Qualifying dates set for county general election
Plus: Homecoming candidates announced at Oneida High School, Solid Waste Board pens letter against landfill, free admission for kids at fair
Good Thursday evening! This is The Weekender, a final look at this week’s news from the Independent Herald. The Daybreaker (Monday) and The Weekender (Thursday evening) are our two news-first newsletters. We publish several other newsletters throughout the week, as well as our regular E-Edition on Thursday and our Varsity E-Edition on Sunday (during sports season). If you’d like to adjust your subscription to include (or exclude) any of these newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t subscribed, please consider doing so!
Today’s newsletter is sponsored by Buckeye Home Medical Equipment. Serving Scott County and several other communities in the Upper Cumberland region, Buckeye is a full-line DME providing home health equipment to its patients.
Qualifying dates set for 2026 Scott County general election
HUNTSVILLE | Dates are in place for the 2026 Scott County General Election, which will once again be preceded by a primary election in May.
According to the Scott County Election Commission, the county primary for both the Republican and Democrat parties is set for May 5, 2026. The general election will be in August 2026.
Qualifying will begin Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, which is the first day for candidates to pick up petitions from the Election Commission Office. The qualifying deadline is Feb. 19, 2026, and the deadline for candidates to withdraw from the election is Feb. 26, 2026. The deadline for write-in candidates to declare their candidacy is March 16, 2026, and the deadline to register to vote in the May primary is April 6, 2026.
This will mark the second time that a primary election has been held in Scott County. The first was held before the 2024 county general election, after representatives from both major political parties requested it. Under Tennessee law, the county is required to schedule a primary election if either of the major political parties request it. Winners of the primary election advance to the general election in August.
In 2024, almost all candidates ran as independents, which will be expected to be the case again in 2026. However, independent candidates must follow the same qualifying dates as primary candidates, qualifying between Dec. 22, 2025 and Feb. 19, 2026.
The 2026 election will feature almost all county-wide offices on the ballot — with the lone exception being the Assessor of Property. All 14 seats on County Commission will be on the ballot, as will some school board seats in both the county and the Oneida Special School District.
County-wide offices up for election in 2026 will include county mayor, sheriff, road superintendent, trustee, circuit court clerk, county clerk, register of deeds and county attorney.
Current office-holders include Mayor Jerried Jeffers, Sheriff Brian Keeton, Road Superintendent Kelvin King, Trustee Rena Erwin, Circuit Court Clerk Donnie Phillips, County Clerk Felicia Bilbrey, Register of Deeds Ashley Newport Riseden, and County Attorney John Beaty. Jeffers, Keeton and Erwin are in their first term, while King, Bilbrey and Riseden are in their second term. Phillips has served as register of deeds since 2006, and Beaty has served as county attorney since 2002.
In addition to the 14 seats on Scott County Commission, with two representatives for each of the county’s seven civil districts, school board members will be elected in the first, fourth, fifth and seventh districts. Those seats are currently held by Tommy Silcox, Kim Kidd, Angela Sexton and Tressa Murphy. Additionally, three of the five seats on the Oneida Special School District Board of Education will be on the ballot in 2026. Those seats are currently held by Kevin Byrd, Mark Matthews and Dorothy Watson.
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Scott Solid Waste Board pens letter opposing landfill
HUNTSVILLE | In a move that could hardly be labeled a surprise, the Scott County Solid Waste Board on Monday approved a letter to send to the TN Dept. of Environment & Conservation stating that it does not see a need for an additional landfill in Scott County.
The letter was approved in a special called meeting of the Solid Waste Board on Monday. The board had previously met in regular session two weeks ago, but did not have a quorum and could not approve a letter at that time. Scott County Commission was initially expected to vote on a letter when it met last week, but ultimately it was determined that a letter from County Commission would be unnecessary, since the county is already fighting against the landfill as part of a coalition of local governments.
The letter being submitted to TDEC was authored by Winfield Mayor Jerry Dodson, who is chairman of the Solid Waste Board.
“After a thorough review of current capacity, tonnage trends, and projected needs, the Board has determined that there is no need for any additional landfills in Scott County at this time,” the letter stated. “The existing facilities are sufficient to meet the county’s solid waste management needs for the foreseeable future.”
The reference to existing facilities is a reference to Volunteer Regional Landfill, which is located adjacent to the planned second landfill and is owned by Waste Connections LLC. The second landfill is proposed by Trans-Rail Waste Services LLC, which includes investors in both the Chattanooga and Atlanta areas. The company has proposed to buy up to 800 acres of property between the existing landfill and Poplar Lane in Winfield that includes a 24-acre landfill permit issued by TDEC in 2010 under the name Roberta Phase II. Volunteer Regional Landfill was originally named Roberta Sanitary Landfill, and the Roberta Phase II permit was applied for by the original owner of the first landfill, the late Johnny King.
“We respectfully request that this determination be reflected in the state’s records and considered in any future permit applications or evaluations regarding landfill development or expansion within Scott County,” the letter continued.
