Report From Finance Committee Meeting 6 Jan 2009
These actions taken this morning by the Finance Committee still must be approved by the Full Commission on 20 January 2009.
ITEM 1 It was agreed that the fifteen members, five county commissioners and ten non-commissioners, of the Planning Commission would be paid $30.00 per meeting retroactive to July 2008. The total would amount to $5,400.00 per year for this committee to hold its twelve meetings each year.
ITEM 2 Was a bookkeeping maneuver where approximately $23,000.00 would be paid to the tax office for the county's share of property tax on the Suntrust/Courthouse Annex Building this money would then be transferred back to the county general fund.
ITEM 3 $4000.00 was approved to remount two older ambulance boxes onto new chassis.
ITEM 4 Thanks to TIMKIN a grant was given to fully fund the purchase of a rescue squad vehicle but another $8,400.00 was approved to match a partial grant from another source to purchase a separate vehicle for the Rescue Squad.
ITEM 5 $125,000.00 was allocated to study the Campbellsville Spring.
ITEM 6 Up to $5,000.00 was allocated to the Highway Department to tear down two buildings at the Agriculture Park.
ITEM 7 $3,000.00 was added to Judge Damrons budget. Last year the state mandated an unfunded raise for him that was taken out of his budget. This three thousand dollars was a replacement, as stated by the Financial Director this $3,000.00 is for travel expenses to two conferences he attends each year. This expenditure was not mandated by the state only the salary increase that had already been paid. This was approved reluctantly with a one vote margin after at least three commissioners stated they didn't want to approve it but felt they had to.
ITEM 8 $898.00 was approved for the purchase of CTAS Manuals. The suggestion was made that there only be one hard copy kept in the County Executives Office and other offices either use that one or simply use the free copy on the internet. It was agreed by the County Executive to investigate that possibility.
ITEM 9 A request for $30,000.00 to finish the skateboard park was presented and postponed until the next fiscal budget is presented.
ITEM 10 $10,000.00 was requested and approved for the Economic Development Board.
This is supposedly to prepare the county for a "huge" influx of military personnel to be transferred to Redstone Arsenal.
The last time there was a "huge" influx of military at Redstone the number of military families who moved to Giles County could be counted on one finger. With the new administration about to take control in Washington and the many promises made to cut the military budget can anyone really depend on this "huge" influx of families? This $10,000.00 amounts to nothing more than the equivalent of another empty speculation building for the industrial park. Since Mayor Speer has done such an outstanding job recruiting industry to the county what's another ten thousand dollars for him to spend. This is the most absurd expenditure approved this morning.
As was stated in the meeting in response to the direct question, "How much is in the General Fund that is not committed for anything". The answer was approximately four million dollars. When this question was asked twice more and the Financial Management Director was told "I do not believe there is that much uncommitted money in the general fund balance" it was revealed that $2,700,000.00 had to be kept in reserve and could not be used, it became clear that the fund balance is only about a million dollars to operate the county on until July, yet those in charge still can not say no to additional spending. Allen Barrett
ITEM 1 It was agreed that the fifteen members, five county commissioners and ten non-commissioners, of the Planning Commission would be paid $30.00 per meeting retroactive to July 2008. The total would amount to $5,400.00 per year for this committee to hold its twelve meetings each year.
ITEM 2 Was a bookkeeping maneuver where approximately $23,000.00 would be paid to the tax office for the county's share of property tax on the Suntrust/Courthouse Annex Building this money would then be transferred back to the county general fund.
ITEM 3 $4000.00 was approved to remount two older ambulance boxes onto new chassis.
ITEM 4 Thanks to TIMKIN a grant was given to fully fund the purchase of a rescue squad vehicle but another $8,400.00 was approved to match a partial grant from another source to purchase a separate vehicle for the Rescue Squad.
ITEM 5 $125,000.00 was allocated to study the Campbellsville Spring.
ITEM 6 Up to $5,000.00 was allocated to the Highway Department to tear down two buildings at the Agriculture Park.
ITEM 7 $3,000.00 was added to Judge Damrons budget. Last year the state mandated an unfunded raise for him that was taken out of his budget. This three thousand dollars was a replacement, as stated by the Financial Director this $3,000.00 is for travel expenses to two conferences he attends each year. This expenditure was not mandated by the state only the salary increase that had already been paid. This was approved reluctantly with a one vote margin after at least three commissioners stated they didn't want to approve it but felt they had to.
ITEM 8 $898.00 was approved for the purchase of CTAS Manuals. The suggestion was made that there only be one hard copy kept in the County Executives Office and other offices either use that one or simply use the free copy on the internet. It was agreed by the County Executive to investigate that possibility.
ITEM 9 A request for $30,000.00 to finish the skateboard park was presented and postponed until the next fiscal budget is presented.
