The February meeting of your Board of Commissioners was a short one filled with routine business and updates of interest. Sixteen of your eighteen Commissioners were present, with Joe Koester and Charles Seiber unable to attend. The first item was revisiting the stage naming rights agreement with Spirit Broadband concerning the new amphitheater. You may recall the discussion from last month concerning voiding the agreement. The CountyMayor and CountyAttorney were asked to meet with Spirit’s representatives and try to work out the technical details of the agreement. Scheduling difficulties prevented this from happening, so the item was postponed until next month’s meeting. The vote to postpone was 15 -1, with Carmin Lynch voting no.
Several resolutions were approved including appointing Ron Pulley to the Library Board with a term expiring June 30, 2011. A budget amendment allowing the Highway Department to move money for the purchase of more salt, sand, and crushed stone for the roads was approved. A resolution granting the donation of a county ambulance that is no longer in use to the Cumberland County Rescue Squad was approved as well. The commission also approved filing a Rural Development Community Facilities Grant application for up to $50,000 to help with the costs for the new Health Department. Two budget amendments for the Property Assessor’s office were approved as well as an amendment accepting various donations given to the Animal Shelter. The final amendment was to move money between Election Commission budget lines to pay for an audit they requested from the State. No new money was given to the Election Commission for this audit.
It was announced that Crossville Hardwood, Cumberland Medical Center, and Ficosa North America will be adding approximately 200 new jobs in CumberlandCounty in the next 30 days. This is good news for our county and we hope to see more growth in the future. The County and City are actively working towards that goal in monthly meetings of the Joint Economic Community Development Board.
The commission was notified by County Attorney Randal Boston that the Tennessee Supreme Court has agreed to hear the SmithMountain (Fly Ash) case. Oral arguments are scheduled for May 11th.
Carmin Lynch mentioned that he would like the County Commission to pass a $10 wheel tax with proceeds going to the Highway Department. My opinion is that the public has overwhelmingly rejected the wheel tax on multiple occasions and that the CountyCommission should not override the public’s sentiments on the issue. I would like feedback on this issue, so please contact me and let me know what you think.
I have posted new documents on my website (http://allenfoster.net) on the ‘Documents of Interest’ page. You will now find the Ambulance Resolution as discussed last month, the 2010 Audit Report for the county, and the 2011 Budget Committee Review Schedule.
I appreciate the opportunity to serve as your County Commissioner, and I thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. More information is available on my website at http://allenfoster.net. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to contact me.
Allen
allenfoster.com 