Budget & Finance Committee - Regular Meeting

Okay, it is 5:01. I'm open the meeting. It's November the 6 at 5:' and like y'all UT lady said, it's a gorgeous afternoon out there. I hope everybody's been out to see the trees. Uh the road's been taken. If you've not signed in, make sure you sign up the signup sheet. Uh before we approve the agenda, I just want to add to the budget amendments 6B, which is rural capital projects. And other than that, unless anybody else has any additions or things for the take a motion to approve the agenda, I would like to Okay, I handed them all out.

Should be two, three extra. No, just Okay. Okay. Roger, go ahead. I would like to add sometime in the future for us to discuss the you know, we gave the 5% pay raise in this year's budget and then the increase that insurance had on the employees

took a lot of that 5% away. If if my memory serves right, in July or June when we were passing the budget, I made a comment that we come back sometime this time of year, January, December, to look at maybe doing something to ease that insurance levy part of it on the employee where the pay raise that we gave them justifies the pay raise. Okay. You want put that on? If we put it on December's and we do something with it, it can go to the full commission in January.

I would like to visit it sometime because that is the promise that we made. So in December put on their insurance, employee insurance. Yes. Okay. So that'll be on the December docket. That'll be perfectly fine. I just think that we need to revisit that to to uh Yes. to justify the 5%. Okay. All right. With that being said, I take a motion to approve the agenda. Second, second by Miss Dao. Any more additions or subtractions? All those in favor by I. Sorry. Comments?

No public comments. So, that's there. Okay. Uh, you've seen the minutes of the previous minutes of the last meeting which was in September. Uh, if there's no additions or deletions. Make a motion to or take a motion to approve the minutes. Make a motion. Motion by Roger. Second. Second by Miss Jones. All those in favor by I guess approval stamp right in front of me. Thank you, sir.

Okay. All right, Miss Marian, we'll start with you. They go to the mayor's office, but that we used to get that's one thing I would like to ask is if they could be sent out in an email to us by the day. Okay. Yes. All right. I will get see if we can start doing that minutes to be sent out that weekly.

Okay. I have a pass. The first one is capital project. [clears throat and cough] What this is is same thing. We've got projects that were approved last year and not started to this year. So, I'm just trying to keep the money in line so we know where we are, not the double budget. Um, the only thing new on there is 321 engineering services because we would like to get [snorts] approval to go ahead [clears throat] and have Scott St. John look at getting the specs done for the justice center and library group. So that way we can pay their fees.

Okay. So I put 15,000. I don't know what that's going to be yet, but I wanted to go ahead and get something in there. Okay. So that's for Scott to study the the roof on the justice center. Okay. And then fix the teleoma library. Finally the rest of them. Yes. Because it's it's terrible. It's been going on for 20 years, too. I don't know if you want me to talk about funding right now. Roger already asked about it. Okay.

I put a plan in place on January to get $30 million to do both of those. Um, and I'm looking at going ahead and getting the paperwork together to present to the state for a capital outlay. and or getting permission to use some of the fund balance I talked about before so that way we can avoid okay so I don't know if we need a formal approval when I get everything obviously I'll bring it back but I am working on that so that we can get those project started when the spring gets here

okay because right now if you look at our fund balance amendment down to 56. So, we don't need to do anything new. That's the capital projects fund. Yes. Until we can it knows we've been talking about a while. Yes. So, the 15,000 could cover the engineering study from Scott and we know where we stand. I have a little bit still left in that line. I just 15 to it. Okay. [clears throat and cough] I'm not sure yet.

So, it's not a study. They studied everything. This is actually for Oh, sorry. We already have the studies done. So, Scott would do the design stage of Library and the Justice Center, right? Okay. And the library one is a little bit different. They'll be coming up with specs and putting it out because they're changing it structurally. They'll be in charge of it. Okay. And then the justice center will get a roof like this building has got a little bit different where we're using co-op.

