Caryville Alderman Josh Monday is appointed to vice mayor

New employees Aaron Evans, police chief, and Joanie Vandagriff , recorder, sworn in

CARYVILLE, TN (WLAF)- The Town of Caryville has two new employees. Monday night at the regular monthly meeting of the Caryville Board of Mayor and Aldermen Aaron Evans was sworn in as chief of police and Joanie Vandagriff  was sworn in as town recorder. Both will assume their new duties on Monday morning. Aldermen Josh Monday was appointed to the position of vice mayor.

Evans calls being appointed chief of police a tremendous honor, especially because it is the town where he was born and raised. “This community helped shape who I am, and it means a great deal to come back and serve in this role. It’s also very personal for me, because my father, veteran lawman Cameron Evans, once served Caryville as chief of police. To have the chance to follow in those footsteps and serve the people of this town is something I take with great humility and gratitude,” said Evans.

I’m thankful to the Mayor, the Town Council, and the Town Administrator for the confidence they have placed in me. My focus moving forward is supporting the officers of the Caryville Police Department and ensuring we continue to build upon solid foundation by providing professional, visible, and dependable service to the citizens of Caryville.

The board approved Ordinance No: 2026-03 amending the annual operating budget for the fiscal year 2025-26, to fully develop the Town Administrator Lines of Account and add the Driver Grant Program and Volunteer Fire Training Grant for the Fire Department.

Mitchell, Emert and Hill were present to present the fiscal year 2025 audit report. After a brief review of the audit, the final summation was that the town had a good audit.

Town Administrator Craig Bennett presented items he felt were budget priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. Items on the list were no increase or reduction in staff size. Currently the town has five street department employees and six police officers. Next was a cost of living increase in wages, changing the police chief to a salaried position. There were two capital investments on the list. The first is the purchase of a brush truck. At this time, the town has some money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to put toward the purchase. However, the board will need to find money for the additional funds. The next item discussed was the paving of Bruce Gap Road and Main Street. Bennett stated there could be some grant money available for the Main Street project. The final project was to find a comprehensive IT solution for the town.

Next was a discussion about a storm water issue between Main Street and Phillips Street. Bennett explained that some of the problem is a deteriorated culvert. He continued that Caryville Jacksboro Utilities Commission (CJUC) has been out and checked the area. CJUC can correct the problem by installing a new culvert and rerouting the water into a nearby junction box.

A ladder was declared as surplus by the board, the ladder is damaged.

The board approved the sale of a .47 acres in the McGhee Industrial Park for $12,000. The fire department has requested to purchase turnout gear and fire department driver safety training material; these items were approved and will be paid for by grants. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-03/10/2026-6AM)