wrote their top five draws for visitors on sticky notes, then narrowed them down. The firm said its findings will be released at a later date.

Brand strategist Steve Chandler said tourism is about economic development and helping the economy grow, and that branding is about preservation: “making changes without changing who the community is.”

What it means for you: Think of it like getting the house ready for company. You don’t build a new house. You sweep the porch and set out the good dishes so folks see what you already love about it. Visitor money can mean more business for local restaurants, shops and places to stay. If you’ve got an idea about what makes the Valley special, the Coke Ovens, the mountain views or your favorite Sunday drive, share it with the Sequatchie County-Dunlap Chamber of Commerce.

👉 Read more (The Dunlap Tribune: Stakeholders give input into branding tourism for Dunlap)

🏗️ Neighbors: Bledsoe Builds a New School Office a Piece at a Time, So It Won’t Have to Borrow

The Bledsoe County Board of Education has outgrown its office, and board members have decided to build a new one, The Bledsonian-Banner reported Tuesday. The plan is a building of nearly 8,000 square feet on land the school system already owns, at the corner of Sequatchie Road and Municipal Drive in Pikeville. Site preparation was done earlier this year, according to Brian Turner, maintenance supervisor for Bledsoe County Schools.

Here’s the timeline Turner shared:

• Next month: Bids sought for putting up the steel building, with approval hoped for at the December or January board meeting
• About March: Building materials arrive
• Around August 2027: Steel building finished
• By the end of 2028 (hoped): Inside work finished
• Possibly August 2029: Move-in

Turner said the board chose to do the work in phases to keep from having to borrow money. Plans call for students from TCAT Upper Cumberland and the Bledsoe County High School career and technical education (CTE) program to help with the inside work, from electrical and plumbing to walls and finishing. The plans include a board room, the director’s office, 13 other offices, a conference room, a break room and a 3,000-square-foot storage area upstairs.

What it means for you: This is the “build the barn as you can pay for it” approach. It takes longer, but there’s no note at the bank when you’re done. And the young folks learning to wire and plumb get real work to put their hands on. If you’ve got a student in a Bledsoe trade class, this could be a project they point to for years.

👉 Read more (The Bledsonian-Banner: Board office closer to construction phase)

⏳ Local + Neighbors: What We’re Still Waiting On, and Your Week Ahead

We report results only once we can confirm them. As of Tuesday afternoon, these were still not posted:

• Dunlap’s Main Street rezoning (Local): The city board met Thu., Oct. 15, with Ordinance No. 321 (1466 and 1494 Main Street) on the agenda. The city’s website still shows only the agenda. City Hall: (423) 949-2115, Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–4 p.m.
• Grundy County director’s pay (Neighbors): The school board was set to decide Oct. 15 on a $20,000-a-year raise for Director of Schools Dr. Donald Durley, SValleyNow reported. We haven’t found a published result.
• Bledsoe County Commission (Neighbors): Met Mon., Oct. 19, with electing a chairman and the Ross House and museum lease on the agenda. No results posted yet.

The rest of the week:

• Wed., Oct. 21 – Sat., Oct. 24 — Friends of the Library book sale, Fair Building, 103 Heard St., Dunlap. Wednesday–Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
• Thu., Oct. 22, 5 p.m. — Marion County School Board, Central Office, 204 Betsy Pack Drive, Jasper.
• Thu., Oct. 22, 5:30 p.m. — Sequatchie County Records Commission, upstairs at the courthouse, 22 Cherry Street, Dunlap.
• Sat., Oct. 24 — Last day to request an absentee ballot. Sequatchie early voting is open weekdays 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m.–noon.
• Sat., Oct. 24, 6–8 p.m. — Boo Bash trick-or-treating on Main Street in Pikeville.

What it means for you: Waiting on a result is like waiting on bread to rise. Poking it won’t help, but peeking through the oven glass is fine. If one of these touches your street or your family, one phone call gets you the answer.

👉 Read more (City of Dunlap: Oct. 15 agenda) · SValleyNow: Grundy board to vote on raise · Bledsoe County: Oct. 19 agenda · Sequatchie County notices

🗓️ Dates to Put on the Fridge

• Wed., Oct. 21 – Sat., Oct. 24: Library book sale, Fair Building, Dunlap.
• Thu., Oct. 22: Marion County School Board, 5 p.m., Jasper. Sequatchie Records Commission, 5:30 p.m., courthouse.
• Sat., Oct. 24: Absentee ballot request deadline. Pikeville Boo Bash, 6–8 p.m.
• Mon., Oct. 26: Marion County Commission, 6 p.m., Jasper.
• Tue., Oct. 27: Sequatchie County school board working session.
• Wed., Oct. 28, 5 p.m. Eastern: Hamilton County Commission.
• Thu., Oct. 29: Last day of early voting.
• Sat., Oct. 31, 5–7 p.m.: Scare on the Square, Harris Park, Dunlap. Free.
• Sun., Nov. 1: Clocks fall back one hour.
• Mon., Nov. 2: Sequatchie County school board regular meeting, central office, Cordell Lane.
• Tue., Nov. 3: Election Day.
• Mon., Nov. 16, 6:30 p.m.: Sequatchie County Commission, courthouse.

