CC Notes – August 18th 2014
I want to thank the voters of the Fourth District here in Cumberland County for again trusting me to serve you as a member of the Board of Commissioners. During this term I will continue working hard to keep your trust by listening to what you have to say while making pragmatic decisions concerning the needs of our county. I will continue to show up, work hard, return calls and emails, and make decisions based on research and input from constituents. Feel free to call or email me about any concerns you may have regarding Cumberland County.
Monthly Meeting
The August 18th meeting of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners was held with all members present except Caroline Knight. This was the last meeting for 11 of the current County Commissioners, including Brian Houston, Harry Sabine, Caroline Knight, Johnny Presley, Charles Seiber, Joe Koester, Jan McNeil, Larry Allen, Mike Harvel, Jeff Brown, and Carmin Lynch. The new Board of Commissioners will take the Oath of Office on Monday, August 25th, at 5:00 PM during a ceremony for all newly elected local county officials. The ceremony will be held at the Courthouse on the third floor in the large meeting room.
Resolutions
The first resolution of the evening was for the Highway Department in the amount of $95,640 for the Bridge Program. Highway Superintendent Scott Blaylock requested, and the TDOT State Bridge Aid Program approved, a bridge placement at Oakmont Drive over One Mile Creek. Bids were received that exceeded the estimated amount placed in this year’s budget. This amendment allowed for an increase in revenue being received from the State Bridge Aid Program while also approving the increased expenditures for the bridge construction. This budget neutral resolution was approved unanimously.
Next, a resolution was approved appointing Terry Carter and Larry Allen as members of the Cumberland County Railroad Authority with terms that expire on August 31, 2016. The resolution passed 15 – 0 – 2, with Commissioners Allen and Carter abstaining. The final resolution of the evening was approved to accept the offer of $100 by Douglas and Martha Barlow to purchase property owned by Cumberland County. The Delinquent Tax Committee recommended this action for property which had been abandoned due to delinquent property taxes. The resolution will put the property back on the tax rolls and was approved 15 – 2 with Commissioners Carter and Turner voting against.
Financial Report
Director of Finance Nathan Brock presented the final numbers from the prior fiscal year. For the year, property tax revenue came in at 101.7 percent of the budgeted amount and the Hotel/Motel Tax revenue came in at 100.4 percent. Prisoner Boarding finished at 110.4 percent of budget but sales tax collections for the BOE were down by $12,612 for the year. The budgeted increase for sales tax was 1.5 percent but that actual increase was only 1.33793 percent. Ambulance collections finished the year significantly low at only 90.2 percent of budget. The ambulance runs were made that should have led to making the budgeted number, but billing has continued to be a problem. This issue is one that will have to be followed closely in the coming months.
Again, thank you for allowing me to serve the 4th District and Cumberland County. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at any time.
Sincerely
Allen Foster
Board of Commissioners
4th District Representative
http://allenfoster.net
allenfoster.com 