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County mayor Joe Brooks has confirmed that he intends to veto a resolution that was adopted during the December meeting of the Claiborne Commission.

As amended, Resolution 2019-091 calls for quarterly reports not only from the county road superintendent, but also from the offices of the county sheriff and the county mayor. The amended document also requires the Claiborne Finance Department to submit monthly lists of all check disbursements.

Brooks refused, during an interview on Jan. 3, to elaborate on his reasons for vetoing the resolution. He did say he had written a letter of explanation. The letter will be included in the monthly information packet, which goes out to each of the 21 commissioners some 10 days prior to the regular monthly meeting.

Brooks said he would be happy to send a copy of the letter to the Claiborne Progress, but not before the information packets are delivered to the commissioners. He said he wanted all 21 commissioners to have the opportunity to read the letter before it is publicized in the newspaper.

The resolution was initially intended to require road superintendent Ronnie Pittman to submit a report every three months. The report would include updates on road improvements and projects that had been done during that three-month period. The report would detail the roads that had been repaired or surfaced/resurfaced and would also include any plans for upcoming projects.

Prior to the vote, commissioner Kim Large amended the original document to include quarterly reports from the county mayor and sheriff. Commissioner Steve Mason then made the motion to further amend the resolution to include monthly reports from the finance department.

The matter is expected to come before the Claiborne Commission during its regular monthly meeting on Jan. 27. It is unclear, at this time, whether the commissioners will allow the veto to stand or decide to override it.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m., inside the large courtroom of the Claiborne County Courthouse, located on Main Street in Tazewell.

The public is encouraged to attend these monthly meetings.