CC Notes – November 21st 2016
The November meeting of the full County Commission was held with all members in attendance except Jack Davis. The meeting began with comments from the public before moving on with the business of the evening.
State law requires certain office holders to be bonded. This includes the office of Cumberland County Assessor of Property. The first action taken by the Commission was the unanimous approval of this bond for Assessor David Simcox.
Resolutions
The first resolution of the evening was a budget amendment of $29,424 for the local health department. The Health Department received additional funding from the state for salary adjustments for employees. The funding is provided 100% by the state and does not require a local match. The resolution passed unanimously.
Next, the county accepted offers from Gene A. McMahon (1 parcel, $100), Louie Burton (1 parcel, $200), and Rusty Norrod (3 parcels, $300) to purchase parcels of property owned by Cumberland County due to back taxes. The Cumberland County Delinquent Tax Committee recommended these offers, and the Commission approved in a 17 – 0 vote. Some of these parcels had been off the tax rolls since 2005.
Mayor Carey presented Trevor Kerley as his choice to fill the vacant Cumberland County Fire Chief position. The County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) reviewed, evaluated, and recommended Mr. Kerley for the position. The Commission approved this appointment in a 16 – 1 vote with Commissioner Tom Isham voting against.
The final resolution of the evening was related to industrial wind turbines. The resolution encourages the State of Tennessee to pass legislation concerning these large wind turbines. The county does not have the resources nor the authority to regulate these types of industrial projects involving private land owners. The resolution asks the State of Tennessee to consider legislation to study the impact of these developments and to require an application process and risk studies prior to approval. The resolution was approved 11 – 6 and will be sent to Senator Paul Bailey and Representative Cameron Sexton. Commissioners Lowe, Wilson, Turner, Scarbrough, Isham, and Hassler voted against the resolution.
Financial Report
Property tax collections are currently at 11.6% of budget versus 16.5% at this point last year. Hotel/Motel tax collections stand at $266,466 against a budget of $810,000 which is 32.9% of budget. Last year we were at 34.5%. Ambulance collections are again a concern with collections at $761,561 which is 20.9% of the $3,650,000 annual budget. Prisoner Boarding is at $90,761, or 30.3% of the $300,000 budget. The local option sales tax collections for the BOE are still strong. October’s collections were $13,091 ahead of projections. Year to date, we are $45,821 above budget.
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 