County Commission - Regular Meeting

like to call to order the county commission meeting for March 16th. Commissioner Mane, you lead us in prayer. Let us pray. Thank you for this beautiful day. Thank you for everyone that's able to come out tonight. Be with our servicemen and women. be with our loved ones and families as we're away. Be with each and every one of us as we go back home tonight. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. Everyone stand for the pledge. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Madam clerk, call roll, please. Yes, sir.

Mr. Champions here. Mr. Ledger here. Mr. Mane here. Mr. Batty here. Mr. Dawson here. Micer here. Mr. Buckner here. Mr. Britt here. Mr. Penny here. Mr. Williams. Mr. Grove good to see you all here tonight. First order of business is approval of the February 17th regular session minutes. Open the floor for motion. Motion by Commissioner Petty, second by Commissioner Buckner. Any questions or discussion? Hearing none. All in favor vote by stating I

opposed. Thank you. Item number two, public comments. Any public comments signed up for tonight? Seeing none, next items committee reports. Understand we have a new ad committee chairman, Commissioner Mawne. Miss Alison brought us our sponsor. She brought us our pamphlet here tonight. The 4 kids, the students throughout the county just been doing a lot. We got good leadership there. Anything to add, Miss Allison? Just to invite everybody to our open house on March the 24th, next week from 4 to 6.

Thank you. All right. Thank y'all. Thank you. Any other committees to report? Hearing none. Next item of business is the appointments. Uh we brought before you last time Miss Terry Malone our economic development uh as her bringing her to have her as director and that way we combine the department of economic development and tourism. Open the floor for a motion. Motion by Commissioner Ledger, second by Commissioner Moline. Any questions or discussion? Miss Malone is in the back there tonight and she even waved. So hearing none. All in favor all in favor of vote with stating I

opposed. Thank you. Number next item resolution financial quarter report all funds except schools. Mr. Hall, I don't have any new business to discuss on the quarter of the reports unless you have something to bring up. Any question, Mr. Hall? Open the floor for a motion. Motion by Commissioner Gray, second by Commissioner Spicer. Any questions or discussion? Hearing none. All in favor of vote by stating I. Opposed. Thank you. Thank you. Item number two is amendments. All funds except schools. Mr. Hall.

Okay. The only new amendment that I sent you out last week was on the 171 capital general capital projects funds. Um I sent that out to you Thursday or Friday. Uh you had three other funds. general fund highway and capital uh uh excuse me industrial park fund 172. You had some items on that. The only thing I sent out that was new is the general capital projects fund 171 and that had $500,000 other grants. I thought that was worthy to go ahead and send out. It's a grant that I think Miss Malone mayor am I right or wrong? She got that. Thank you Terry or Miss Malone. uh for historic courthouse interior and that's a lot of money we've already spent of our own money but that coming back in kind of replenishes that fund to help with other capital projects. So that's that's good work on her her behalf right there. But that right there I thought was going we'd go ahead and get that in there so you guys could see that. So that's the only change I have right there. But that I need that amendment also approved tonight.

Any questions for Mr. Hall? Open the floor for a motion. Motion by Commissioner Petty, second by Commissioner Batty. Any questions or discuss discussion? Hearing none. All in favor stating I oppose. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Hall. Thank you. Item number three is Homeland Security Grant for $16,339.30. Mr. Fiser.

Yes. This is the Homeland Security Grant that we brought before you last meeting. Uh this is a um 100% reimbursement uh from Homeland Security. We purchase the equipment, send in the invoices, and they reimburse us for those cost. Um this one, like I uh described last time, it's pretty tight on what we could uh purchase with it. So, we're replacing uh an older UTV with a newer one for our search and rescue teams. Any questions for Mr. Fischer? We'll open the floor for a motion. Motion by Commissioner Spicer, second by Commissioner Britt. Any questions or discussion hearing? None. All in favor vote by stating I.

Opposed. Thank you. Item number four, state fire marshall's office grant for $11,130. Mr. Fischer, uh, this is the same type of grant that we get from the state fire marshall's office. It's a 100% reimbursement grant. Uh, we're using that to purchase uh, some outdated turnout gear. Wound up buying about three sets. U, same thing. and we purchase the gear, submit the invoices, and then they reimburse the county.

Any questions for Mr. Fiser? Open the floor for a motion. Motion by Commissioner Williams, second by Commissioner Mane. Any questions or discussion? Hearing none. All in favor with stating I opposed. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Fischer. Item number five, H age debt for solid waste. This was to put in a policy on how that could be done where the solid waste department could uh charge off debt through the electric department at the end of its term. Uh Mr. Reagan can give us a little bit of overview of that.

Yeah. So, the uh hopefully you've had a chance to take a look at it before tonight, but we're uh in effect we're tracking what the state requires of governmental entities in terms of not continuing to hold counts accounts on the books um after a certain period of time. And so we have created a policy to conform to that requirement that is going to um for the ones that that are of a certain age that are supposed to be taken off the books. This is going to give the solid waste uh chairperson over there the ability to do that and to clean that up. But it does carve out that if it is one that is that has not been actively uh collections not actively been sought for it or if there's real property there that the person who owes it owns then it's not to come off the list and it'll stay there. And so in a nutshell that's it. You could get down into the weeds about u some of these different statutes or rules but basically that's what this does. Any questions for Mr. Reagan? Hearing none, open the floor for a motion. Motion by Commissioner Petty, second by Commissioner Williams. Any questions or discussion? Hearing none. All in favor with stating I.

Opposed. Thank you. Mr. Reagan had to remind me what I did last month. That's that's on the reszoning request. These are the first one. Number six, the reasoning request for Trent Smith is Jefferson tax 109 partial 032.0 2.2 acres road Dixon Tennessee A1 agriculture to R3 residential second district. This is the one that we had a public hearing on last month. Open the floor for a motion. Motion by Commissioner Ledger,

second by Commissioner Simpkins. Any questions or discussion?

