Hawkins County, Tennessee

Hawkins County, Tennessee
The Hawkins County Courthouse in Rogersville, built c. 1836, is the oldest courthouse in Tennessee.
Location in the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	1787
Named for	Benjamin Hawkins
Seat	Rogersville
Largest city	Church Hill
Area
• Total	500 sq mi (1,295 km2)
• Land	487 sq mi (1,261 km2)
• Water	13 sq mi (34 km2), 2.5%
Population
• (2010)	56,833
• Density	117/sq mi (45/km²)
Congressional district	1st
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.hawkinscountytn.gov

Hawkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 56,833. Its county seat is Rogersville, Tennessee's second-oldest town. The county was created in 1787 and named for Benjamin Hawkins, a U.S. Senator from North Carolina.

Hawkins County is part of the Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol, TN-VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area, commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region.

Hawkins County is governed by a 21-member County Commission, whose members are elected from geographic districts. The chief executive officer of the county is the County Mayor.

The Tennessee Constitution provides for the election of an executive officer - referred to as the County Mayor - in each county. The County Mayor is elected by popular vote at the regular August election every four years, coinciding with the Governor's election, and may serve an unlimited number of terms. The County Mayor (formerly County Executive) is Chief Executive Officer of the county. The County Mayor exercises a role of leadership in county government and is responsible for the County's fiscal management and other executive functions.

The County Mayor is the general agent of the county and may draw warrants upon the General Fund. The County Mayor has custody of county property not placed with other officers, and may also examine the accounts of county officers. The County Mayor is a nonvoting ex-officio member of the County Commission and of all its committees, and may be elected chairman of the county legislative body (a post that the County Mayor is not required to seek or accept). The County Mayor may call special meetings of the County Commission. Unless an optional general law or private act provides otherwise, the County Mayor compiles a budget for all county departments, offices, and agencies, which is presented to the County Commission.