So we'll be they'll just be kind of overseeing like they did this. Yes. I'm sure. Okay, Scott will be looking at all the specs, overseeing all specs, making sure that the specifications are met overseeing, you know, the paying of pay any design changes or anything that comes up during it. They over just like he ran this building. Okay. And you're happy with this building? Yeah. Okay. Good. All right. Yes. That's the fees. Yes. [laughter]

Yeah. I I want to make a comment real quick since we, you know, we we started this uh with Landon Library, of course, we've had to help her several times already uh do repairs in it, but just since we started and got the uh through Capital Out and got um Scott involved in it, the material just because of tariffs have already gone up around 25,000. So, we're just us sitting here doing nothing. We've lost $25,000. And I'm I'm so tired of losing taxpayers money because we just want to kick a can down the road. And it's got to stop at some point. So, destroying the building, huh? It's destroying the building.

Yeah. And and it's not just the roof on the building. It has to have the there's site work around it for drainage has to be done. And we're addressing every bit of that in this um number that we're talking about. So, okay. Um, and the interior, right? I mean, and the interior, correct? Because carpet was ruined. We are replacing carpet so often, it's like almost changing your oil right now. So, yeah. So, I just wanted to say that. Okay. And you said January you'd have I'd like to have it all done and ready for the January [snorts] commission meeting. Okay. So, in the December meeting, that'll be on there, too,

hopefully. Okay. Do you want to do this one by itself or you want to run all three of them? Okay. Any more questions on that one? 171. Okay. The next one is 10126. The first one is a transfer from the reappraisal program and property assessor. Alyssa is here. if you have any questions. She's just moving from her reappraisal down here. It's just transfer. Okay. And then number two, this is what Jenny Anthony and Judge Lockart were here about a while back about that.

We will receive $7,140, a little more than we thought. And then of course we have to match that. So the second part where it says number two, miscellaneous 399 other contracted services. That's 14,280 because it's double. Okay. That was that thing that goes on their body to know if you're not in jail. Okay. And that saves us money. Technically, we're saving money. You're spending money, but you're saving money, right? Okay.

I put in the miscellaneous account because [snorts] it be her budget or the judge's budget. The next thing uh number three other public safety there's one person that received the COC educational incentive and that was not budgeted in the original budget. So that's $1,000. It's just a transfer from medical insurance down to educational. And then the last one other administration of justice one person move from one department to another one and this wasn't included in the administrative administration of justice budget the longevity pay which is scheduled to be paid 14 that's

so everybody's getting the no the longevity pay in November 14th the commissioners that got their training $600. Yes.

So, I do have to take a little bit from unsigned fund balance $8,675. It's still a little early to see how the last page ambulance fund they are wanting to buy an ambulance. They have part of their money is still over in capital projects. That's probably budgeted 109,000. original million we gave him like five years ago. And then the balance is where it says $25,523 because right now it looks like a brand new ambulance with all the equipment is $325,000.

Gosh, I know it's hard. We've been trying to buy this for a long time. A long time. Could have bought bought it a long time ago. Sure. Chevrolet. Ford. Yeah, we've had Fords. We've had Fords, but the Chevrolet is probably Yeah. Durax. So, we tried to remount this, but this one is Yeah, it's new box and everything. It's not being re remounted because the box is worn out. Yeah, the box is worn out. I think it goes through two ambulances and they're just torn all the pieces. They Well, you can remount them for x amount of years after so many years.

But wear and tear, they just break apart. They're just worn out. So, you're buying a whole brand new and that box can be used to the next chassis to go. Okay. Insurance recovery. That was actually last year's revenue that got carried over. That is all of that. [cough]

and I sent that to you in an email. It's 273, but we had 90 budgeted. We have I think I was a bit confused.

Yeah. And it's it's a oil and antifreeze collection facility. mandated by the state of Tennessee. And we're going to use that land in behind the building next to the rescue squad to go ahead and further build a recycling center and have it available. And that that's the the finishing of the fence and building the pads and all that to move the recycling or build a second recycling center there. And that would be number four. 171 2026.

