The regular meeting of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners was held May 16th, 2011. All Commissioners were present with the exception of Charles Seiber and Joe Koester. Several routine resolutions were passed, including the creation of Audit and Debt Management Committees. Commissioners Brian Houston, Robert Safdie, David Hassler, Joe Koester, Larry Allen, Roy Turner, Jeff Brown, Clyde Cramer, and I were approved to serve on the Debt Management Committee while the Audit Committee members will be approved at a later date. William Hess, Nancy Hyder, Jack Jamieson, John Kinnunen, and Fred Robison were approved to serve on the Cumberland County Health and Safety Standards Board.
The Commission also approved several routine budget amendments including one for the Education Capital Projects Fund in the amount of $4,931,976 for the Energy Efficient Schools Initiative. These funds are guaranteed to be paid back by energy savings. An amendment moving existing funds in the Fire Department budget in the amount of $5,383 was approved for part time personnel. Qualified Sheriff’s Department law enforcement officers and firefighters have received pay supplements from the State of Tennessee and the Commission amended the budget accordingly in the amount of $1,350. The Commission affirmed compliance with Federal Title VI Regulations and adopted the updated five-year Strategic Economic Development Plan. A resolution was approved that waived Community Complex fees for the May 28th fund raiser to provide financial assistance to the Bledsoe County victims of the April 27th, 2011 tornado.
A fiscal report was given by the Financial Department Director. Revenues to the County are trending up, and property tax collections have come in at one hundred percent of budget.
The Budget Committee is continuing work on the 2011 – 2012 budget each Tuesday and Thursday at 4:30 in the Large Courtroom of the Courthouse. This is a great time for anyone interested in the budget and budgeting process of the County to come and learn and participate.
On May 18th, the Commission held a work session concerning the CountyArchives. The Library has been fulfilling archive services for the County and would like to continue for approximately $13,000 per year. This includes archiving County government documents to State standards as well as genealogical archiving of private documents. According to State law, certain governmental documents must be archived. In my opinion, the County is getting a valuable service for the money. Modifications to a resolution that would officially create the partnership were discussed and will be taken up at a later date.
Let me know what you think. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to give me a call or send me an email. Thank you for letting me serve the 4th District and Cumberland County.
Allen
allenfoster.com 