MOSHEIM -- The Mosheim Board of Mayor and Aldermen gave final approval on Thursday night to the 2012-13 fiscal year budget for the Town of Mosheim.

As reported in The Greeneville Sun on Friday, the Mosheim board also voted to appoint R.L. "Tom" Carpenter to fill the vacant Mosheim Alderman position resulting from the June 7 death of Claude "Junior" Weems.

The term of office continues until the next Mosheim election, in June 2013.

At the meeting, the board members also elected Alderman Tommy Gregg to serve as vice mayor of the Mosheim board, a position that Weems had previously held.

The budget approval came after a discussion held by the board members related to a pay scale issue for Town of Mosheim employees.

The issue was raised after Alderman Harold Smith said that he would like to include a pay raise in the budget for an employee at the town's wastewater treatment plant.

The employee, David Holzerman, has worked at the sewer plant for three years.

He was hired at $8.50 an hour, but now currently earns $13.26 an hour, according to Mosheim Town Hall Clerk Peggy Wills.

Smith said that he felt that Holzerman should be making the same as newly hired sewer plant employee Terry "Dustin" Jeffers, who was hired at $15 per hour. Jeffers has worked at the sewer plant for six weeks. He was previously employed by the Town of Baileyton.

During the discussion, Wills said that Jeffers has a wastewater treatment operator's license, and that Holzerman does not. She said that Holzerman does, however, have a wastewater system collection license.

Smith said that he felt that Holzerman's pay should be equal to that of the recently hired employee at the wastewater treatment plant because he had been working there longer.

Wills said that, while she is not opposed to anyone receiving a pay raise, she did encourage the board to consider a more uniform pay scale system for all town employees.

Alderman Dave Long said that he would like to see a breakdown of the individual salaries, job duties, credentials and length of service for the town employees.

"I don't have any problem with setting up some sort of [pay scale] ladder," he said.

Alderman Gregg agreed that such a proposal should be considered for the next Town of Mosheim budget.

After further discussion, the board members eventually voted to approve the town's 2012-13 budget, along with a $1.74 per hour pay raise for Holzerman.

Also during the meeting, board members passed on first reading an ordinance to place time limits on building permits.

This measure was recommended to the board by the Mosheim Planning Commission.

Currently, the town's building permit ordinance does not include any time limitation after a permit is issued.

Under the amendment, however, the permit would run out if there is a six-month lapse before any progress is made at the site.

The change includes a provision through which the Municipal Building Inspector may grant an unlimited number of 90-day extensions to the permit if a letter is filed at the end of each 90 days with a description of the circumstances preventing progress.

In other matters, the board approved an ordinance on second and final reading to amend the town's zoning ordinance for the purpose of adding sign provisions.

This measure was approved based on a previous recommendation made by the Mosheim Planning Commission because the town had no regulations limiting the height of signs at Exit 23 of Interstate 81.

Additionally, the Mosheim board approved the adoption of a drought management plan for the town, based on the Greene County Drought Management Plan.

This measure would set forth plans of action in the event of water shortages due to drought conditions. Copies of the full plan are on file at Mosheim Town Hall.

The board also gave its approval to a Tennessee Department of Transportaton plan for the proposed redesign of the intersection at U.S. Hwy. 11E and Bridge Burners Boulevard. (Please see related article on Page A-1.)

Under a TDOT proposal, acceleration lanes would be extended at the intersection.

A new redesign, Gregg said, will force tractor-trailer traffic to enter the acceleration lane prior to entering the roadway.

The intersection along Hwy. 11E in Mosheim has been the scene of several serious accidents, including two fatal accidents in the last 18 months.

To accommodate for this extension, TDOT plans to close the cut-across at Crest View Lane.

The estimated cost for the state-funded project is expected to be about $536,000, Gregg said. Bids on the project are expected to go out in October.