ITEM 10 $10,000.00 was requested and approved for the Economic Development Board.
This is supposedly to prepare the county for a "huge" influx of military personnel to be transferred to Redstone Arsenal.
The last time there was a "huge" influx of military at Redstone the number of military families who moved to Giles County could be counted on one finger. With the new administration about to take control in Washington and the many promises made to cut the military budget can anyone really depend on this "huge" influx of families? This $10,000.00 amounts to nothing more than the equivalent of another empty speculation building for the industrial park. Since Mayor Speer has done such an outstanding job recruiting industry to the county what's another ten thousand dollars for him to spend. This is the most absurd expenditure approved this morning.
As was stated in the meeting in response to the direct question, "How much is in the General Fund that is not committed for anything". The answer was approximately four million dollars. When this question was asked twice more and the Financial Management Director was told "I do not believe there is that much uncommitted money in the general fund balance" it was revealed that $2,700,000.00 had to be kept in reserve and could not be used, it became clear that the fund balance is only about a million dollars to operate the county on until July, yet those in charge still can not say no to additional spending. Allen Barrett
posted by Allen Barrett | 2:25 PM
39 Comments:
Which finger was held up for item 10?
I want the job studying the spring! Where do you apply?
I have already applied. I have an inside track. I know people in high "low" places that can pull some strings. How about you?
Why waste money on the spring. There was a good solution presented for it with Ice River. Where did that get the county? You have a handful of people who can not be pleased.
Yes, and that "handful" is constantly on this blog doing their best to discredit or ruin someone.
Are you accusing the Cambellsville folks?
129/439 Here we go again - negative, negative, negative.
first debait, den defeat!
With all the rain & yucky weather, I was thinking babblehead & bubblebutt crawled back in their hole or under a rock. We need to warn them to never come out when it's lightening. On the other hand, might be a danger of another flood, a hole full of water, & a few bubbles in memory of the rubblemakers.
4:38 You have just been proven right.
To 6:58 & 10:59 - Great idea! Of course you'll need a degree in Hydrology to be able to figure flow rates, hydro elevations changes pertaing to average flow rates and there is also geology/hydrology interaction. Good luck!
riddler..
Rest assured that I'm watching you guys. Incidentally, I'd much rather be a "rubblemaker" than a troublemaker. Think about it.
My degree trumps wetology - I know why the water flows out of the ground, into the creek, & on down to the Mississippi! It's a ph decree in sourcery.
The problem is you got to move a big rock out of the mouth of the spring and that don't take no genus. A big John or Massey would do the trick. Hey, you could have a tractor pull and charge people to watch.
Is it true that the 125,000 is being taken out of the 250,000 water fund that was supposed to get water to all the people of the county? If it is why the h--- is it being used for this one place specially when the water company offered to fix the spring at their expense. Just another example of how stupid some county officials are.
Yes. True.
When you say Water company, who are you talking about. I know of no Water Company who has offered to "fix" the spring at their own expense. I did read were a company had offer to fix the spring head and build a filtration plant to provide drinking water to the Minor Hill utility company at no charge to the county taxpayers but Dan Speer didn't want the competition so some of the county's head authorities and a few city commissioners nipped that in the bud. Oh and that company WAS NOT Ice River Springs.
Were we "speared" again?
This calls for another thorough investigation by our champions of right and wrong who, by the way, know best.
Right again 4:38.
7:44 How can you say you know of no water company that has offered to fix the spring at their expense then turn right around and say you read about one that offered to fix the spring and build a filtration plant.
You are right about the latter but confusing about the first part.
742 is beginning to learn the only way to find a sane answer is to listen to WAB - Is 742 really learning???
Remember city officals like school board members are VOTED in and out. YOU are the ones who MAKE THE CHOICE of WHO RUNS Giles County! So, look in the mirror and face the music.....YOU MESSED UP!! Run for public office...CHANGE Giles County! ESPECIALLY, IF YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT 'GOOD' PEOPLE GETTING TRASHED ON THE BLOG.
7:42 has learned that you guys love to smear and belittle select individuals. You can't get elected to county offices, so you promote those who have the same views as you, and guess what? That don't get elected either. But you would say that's because people are too stupid to see things your way.
742 you got it all mixed up & tangled in your up-side-down crainyhum. We love what you dew.
Without you & your ineptness, it would be more difficult to convince the public just how corrupt your hero is! We needed a jerk. Keep up the good work. Every election it's like Humpty Dumptism - off the wall they fall. Amidst all that splatter, we can't hep but hear your chatter.
Those who don't realitize what's going on may not be able to know that t and corruptivity rhyme. When they see your lack of tangible fact, we know you're not intact.