✅ Your Courthouse Corner Checklist

• ✅ Need an absentee ballot? Request it by Sat., Oct. 24. Voting early in person? Go before Thu., Oct. 29, and bring your photo ID.
• ✅ Live near Jones Drive? Ask the school central office how and when the spare tract will be sold, or go to the Nov. 2 board meeting.
• ✅ Jot down one thing you’d tell a visitor about the Valley, and pass it to the Chamber of Commerce.
• ✅ Live near 1466 or 1494 Main Street? Call City Hall at (423) 949-2115 to ask how Ordinance No. 321 came out.
• ✅ Burning leaves this fall? Get your free state burn permit the day you burn, at BurnSafeTN.org or 877-350-BURN (2876).

Practical rule: Good government news is usually quiet. When a decision is about your street, your school or your vote, write the date on the fridge and make one call.

— Dunlap.Today

📚 Plain-English Courthouse Glossary

• Court cost: A fee added to a court case, usually paid by the person found guilty or who pleads guilty.
• Economic Crime Fund: Money from a $75 cost in theft, bad-check and similar cases. The district attorney can spend it only on fighting those kinds of crimes.
• 12-50 Fund: A $12.50 fee on a wider range of criminal cases that the district attorney’s office can spend on public safety.
• District Attorney General: The elected prosecutor for a judicial district, which can cover more than one county.
• Budget amendment: A vote to move or add money in a budget after it’s been passed.
• School Resource Officer (SRO): A sworn officer assigned to work in a school.
• Tract: A piece of land with set boundaries.
• Stakeholder: Someone with an interest in the outcome, like a business owner, resident or community leader.
• Branding: Deciding how a place describes itself to visitors: its story, look and message.
• Phased construction: Building a project in steps, often paying for each step as money is available.
• CTE (career and technical education): High school classes that teach job skills like electrical work, welding or nursing.
• TCAT: Tennessee College of Applied Technology, the state’s network of technical schools.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What did Van Buren County’s commission decide on Oct. 19?

Commissioners voted unanimously, 9–0 among those present, to replace the $75 Economic Crime Fund court cost with the $12.50 “12-50 Fund” fee, at the district attorney’s request. They also approved a $48,264.01 school resource officer budget amendment and a $7,000 amendment from inmate telephone funds for Sheriff’s Department gift cards and door prizes, according to The UC Now.

Does the Van Buren court-cost change affect Sequatchie County?

The vote was by the Van Buren County Commission. The report said District Attorney General Matt Colvard serves Van Buren and Warren counties. Sequatchie County is in a different judicial district, so this vote doesn’t change Sequatchie court costs.

What land is the Sequatchie County school board selling?

An unused tract on Jones Drive next to the school system’s new bus garage, approved at the Oct. 12 board meeting, according to The Dunlap Tribune. The report didn’t give a price or buyer. Ask the central office or attend the Nov. 2 meeting for details.

When will Dunlap’s tourism branding results come out?

The Chandler Thinks team said its findings will be released at a later date. No date was given in the Tribune’s report.

When will Bledsoe County’s new school board office open?

Maintenance supervisor Brian Turner said the board could possibly move in around August 2029. The steel building is expected to be up around August 2027, with the inside work hoped to be done by the end of 2028.

Did Dunlap approve the Main Street rezoning?

As of Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 20, the result of Ordinance No. 321 wasn’t posted on the city’s website. Call Dunlap City Hall at (423) 949-2115, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. We’ll report the outcome once we can confirm it.

🔗 Other Resources

• The UC Now: Van Buren Approves Change to District Attorney Funding
• The Dunlap Tribune: Sequatchie School Board Meeting Report
• The Dunlap Tribune: Branding Tourism for Dunlap
• The Bledsonian-Banner: Board Office Closer to Construction Phase
• City of Dunlap Government
• Sequatchie County News and Notices
• Bledsoe County: Oct. 19 Commission Agenda
• TN Wildland Fire: Get a Burn Permit
• GoVoteTN: sample ballots, polling places and hours
• Dunlap.Directory: free local business listings

🌿 Keep Learning, Stay Calm

This week’s government news is the tidy-up kind: a county deciding which jar its court money goes in, a school board selling a lot it doesn’t need, neighbors telling a branding team what they love about home, and a school office going up only as fast as the money allows. None of it asks anything hard of you. Pick one date from the fridge list, maybe your absentee request or an early vote, and let the rest of the week take care of itself. For more calm, practical Sequatchie Valley reporting, keep reading Dunlap.Today.