Regional solid waste boards were established when the state legislature passed solid waste reform legislation in 1991. Under the state’s guidelines, those local solid waste boards are charged with reviewing and taking a stance on proposed landfills. However, the ultimate decision on whether to permit a landfill is made by TDEC, which does not always heed local wishes. When the Roberta Phase II landfill permit was issued in 2010, for example, TDEC did not ask the Scott County Solid Waste Board for an endorsement of the plan.
The battle against the landfill is ongoing on several fronts. Local governments have united in their opposition to the landfill, with the governments of Scott County, McCreary County, Oneida, Huntsville and Winfield forming a coalition that has retained an attorney and appropriated nearly $100,000 between themselves to pay for legal fees. Separately, a citizens group calling itself Cumberland Clear has retained an attorney who has submitted documentation to TDEC in opposition of the landfill. A second citizens group, the Transparent Bridge Initiative, has also been formed and is actively opposed to the landfill proposal.
Thursday afternoon, State Sen. Ken Yager — who represents Scott County in the state senate and had previously written a letter to and met with TDEC Commissioner David Salyers to express his opposition to the landfill — met with all four mayors in Huntsville to formulate a plan of opposition. Present at that meeting were Scott County Mayor Jerried Jeffers, Huntsville Mayor Dennis Jeffers, Oneida Mayor Lori Phillips-Jones, and Winfield Mayor Jerry Dodson.
Separate from the proposed landfill, Trans-Rail Waste Services has applied for a transfer station along the Norfolk-Southern Railroad just off Poplar Lane. So far, TDEC has not acted on either recertifying the 2010 landfill permit or approving the transfer station permit.
Kids will get in free at fair next week
ONEIDA | The 99th Scott County Fair will officially begin on Tuesday and continue through Saturday, and kids ages 11 and under will get in free every day.
Scott County Mayor Jerried Jeffers will be sponsoring free admission for kids ages 6-11 on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. The Town of Oneida had already announced it will be sponsoring free admission for everyone on Wednesday evening, and Saturday’s day session is family day.
Gates open at 6 p.m. each night. Admission for ages 12 and up is $4. In addition to admission, one-price ride armbands are $20 each night, and $15 during Saturday’s day session.
OHS homecoming candidates announced
Candidates have been announced for football homecoming queen at Oneida High School. Homecoming will be held on Friday, Sept. 5, when the Indians host Bledsoe County. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. Pictured are: First row, left to right — Freshmen Tynleigh Jeffers and Lucy Sexton, sophomores Kamryn Lee and Zoey Kennedy, and juniors Hayven Ferneyhough and Allison Webb. Second row: Seniors Laicee Lewallen and Briley Creekmore.
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A quick sports update…
Here’s a look at upcoming sporting events. For more, check out Varsity, which is published on Sunday.
• Thursday: Oneida at Scott High (girls soccer), 7 p.m. (AYSO night; players admitted free and recognized on the field before the game).
• Friday: Oneida at Monterey (football), 8 p.m. Live on the IH Sports Network with pregame beginning at 7 p.m.
• Friday: Scott High vs. York Institute (soccer), 7 p.m.
The weekend
🌦 Weather: Temperatures will slowly warm throughout the weekend, but will remain slightly below normal for this time of year, with lots of sunshine. We’ll top out around 80° or slightly above with mostly sunny skies each day. Check out our daily Eye to the Sky updates on our Facebook page — published each morning at 7 a.m. on the dot.
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📅 Community Calendar
• Friday: The Bandy Creek Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today ($3, or $2 for ages 6-12). Huntsville Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today ($3). The Oneida Splash Pad is also open.
• Saturday: The Scott County Farmers & Crafters Market will be open from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. — rain or shine. The market is located at 600 Scott High Drive, Huntsville.
• Saturday: The Bandy Creek Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today ($3, or $2 for ages 6-12). Huntsville Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today ($3). The Oneida Splash Pad is also open.
• Sunday: The Bandy Creek Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today ($3, or $2 for ages 6-12). Huntsville Pool will be open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. today ($3). The Oneida Splash Pad is also open.
• Sunday: Celebrate Recovery, a 12-step program designed to help with addiction, co-dependency and domestic abuse, will be hosted by Fire & Purpose Ministries from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 27192 Scott Highway in Winfield. There will be food, fellowship, praise and worship. Childcare is provided.
The Community Calendar is presented by Citizens Gas Utility District. Citizens Gas operates natural gas distribution pipelines in portions of Scott and Morgan counties. Visit citizensgastn.com.
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📢 Programming Note: Watch for our weekly E-Edition later this evening! You can always find our E-Editions here. The E-Edition is published on Thursdays (and on Sundays during the high school sports season) and includes all digital content from the week in an easy-to-read, flip book format.
Scenic Sale!
This week’s sale items at Scenic Foods in Huntsville! The sale continues through Tuesday. Sponsored content.
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◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)