The Weakley County Examiner

Shannon Taylor
CEO/Publisher

Every budget season, the same questions arise across Weakley County. Who are the county’s highest-paid employees? Who decides those salaries? Are they set by the County Commission, state law or employment contracts?

The answers are more complicated than many people realize.

To help answer those questions, The Weakley County Examiner worked with County Mayor Dale Hutcherson and Finance Director John Liggett to review the county’s fiscal year 2025-26 salary schedule and explain how compensation is determined for elected officials, department heads and school employees. Their assistance helped provide additional context regarding Tennessee law, county policy and the processes used to establish many of the salaries listed on the county’s payroll.

What emerged is that a county salary schedule is far more than a list of names and numbers.

The salary schedule contains hundreds of positions across county government and the Weakley County School System. At the top of the list are elected officials, school administrators and department heads, but those salaries are not all established the same way.

According to the county’s fiscal year 2025-26 salary schedule, General Sessions Judge Thomas L. Moore Jr. is the county’s highest-paid employee with an annual salary of $174,826.

Although Weakley County pays the judge’s salary, the amount itself is established under Tennessee law through the state’s judicial system rather than by the County Commission.

The second-highest salary belongs to Director of Schools Jeff Cupples, whose annual compensation is $149,475. Unlike elected county officials, Cupples’ salary is negotiated through an employment contract with the Weakley County Board of Education. While the County Commission appropriates funding to the school system, it does not negotiate or approve the director’s salary.

Assistant Director of Schools Betsi Foster has the third-highest salary at $123,285.

County Mayor Dale Hutcherson ranks fourth at $113,316.

Finance Director John Liggett, Highway Superintendent Jeff Cosby and Sheriff Terry McDade each earn $107,920 annually, followed by Gleason School Teacher/Coach Michael Riggs at $107,034, Martin Middle School Principal John Lifsey at $105,130, and Dresden High School Principal Kerry Scott Killebrew Jr. at $99,963.

Hutcherson and Liggett noted that published salaries for school employees do not always represent base pay alone. Many employees receive additional compensation through coaching supplements, extended contracts, administrative stipends, career ladder payments or other supplemental assignments. As a result, the salary listed for one employee may reflect multiple responsibilities rather than a single position.

Weakley County’s 10 Highest-Paid Employees

1. Thomas L. Moore Jr., General Sessions Judge — $174,826
2. Jeff Cupples, Director of Schools — $149,475
3. Betsi Foster, Assistant Director of Schools — $123,285
4. Dale Hutcherson, County Mayor — $113,316
5. John Liggett, Finance Director — $107,920
6. Jeff Cosby, Highway Superintendent — $107,920
7. Terry McDade, Sheriff — $107,920
8. Michael Riggs, Gleason School Principal — $107,034
9. John Lifsey, Martin Middle School Principal — $105,130
10. Kerry Scott Killebrew Jr., Dresden High School Principal — $99,963

One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding county salaries is the belief that every salary is determined locally.

In reality, Tennessee law establishes minimum salaries for many constitutional offices. Those minimums are published annually by the Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) and are based on each county’s population classification. Counties may choose to pay above those minimums, but they cannot pay less.

Weakley County falls within the CTAS population classification for counties with populations between 23,000 and 34,999.

For fiscal year 2025-26, the applicable CTAS minimum salaries are:

• County Mayor: $113,316
• Sheriff: $107,920
• Highway Superintendent: $107,920
• County Trustee: $98,109
• County Clerk: $98,109
• Property Assessor: $98,109
• Register of Deeds: $98,109
• Circuit Court Clerk: $98,109

Weakley County’s adopted salary schedule shows that its constitutional officers are generally paid at those state-required minimums.

County Mayor Dale Hutcherson earns $113,316, matching the CTAS minimum.

Sheriff Terry McDade and Highway Superintendent Jeff Cosby each earn $107,920, also matching the applicable minimum.

Likewise, Trustee Marci Floyd, County Clerk Kimberly Hughey, Property Assessor Lisa Odle, Register of Deeds April Jones, Circuit Court Clerk Toya Bell and Clerk & Master Regina Vancleave each earn $98,109, matching the minimum for counties in Weakley’s population classification.

Tennessee law also establishes salary relationships among several constitutional offices. The sheriff and highway superintendent must each receive at least 10 percent more than the county’s general constitutional officers, while the county mayor must receive at least 5 percent more. Weakley County’s salary schedule reflects those statutory requirements.

Liggett’s salary is determined differently.

Because the finance director is not one of the constitutional offices covered under the CTAS salary schedule, the position is governed by the county’s financial management system. Under Weakley County’s long-standing financial management structure, the finance director’s salary is tied to the highway superintendent’s salary, which is why Liggett and Cosby currently receive the same annual compensation.

Hutcherson and Liggett also explained that portions of some constitutional officers’ compensation may be reimbursed through state appropriations. Those reimbursements vary depending on state funding formulas and do not represent an additional full salary paid directly to the official.

Although the salary schedule often becomes a focal point during budget discussions, Hutcherson and Liggett said the figures should be viewed within the broader context of state law, county policy and employee responsibilities.

Some salaries are established entirely by Tennessee law. Others are negotiated through employment contracts approved by separate governing bodies, while still others are tied to long-standing county policies. Without understanding those distinctions, a salary schedule alone does not tell the full story.

Along with this article, The Weakley County Examiner is publishing the first page of the county’s fiscal year 2025-26 salary schedule, highlighting the county’s highest-paid employees. The document is a public record and is being provided so readers can see the information in its original form while considering the context behind the numbers.