The undecided have been desparatalyzing the ozmosis by inert electrons contaminating the protoplazms and photosynthetics to turn pseudointellect into neopseudointellectuality. If that ever happens, no one will be able to find their way home. The correlation is similar to ewe relative to the ram with the scam.
Please, don't bang your head on the wall & turn all that protoplasm into slush. We love & need you and your nonsense!
Howard of 9:14: The question I was asking is "Who is the water company Anonymous of 9:36 was speaking of. What I assumed 9:36 was speaking of was a Water Utility instead of a private developer.
I need someone to explain something to me.
First let me say I had never heard of anyone wanting to take a spring at Minor Hill and give/sell the water to the people until reading this blog and someone said Speer stopped it.
What I want to know is if someone bought this spring at Minor Hill and did whatever it takes to furnish water to the Minor Hill Utility District, how could Speer or anyone else stop it?
Unless they were on the Minor Hill Water District?
Was Speer given credit for something he couldn't do or not?
Just wondering.
The spring in question is the one owned by the county in the Campbellsville area. A private company offered to lease the spring, build a filtration plant and sell water to the Minor Hill Water District and others if available. As part of the agreement they would make repairs to the spring head.
This company was not the Ice River Company that the mayor had pushed previously, but I can't remember their name without going back through my notes.
All public water used in the county goes through the Pulaski Water System except a small amount purchased from Madison County in Alabama. As Mayor and head of the Industrial Development Board Mayor Spear has an unusual amount of power over every development in the county and the water districts. I do not know what involvement the mayor had with the situation at Campbellsville most of his activities are not made public. I hope this helps your understanding about the situation you had questions about. Allen Barrett
Mr. Barrett, thanks for answering my question. I can understand if the county owned it Speer and others could stop it.
I had heard there was a spring near Minor Hill could be used to supply water. That was just a rumor a few years ago.
57:00
Like I said, you guys always have to get the last word. But, in your case, I think it was a laughable mistake.
Who are you talking to?
I just asked a question and got an answer.
Who's making a mountain out of a mole hill?
I didn't say anything bad about anybody!
There was a spring at Minor Hill that was considered. I think there was a quality problem.
7:28 What difference does it make who has the last word. Just be glad of the information we get. Grow up and stop your silly giggling.
Sounds like spear is a county problem, too. County needs to work at getting him replaced
NO TO ALL THESE ITEMS/with the condition that the COMMISSIONERS' do what they were elected to do!
Represent the voters and tax payers of Giles County.
The item of the spring: Get you unknowing self up, make some calls to the State and other counties that have bottled water.
Find out what is requiered by Law to operate one here.
Put local people back to work and and any profit off of sales be designated to a special fund on the extention of water lines into the Northeast quarter of Giles County roads. After they are all completed, put that money into the other water districts untill every road in Giles County has water available and maintained into the furture for expantion.
If the day were to ever come that any profits from sales exist, then and only then it could be put into the General Fund.
But never could be used for any School Funding. Any other funding would require a two/thirds vote by the full commission.
I think it is time for our Commissions to use their head and also develope some back bone.
REPRESENT THE COUNTY AND NOT JUST A FEW OF YOU FRIENDS. That goes double for Mrs. Vanzant in her dealings.
Wow - getting another dose of common sense! Sounds fed up with the master spender whizzling away tax dollars & sobbing for more. thanks
I agree whole heartly with post dated 01-13-2009 @ 11:39AM.
Could not have said it better myself.
Everyone that agrees, call you commissioners and let them hear from you. I don't think they can read or maybe they just don't read the blog.
Oh, they read the blog alright, some several times a day.
I hope they all have backbone enough to say no to any additional spending. If we are not careful our county will be in a bind financialy. If people do not have jobs how can they pay any additional taxes. They will do well to buy groceries and pay taxes on them. We are all faced with higher utility bills. For the welfare of the county the commission should tighten the countys belt on spending.
The county is already in a financial bind, much more unnecessary spending will put us out of business.
Yes, people are hurting and the hurt is going to grow in the form of increases to our electric bills because of the incompetence of TVA's leadership. The democrat congress led by the new president and his corrupt cabinet are about to hurt us more with increased gasoline taxes, income taxes, fees on everything and uncontrolled spending. The irony is people have gotten just what they asked for. Allen Barrett
To answer "Haggards song" the good times are really over & gone. Time for the county to hunker down & live with whatever comes their way without more debt, raids on reserves, or thoughts of tax increases!
What is education all about? How about survive, live with dignity, how to make things work under adversity? Is there comfort in taking more from those with real needs? Are we being to stupid to realize that lust begets fear, frustration, and more lust!? More money isn't it!
There's a pot of money - maybe half full cause some like to splash it around & spill it - a good cook knows how to make more than enough to go around & still have enough left over for someone who may have nothing! It's time for basics & banning BS.
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