New Madison Co. commissioners discuss jail, education funding

MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — Eight new people will join the Madison County Commission this month.

Adrian Montague, a Democrat, is one of them. “We spend a lot of money in county taxes and I want to make sure that we’re spending our tax dollars efficiently,” he said.

Montague said education is one of his top priorities. “The fact that we’re prioritizing more money towards jails instead of schools, I mean that’s kind of a hot button for me,” he said.

The current commission agreed to borrow $40 million in March, they said setting aside $10 million for schools and $30 million for a jail expansion.

“You’ve got to weigh a lot of things, so I’m going to try to learn a lot more about that situation,” Tommy Gobbell, a Republican, said.

Gobbell beat an incumbent in the May primary and ran unopposed in the general election. He said turnover is good. “I think most people, those that contribute, are tired of paying more and sometimes getting less,” he said.

The eight new commissioners and 17 incumbents are all scheduled to be sworn in Aug. 30.

The first meeting for the newly elected county commission is Monday, Sept. 17.