All right. Because we still have 77,6787 left 90 which was from last year. Okay. So I think you told me 163 I think with the 90. So it would be if you have 77 it's going to be um 263 right at 180 right at 19 maybe 185. I'll have to get with you tomorrow with him. Okay.

Make sure that's right. But that will do that over there and have that recycling center. And one thing that I I foresee is when the tire day is open, the recycling facility will be open plus the oil reclamation and the antifreeze reclamation will be done over there. And that way people are not pouring it out [snorts] on the land. Uh because the antifreeze is poison and the oil for sure is poison and that way it can be dealt with and either recycled or destroyed. So, and then if we can get more people recycling, that will save on real solid waste by the tonnage. So, if we get people interested in that. So, there's going to be two locations. One behind

Re and this one over here. This one over here is only open on Saturdays and Wednesday afternoons. So, where that one I foresee this is Tim. Now, I foresee that every time they come to work over there, which is Monday through Friday at six o'clock, you can open the gates and if people behave, it could be left that way. Now, if they don't behave, then it may have to be curtailed down to where you have attendance over there. But if people if it's open, even the people from Manchester could use it. Uh to me, it shouldn't make any difference because it's saving this community everybody here. Plus the cardboard and the everything else can be sold uh for revenue. Uh so it it it could be a revenue generating. I mean, it's not going to break. It's not gonna save everybody, but the more we keep out, it cost about $80 a ton for us to throw our garbage away. And everything that we save saves us money. It's us. We pay for all that. People in Manchester do, people do, and we do. And if we could curtail half of it, I sit around at home and just think about crazy things. But if people threw their coffee grounds every day instead of putting them in the garbage, that's a pain. If 2,000 households didn't throw their coffee grounds out, if they laid them on the ground someplace, that's $80.

And I know there's more than 2,000 households that drink coffee. I do. But it I put mine on a garden. I put mine in my garden. Yeah. Yeah. Mine go in the garden. My grandmother used to put them on her snowball bush. Yeah.

Now, if you live in a if you live on the golf course, understand you can't do that. And please, by far, do not flush these things down the toilet if you have a septic tank because it will stop them up. So, there's ways that you can do that. I mean, I live on a farm. We chunk them on the garden, but I know that there are people who can't, but you just sit around and think about things, banana peels and things like that that can break down within a day or two and they're gone. They have weight. Uh they have moisture in them. Uh, if you have a 2 liter bottle or if you have any kind of bottle right now, pour it out before you throw it away. I mean, the garbage in my buses, the kids throw half bottles of Coke away. That's weight,

liquid weight. We have to pay for that. Nobody's judging it on water. They just judge it on weight. So, if you could cut, you know, if you cut a ton a day times five, that's $400 a week, right? It it adds up and it's it's a choice. I mean, you can't make people do it. It's just a choice. People choose or not. And

I'm sort of nutty about it because Middle Point Landfill is going to be full in two years. Ratherford County is in a huge lawsuit right now because of the PIFFA plastics that are getting into the Stones River. The smell those poor people have down there. There will be a dump somewhere and I'll fight tooth and nail to keep one out of Coffee County, but we have garbage that goes someplace and don't want it here. So that's why I'll be quiet. Real solid waste. [laughter] But that location is for antifreeze and oil and things like that, not for household garbage.

No, it won't be for household garbage. It's set up for oil and and antifreeze on Thursdays. Yeah. And if we can buy more containers, cardboard containers especially, because you can make money with cardboard by the ton if it's clean, you can turn a revenue on cardboard. Manchester can rule people can. It's worth money uh a whole lot more than paper is. But cardboard with Amazon, the cardboard market has just gone nuts. And in fact, I think out at the tipping station, they have guys that sort that stuff in their first cardboard. They pull it pull it and they pull pallets. So they're charging you, but they're making [clears throat] a revenue stream over here off that waste, which is smart. That's a business. That's a business plan.

I'm charging you by the ton, but I'm selling part of it this way. So, wow. That's how you make money, I reckon. Wow. [laughter] Okay. So, we have four budget amendments. Entertain a motion. Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am.

Good. Good.

