CC Notes – November 17th 2014
The November 17 meeting of the Cumberland County Commission began promptly at 6:00 PM with all Commissioners present except Elbert Farley. Commissioner Farley was unable to attend due to a death in the family.
Mr. Ed Camera, representing CoLinx, spoke during the Public Comments section of the evening. Mr. Camera wanted to thank the County for working with CoLinx on their 210,000 square feet, $14,375,000 expansion project. This project is set to create approximately 65 new jobs in the county.
Resolutions
The first resolution of the evening was to consider a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) program for CoLinx. The resolution was in support of allowing the Cumberland County Industrial Development Board to negotiate a 10 year PILOT agreement with the county and CoLinx. The county is always looking for ways to expand economic opportunities for those in Cumberland County, and the County Commission unanimously agreed to the resolution after a motion by Sonia Rimmer and seconded by me.
A resolution to appoint Commissioner Rebecca Stone to the Public Records Commission passed 16-0-1 with Commissioner Stone abstaining. A budget amendment in the amount of $2,400 was approved unanimously as well. Cumberland County and the City of Crossville have jointly agreed to fund a secretary for the Veterans Service Office. There was a delay in funding on the city’s side, which caused the use of more part-time personnel in the VSO office than was originally anticipated. The budget neutral amendment moved money from the full time secretary line and into the part-time personnel line of the VSO.
The annual cost of the Trustee’s surety bond has increased by $5,088 from the prior fiscal year. This increase was not anticipated and was not budgeted in the Trustee’s budget. Although Tennessee state law requires the County Commission to fund bonds for all county office holders the resolution passed 11-5-1, with Commissioners Scarbrough, Isham, Davis, Lowe, and Turner voting against the motion and Commissioner Hassler abstaining as the Trustee is a relative. A budget resolution was also passed 16-1 to allow the Sheriff’s Department to receive a public safety grant for law enforcement equipment. Commissioner Claflin abstained as he works for the Sheriff’s Department. The grant was in the amount of $25,920 and will be used to replace electronic fingerprint imaging equipment. This was a 100% grant and required no matching local funds. The final resolution of the evening was one to appropriate matching funds to the City of Crab Orchard for renovation and modification of the building that houses the Cumberland County EMS substation and Volunteer Fire Department station. The previously agreed to amount was $33,000. In return for the funding, the county will use the building for 25 years with the City of Crab Orchard providing for all repairs and maintenance of the building, as well as utility costs. The resolution was passed unanimously.
Financial Report
Property tax collections are at 15.5% of budget through October compared to 16.2% last year, but we are on schedule to meet budget at this early point in the year. Hotel/Motel tax collections are at $226,906 of a $734,738 budget. This represents 30.9% of the annual projected income. Ambulance collections are at $795,535 year to date compared to $370,500 at this time last year. We are at 26.5% of the annual budgeted amount of $3,000,000. Prisoner boarding is $170,866 for the year compared to $337,662 at this point last year. This money comes in sporadically and should still meet the annual budgeted amounts. Sales tax for the school system brought in $684,387 in October, which is $1,830 less than projections. Year to date, we are still ahead of budget by $15,078.
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 