CC Notes – May 20th 2013
All members except Commissioner Brian Houston were present for the May meeting of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners. Commissioner Houston was present for meetings prior to the full commission meeting, but had to leave to attend a graduation and award ceremony for his son. After approval of the April minutes, Mayor Carey updated the Board concerning the Big South Fork Visitors Center. TDOT and the Cumberland County Financial Management Committee have approved the latest bid so construction should begin in the coming weeks. The Crossville Chronicle carried a detailed story concerning this issue that can be read at http://crossville-chronicle.com/local/x1167593490/TDOT-OKs-BSF-visitor-center-bid. If you have questions or concerns, please contact me.
Resolutions
The first resolution of the night concerned refinancing a portion of the County debt. The financing for this debt is set to expire in July and therefore must be refinanced. The Commission voted unanimously to move forward with refinancing the debt through Regions Bank. This will result in a decrease in rates of 30 – 35 basis points, saving the county money on the loan.
A resolution was unanimously approved to reappoint Jack Chadwell, V.J. Dodson, Amanda Elmore, and Clark West to the Industrial Development Corporation Board for six year terms expiring April 30, 2019, as was a resolution appointing Kenneth Carey, Tammy Steward (terms expire August 31, 2014), Dr. Danny Hall, Dr. Larry Reed, Dr. Randall Crowder, Vicki Upchurch, and Becki Hillis (terms expire May 31, 2017) to the Cumberland County Board of Health with Dr. Fred Vossell and Karen Roper to serve as ex officio members to the Cumberland County Board of Health. Robert Citkovik was also reappointed to the E-911 Emergency Communications District board of Directors with the term expiring May 31, 2017. Randy Elmore and Nancy Hyder were reappointed to the Health and Safety Standards Board with terms expiring May 15, 2017.
As per FAA requirements, a resolution was approved supporting zoning limitations for the height of objects surrounding the Rockwood Municipal Airport. Considering the fact that the vast majority of Satsuma Drive residents wish to be annexed by the City of Crossville, the Commission approved a resolution allowing the annexation to proceed. An Interlocal Agreement with the City of Crossville concerning the Colinx expansion was also approved. This agreement will allow Colinx to move forward with their construction project, providing more jobs in our community.
A budget amendment for $5,000 was approved for the Parks and Fair Board to allow the Community Complex to purchase a new lawn mower. The mower will be used in all county mowing including the new Health Department. A $6,000 amendment was also approved to complete much needed repairs to the EMS parking lot. A resolution was approved removing $20,000 from the Fire Department budget. This money was budgeted for a communications upgrade project but all of the funds were not spent.
The Rules and Nominations Committee has been working for the past several months on updates to the rules that guide the work of the Commission. The final draft of those rules, including the removal of several outdated committees, was approved. The new rules can be found online at my website, http://allenfoster.net, on the ‘Documents of Interest’ page.
A resolution affirming the Cumberland County Commission’s support of the Second Amendment and the right of the people to keep and bear arms was approved in a 14 – 3 vote. The resolution supports and requests the legislature of the State of Tennessee adopt and enact any and all measures as may be necessary to reject and nullify enforcement of any federal acts, laws, executive orders, rules or regulations in violation of the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Tennessee. I am a strong believer in the Second Amendment to the Constitution and proudly cast my vote in favor of this resolution. I believe that the Second Amendment is the cornerstone to our freedom here in the US, and that it serves to protect the other rights of the people as spelled out in our Constitution. Voting in favor of the resolution was Nancy Hyder, David Hassler, Johnny Presley, Charles Seiber, Joe Koester, Jan McNeil, Larry Allen, Terry Carter, Mike Harvel, Roy Turner, Jeff Brown, Sonya Rimmer, John Kinnunen, and me. Voting against were Harry Sabine, Caroline Knight, and Carmin Lynch.
Financial Report
Sales Tax revenue continues to be up when compared to last year’s actual income, but it is down when compared to the budgeted numbers. This month was no exception with collections down just over $4,000 compared to budget, totaling $74,826 in deficit year to date. Property tax collections are at 100.1 percent of budget through April and the Hotel/Motel tax collections are at 82 percent of budget. In March, the ambulance service took in $191,055 versus a “get” number of approximately $217,000. Although the “get” number, the amount we need to collect to meet budget, is higher than collections, we are still on track to meet income projections. Income derived from housing State prisoners is at 92.8 percent of budget.
Your feedback is important to me. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to give me a call or send me an email. Thank you for allowing me to serve the 4th District and Cumberland County.
Sincerely
Allen Foster
Board of Commissioners
4th District Representative
allenfoster.com 