I was starting to work with uh She does that. [clears throat] Oh, she does it all the time. The place down in they do that. They buy our cardboard. They buy our paper. They buy our metal. The liability of glass is so high because people love to chunk glass and watch it break. If a person recycling glass, you've never heard them throw it back there. Okay. Yeah. Okay.

Yes. And if we had a way like that way to keep people from being injured from it, I would love to set one of those in each convenience center, especially if they would take multiple color glass, but it's going to have to be a container somehow to where the person cannot get hurt because real solid waste has been even sued over a commode man throwing that in a dumpster and it broke and it blew back on him and he got hurt. So things that you never think about could happen that would cost county people money can happen.

It's organic. Mhm. A coffee. Coffee grounds. Yeah. I had no clue. I want to start. My daughter's going to help me. I'm gonna start doing a Tik Tok for Coffee County. I I want to do a Tik Tok. So, Tik Tok famous. Mhm. So, have a big Tim. I don't want to get Tik Tok famous. I just want to say the people of coffee. I just I want to save people money. It's It's their money. It's a choice. It's your money. You can choose to throw it in the dump or you can choose to do whatever.

Great. Nobody wants it in their back door. Right. I went with Dana two years ago down there at night and I thought it was an apartment building that was on fire, but it was the methane burners. They look like two dinosaurs fighting. I I'd never seen that before, but they have huge towers that pull the methane off of that dump. And it's burnt. It's combustible. Uh I I mean, we have our little fire out here, but this fire out here is injected with propane. There's not enough methane coming off of it uh to do it like that one down there. So, it's got to go someplace. So, all right. Four budget amendments and I'll be quiet.

Entertain a motion for all four of them. I'll make a motion. Okay. Motion by Tim, second by Tim. Any discussion? All those in favor by I. Okay. I I All right. Miss Marian, that's all I have. Okay. Well, next meeting will be All right. Let's do do December and y'all pick a date because if we get into the end of December Christmas. Yeah. And people will be gone. Would y'all want to do it like the week of the 18th? After ours, Terry. Huh? After our meeting on on the on the 4th.

We're at the six right now. I don't foresee us needing a meeting the week of Thanksgiving. Do you, Mariana? No. Okay. So, if we pushed it in and saved money and did it like the week of the 11th or the 18th of December, that's a Thursday. What about What about the uh right after our meeting capital outlay meeting on the Okay, they have December 4th. You already got three people will already be here. Just a thought. I'm good with that. if December the 4th and that way kind of clears everybody up to do whatever vacation they're doing because two weeks. What time is we'll do the insurance? Employee insurance. Yeah.

All right. We'll be at five. Employee insurance will be one of the things on the agenda. The school board will probably have some budget amendments and Marian will have budget amendments. So, this going to be December the 4th, okay, at 5:00. And that way anything we do can go on the January docket for the January meeting. Okay. Are you okay with that? Everybody good? Yeah. And check with you. All right. Most important person. I may have to we may have to have a meeting in January before the commission meeting. I get all the paperwork together.

Yeah. Okay. What do you want to just push it to and not have the December meeting? That's fine. I'm okay with that. I mean, I know I won't have it. Okay. Push it to So, it's it's the second Tuesday. It is the second Tuesday of every month, right? The command. Okay. [snorts] So, the second Tuesday would be the 13th. So, we could do January the 8th, which is a Thursday. Is that okay? Okay. January the 8th. scratch December the 4th. We'll just not have a meeting. That saves money. January the 8th, five o'clock. We're going to have to do ours, too, on that budget and finance. Okay.

That's January the 1st. And we ain't come be here on January 1st. So, what time did you say you want to have yours? January the 8th at 5:00. Yeah. You'll be right after Capella. So, that be that'll work for you, too. Good with that because we're not going to have one on first. So, not December 4th. Okay. Any more discussions? Anything else? We just check. No, sir. January the 8th. Entertain a motion to adjurnn. Then if y'all were all said and done, second. We out. All right.

You're legislator right there. I'm turn off start. And then End. Start. End.