1 of 8
Erica Techo
State Representative Corley Ellis speaks at Coffee and Conversations at Johnny Ray's BBQ in Chelsea on Oct. 6. Photo by Erica Techo.
2 of 8
Erica Techo
Sen. Slade Blackwell speaks at Coffee and Conversations at Johnny Ray's BBQ in Chelsea on Oct. 6. Photo by Erica Techo.
3 of 8
Erica Techo
Secretary of State John Merrill speaks at Coffee and Conversations at Johnny Ray's BBQ in Chelsea on Oct. 6. Photo by Erica Techo.
4 of 8
Erica Techo
Chelsea mayor elect Tony Picklesimer speaks at Coffee and Conversations at Johnny Ray's BBQ in Chelsea on Oct. 6. Photo by Erica Techo.
5 of 8
Erica Techo
Shelby County Commissioner Robbie Hayes, who represents Chelsea, speaks at Coffee and Conversations at Johnny Ray's BBQ in Chelsea on Oct. 6. Photo by Erica Techo.
6 of 8
Erica Techo
Cindy Picklesimer, Chelsea City Clerk Becky Landers and Mayor Elect Tony Picklesimer. Photo by Erica Techo.
7 of 8
Erica Techo
City, councy and state representatives for Chelsea gather at Coffee and Conversations at Johnny Ray's BBQ in Chelsea on Oct. 6. Photo by Erica Techo.
8 of 8
Erica Techo
Chelsea resident Connie Gilliland asks about sewer line costs residents are seeing. She asked legislators, commissioners and council members for their help in fixing the issue. Photo by Erica Techo.
Johnny Ray’s BBQ in Chelsea was filled with city, county and state leaders on Thursday, Oct. 6.
During a Coffee and Conversations event, sponsored by the Chelsea Business Alliance, Greater Shelby Chamber of Commerce and South Shelby Chamber of Commerce and led by Sen. Slade Blackwell, local leaders discussed topics ranging from amendments on the Nov. 8 ballot to possible projects in Chelsea’s future. While there were a few community and chamber members at the event, most of the conversation centered on the roles of different groups Chelsea’s new mayor and council will work with.
Throughout the luncheon, state and county representatives emphasized their willingness to work with the city of Chelsea in the future as well as the benefits of having open communication between different levels of government. This openness of communication is something not many counties see, they said, but from which Shelby County has benefitted.
Shelby County Sheriff John Samaniego said he is glad for the sheriff’s office’s partnership with Chelsea, which has contract deputies as a main form of law enforcement.
“Our sheriff’s office wants a relationship with each and every one of its constituents,” Samaniego said. “We are here to serve you. My philosophy is we are a service provider and you are a consumer, and we hope to continue to do that.”
As Mayor-elect Tony Picklesimer takes office in November, Samaniego said he will be open to communicating and working with the city’s new leaders.
“I look forward to working with Tony and the Chelsea City council. We’ve been fortunate to have a relationship the last 12 years, I believe, a contract law enforcement situation,” he said. “Anything you want or need, Tony, whatever you need me to do, you know I’m going to be there for you.”
Other county representatives, including Shelby County Commissioner Robbie Hayes, County Manager Alex Dudchock and County Engineer Randy Cole, echoed the positive aspects of the county’s relationship with Chelsea. Their presence was a way to show the council and mayor how they can get in touch with the county commission when there is an issue, Blackwell said.
“We do in Shelby County have a very unique situation. It is not the norm to have the relationships we have between the federal, state and local legislative groups,” Hayes said.
Dudchock said Chelsea has consistently been a “historically responsive” city in Shelby County, meaning it willingly partners with the county on projects, such as Compact 2020.
“I can tell you to date, I can only know of a couple of occasions, subject matter, that we have not been able to work together on to effectuate change,” Dudchock said.
The city of Chelsea is also an important part of the county’s economy,” Dudchock said. “As you know, with this corridor here, with all the little traffic and everything else, it’s very important to our lifeline. We have people moving here — why? Because of the character of community you have created.”
Traffic issues are a hot topic in Shelby County in general, and problem intersections continually popped up during Chelsea’s elections. Cole said while the county does a good job with road maintenance, a lack of funding sometimes hinders progress.
“Congestion, we don’t do such a good job with that,” Cole said. “We don’t do such a good job with that because we don’t have the resources to do that. We hope in the upcoming legislative session with the help of Rep. [Corley] Ellis and Sen. Slade, we’re trying to get increased revenue. And that will be revolutionary. … It will take us out of being solely a maintenance arm and put us back in the construction business.”
At this time, Cole said the county is working on safety improvements at the intersection of U.S. 280 and County Road 41 (Dunnavant Valley Road) and the intersection of U.S. 280 and County Road 43 (Bear Creek Road).
“CR 41, we’re doing some things, putting some money in it to try to reduce if not eliminate some of the accidents we’re having there,” Cole said.
The county also hopes to work on the intersection of County Roads 39 and 47, where the railroad crosses in front of Chelsea City Hall. A study on the intersection is underway, Cole said, to determine if the project can use federal funds.
“Mayor Niven and I … we have been talking for years about working together to try to do that, and strategically, the city decided to put a lot of money into recreational facilities for our children,” Cole said, “and I don’t find any fault in that, but that kind of stopped us from advancing on that project. It’s a big-ticket item. It’s going to take county and city participation.”
The study will also help determine how much of the work will be done locally and how much will be done with federal aid, which typically comes with a lot of strings attached, Cole said.
When presentations were completed, Chelsea resident Connie Gilliland was the only attendee to ask a question. Gilliland has been vocal about the sewer rates in Chelsea, which are controlled by a privately owned company and increase every year. She previously spoke in front of the county commission about the issue and asked if the new council and mayor would be willing to help pass legislation on the issue.
Hayes, Ellis, Blackwell and others said they were willing to work on the issue and planned to have a “sit down” to figure out the best path to take.
