What Budget Deadline????

This comes from the WLLX website in Lawrenceburg.

"County Completes Budget Process"
"Lawrence County Commissioners have completed the 2010-2011 budget that is ready for a vote at the commission's September 28th meeting.
The $71.4 million spending package, which includes the school board's $45.3 million budget, is based on the state certified tax rate, $2.7386. The breakdown is as follows: County General Fund, approximately, $1.14; Highway/Public Works, .99; Debt Service Fund, .35; General Purpose School Fund, .24. The budget calls for $528,000 from the General Fund's fund balance, leaving the June 30th, 2011 ending fund balance at $2.9 million".

Wonder how Lawrence County managed to do like almost every other county in the state and not have a budget ready on 31 July 2010 when Giles County was told by it's County Executive that it had to be done on 31 July or else.

On 30 July the County Commission in a special called meeting was told by the County Executive that if the budget wasn't passed that day, the Ambulance Service would cease to operate, the Rescue Squad would not be able to respond to emergencies and that county employees would not get paid. Did someone exaggerate about the deadline or were the commissioners just bullied into a position that would not allow for questions about an inappropriate budget?

Beer Board Actions

The new Beer Board met after the County Legislative Body adjourned on Monday.
Commissioners Jackson and Campbell were named chairman and vice chairman respectively. Other members are Commissioners Howell, Houston, Adams Beech and Cary. Trustee Carol Wade is also a member.
During this meeting the County Attorney announced that she had receive an Attorney General opinion that when the county issued a license to sell beer to Inmam's Store in Campbellsville they should have used the 1000 foot distance instead of the four hundred foot distance thus the permit should not have been issued.
While many at the time tried to prevent this action, even the County Attorney advised that it was not wise to rush into the approval without everything being clear and settled. The County Attorney's advice was ignored and the County Executive along with the help of then Commissioners Jackson, Lovell and Harris approval was given and the beer permit was issued. We now are faced with tow alternatives according to the State Attorney General. ! Modify the Distance yet again. 2. Revoke the beer permit.
Either way the county is once again opened itself to another lawsuit because some consider themselves above the law. When will those whom we have entrusted with leadership positions begin to act responsibly and follow the law?
Allen Barrett

Maintenance of Effort!!!!!!!!!

What is a "Maintenance of Effort" as relates to the budget?
Possibly the simplest way to explain the "maintenance of effort" is to say that a portion of some department’s budget is designated as maintenance of effort and that amount can not be decreased from year to year. Some departments whose budgets fall under the Maintenance of Effort requirements are the School System, the Highway Department and the Library System.
Yesterday in the Legislative Meeting the request was made to transfer $1400.00 from the Lynnville Library to the Giles County Library system. The Lynnville library leaders have decided to unite with the Giles County Library system. This is probably a good deal as there are benefits for each group. The $1400.00 while transferred to the Giles County Library System will not alter the amount of funding to the library at Lynnville only how it is distributed.
The problem is that the $1400.00 instead of simply being transferred from one library to another was made a part of the maintenance of effort and increased that total amount to be funded each year with no flexibility. In a time of diminishing income to the county, decrease in population and tax base one must question the wisdom of this action. It’s this kind of irresponsible commitments that add unnecessarily to the already strained county budget. With the reserves already at an incredible low where will the money come from to meet these new obligations? The answer is where it always comes from the taxpayer, but we are now in a time of high unemployment, the newspaper has full pages of foreclosures, property tax rates exceed most every county in the state, people can’t pay their utility bills, very shortly you’ll have to take out a loan to buy a pack of algore light bulbs. Social Security has no increase but the amount deducted for medical care did increase. While those who are working for the government and many who are the government may not have any trouble with more or new taxes many others can not survive under their burdens now much less with added weights.
On election night you heard a commissioner state on the radio that a property tax increase or a wheel tax would have to be imposed. That unfortunately is the mind set of several commissioners but they have to spend us closer to bankruptcy before they can get the majority of the Commission to go along with them. The effort is already under way. Allen Barrett

Financial Management Committee

I'm posting the Financial Management Committee separate from other committees because there are separate rules for appointment to this committee.

T.C.A 5-21-104 (b)States that "the County Financial Management Committee shall consist of the County Executive, Supervisor of Highways, Superintendent of Education (Director of School)and four members elected by the county legislative body. THESE LATTER FOUR NEED NOT BE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, BUT MAY BE".

The county Legislative Body passed a resolution that requires that the Chairman of the Budget Committee will be one of the four elected by the Commissioners.

The agenda for the Legislative Meeting today stated "County Financial Management Committee: one year terms.
Members are Janet Vanzant, appointed by statute, Tee Jackson, appointed by statute, Barry Hyatt, appointed by statute, Chairman of the Budget Committee by rule of Court,
and three commissioners."

There are three major problems with this procedure two in direct violation of the law.
First: The chairman of the budget committee is placed on the Financial Management Committee by resolution of the Legislative Body not by the court. There is no court that has directed the Legislative Body to include the budget chairman.
Second: The statement that the final members are "three commissioners is not only misleading but in direct opposition to the T.C.A. and prohibited any consideration of anyone other than commissioners from serving on this committee.
Third: No nominations were allowed from the general public thus closing the process and prohibiting the nominations of private citizens.

It's this lackadaisical attitude toward the rule of law by the County Executive that has resulted in so much confusion, misdirection, violations of trust and backward thinking.

Business As Usual Or A New Day?

Committees were assigned for commissioners today in the First Legislative Meeting since the August election. The following committees and their members are as follows, the "C"; "VC"; and "Sec" identifies the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Recording Secretary.

BUDGET:
Commissioners Flacy(C), Jackson, Adams, Reedy(Sec), Howell, Brown, Campbell(VC).

School:
Commissioner Reece(Sec), Pope(C), Carpenter(VC) Beech, Pollard, Faulkner, Harwell.

Highway:
Commissioners Cary(Sec), Pope(C), Risner(VC), Woodard, Pollard, Faulkner, Harwell.

Law Enforcement:
Commissioners Reece, Wilburn, Risner(VC), Beech, Holt(SEC), Brown, Campbell(C)

Public Service:
Commissioners Reece(C), Pope, Adams, Woodard, Howell(VC) Houston(SEC), Coleman

Enviromental:
Commissioners Cary, Wilburn(VC), Adams, Reedy, Holt, Faulkner(SEC), Campbell(C)

Ambulance/Rescue:
Commissioners Flacy(C), Jackson(VC), Carpenter, Woodard, Pollard, Brown(SEC), Coleman

Legislative:
Commissioners Reece(Sec), Wilburn, Carpenter, Beech, Howell(VC), Faulkner(C), Coleman

Building:
Commissioners Cary, Jackson(C), Risner, Beech(SEC), Pollard(VC), Houston, Harwell

Insurance:
Commissioners Cary(C), Jackson, Adams, Reedy, Holt(VC), Houston, Coleman(SEC)

Adult Orientation Board:
Commissioners Coleman, Flacy, Reedy, Wilburn and Private Citizen William Suddarth

Beer Board:
Commissioners Jackson(C), Howell, Adams, Houston, Campbell, Cary, Beech

Ethics:
Commissioners Flacy, Woodard, Holt, Harwell, and Trustee Joann Townsend

Each of these committees were presented in such a way that there could be no question that they were made up in private, in violation of County Policy and the State Open Meetings law.