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The move last September of the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) garage has apparently saved the county some $9,000 in annual rental fees. Shortly after the August 2018 general election, the county received a bill for that amount from the property owner who had leased space for the CCSO garage.

According to county mayor Joe Brooks, the rent had jumped some $3,000 from its former $6,000 under the previous leasing agreement.

Rather than pay the extra money, the county decided to utilize the garage located in the lower level of the current Claiborne County Library building, which is a county-owned structure – meaning, it is being used rent-free.

The subject came up during a county budget committee meeting on March 25. At that time, the members briefly discussed the proposal by sheriff Bob Brooks to move the entire sheriff’s office into the building. The move would necessitate finding an alternative location for the Library.

Mayor Brooks said he would talk with the sheriff and “put a stop” to that idea.

Concerns about possible carbon monoxide poisoning were discussed during the meeting. Some agreed that detectors should be installed inside the structure, to be on the safe side.

Apparently, there have been no major concerns voiced by the Library staff about noise levels or exhaust fumes. However, the county mayor is in favor of building a high wall to separate the two entities. The wall would be an added measure of protection, especially during special events when large numbers of children would be present in the basement portion of the building.