Thank you. Hear any other questions, discussion?

Thank you. I do have a motion second. Not any other questions. All in favor vote by stating I opposed. Thank you. Item number seven, resone request for raw call in Anesta tax map 136 partial 028.18 19,400 ft 2652 highway 46 South Dixon Tennessee A1 agriculture to C2 commercial 7th district before motion. Motion by Commissioner Buckner. I have a second. Second by Commissioner Spicer. Any questions or discussion hearing? None. All in favor vote is saying I.

Opposed. Thank you. Item number six, other business. The first two things I have on that is uh the what used to be called the CTO253. Now it's got a simple name called debt obligation report. That's the notification of the two borrowings you approved that we have gone through that the $850,000 for the fire and EMS equipment and the $775,000 on loan purchase. So those have been done and that's just uh to be there to point to y'all that it has been done other under other business school presentation school representative.

Thank you mayor county commissioners our chairman of the boardn regrets she had a work meeting the night that held her up. So I got invited to present to you following up from our December presentation. U I spend about I think 21 minutes was official time going over about two hour worth of uh information on how we came about this resolution we presented for you during the work session. Uh the school board has really worked hard on making sure that what we present is what our schools are knitting at this point in time largely by some updating of older facilities. uh remind you that we talked about uh the middle school was our approaches as our high schools. Um one of them 20 years old, 25 years old and the other we've done extensive work on. Little roof to finish up over there. Elementary is all in pretty good shape at this point in time. With our student population not really growing over the past few years, uh adding a new school didn't seem to be a focal point for us at that point, but getting our middle schools, which we determined would uh likely need to survive many more years in their location was a big focus. So with that, you were presented a resolution of a total of $47 million. 30 million from county funding and 17 million from school reserves to put towards extension projects on the middle school remodels uh mostly in the uh Charlotte Middle School area. Um secondly would be the Dixon Middle School and then the roof at White Bluff or William James Middle School along with a completing a roof at Dixon High School. transportation expansion or a new building for transportation that's been well updated. Um where the buses inside the garage with the door shut, it's hard to walk around the buses to even get the work done on those. Uh we felt that was neat this point in time, too. So, all that's included in a $47 million resolution that I present for you officially tonight and ask for your approval.

Any questions for Mr. Haley? there. I can't I can't hear what you say. Okay. Do you mind hitting it again there and we'll get you right to the microphone? Okay.

I can certainly start over or I can address any part there for you. Any questions? Nobody gonna say nothing. I guess I'll start. You know, you going go ahead. No,

I just wanted to make a comment. Um I know there were comments made last meeting about um not getting any reports or follow-ups on things that have been done in the past. And I have seen those follow-ups and I have gotten those reports and and the school board has worked very hard on getting all those repairs done that they had set out to do for the 15 million. Um I know these schools need these maintenance repairs done in a desperate way. Um they're not safe. We need to make our students safe, our faculty safe. We have families that are looking at Dixon County to move here. the first thing they're going to do is look at our schools. Um because that's what you do when you have a family and you have children that are a school age. We need to make sure that they are updated. We don't have any new schools we need to build right now. The county is in a good position for it. Um it wouldn't be a blank check. It would be as needed like a construction loan like Banker Bob mentioned in our first meeting. Um, I I just I don't I have not heard anything that would prevent me from voting for this. I I think this is something needed and it's been in the works in the planning for a long time and um I want to thank you for working very hard on this.

Thank you for your comments and I hope we've looked out for the taxpayers money in the process. That's been all six of us are taxpayers and have the same intention too. So, thank you.

Any other questions, comments? Yeah, to follow up on Cindy, you know, I I do appreciate we did send this back to y'all about three and a half years ago telling you that we wanted a long-term plan and y'all have come back like Commissioner Williams said with a long-term plan. My my one issue with it is maxing out the county's baring capability. I don't believe that we can max it out. just to max it out. We settle the next county commission with if something happens or disaster, another project comes up that we don't have to raise taxes and put that on the next mayor and county commission. I've never been one about maxing something out. And I've talked to Steve and I appreciate you this week. I've talked to some people at school board. I've talked to the mayor a lot, some other commissioners with the two to 3% growth that y'all seen over the last few years and what we're projecting to do. I mean, Steve, wouldn't you say that you're going to print another 12 to 15 million dollars back in your fund balance next year? Correct.

Ain't that what you think? No, I I think that we're probably looking if it stays on track with the past years, it'd be more in the four million range per year. After you wait a year or two to look at that, it turns into 12 when you don't put it out on projects. So, it's probably 4 million. And um I think even some projections this year may be a little bit less. I'd probably defer to Miss Valerie on that, but four million is more of a safe number. Well, y'all been growing a lot more the last few years, haven't they, Mayor?

I'd have to look tell you on average what it's been. So, again, we we go back into that issue where we allow them to go into a negative into their phone balance to operate, but they make it back up whenever because again, that number is somewhat artificial because it's based on thee versus true number. So, we've been hitting it almost on the nose where they're back made whole again. Now, there's not a lot of excess, but u there there is some excess, but I I would have to go through those numbers again, give you a good answer, commissioner.

So, I I do believe that like the mayor said, the school in Charlotte needs to be on a long-term plan. That's what we need to borrow money for, and I agree with that. Um y'all got 17 million. I think that's the cosmetic in the roof is that the mayor was talking about. So, I just not from completely maxing oursel out and completely tying the may next mayor's hands in the next mayor. Um, and we've talked about it, Steve.

I mean, I don't think it's good business. I don't think it's good government when this could be a two to threeyear project. I believe I don't believe it's nothing going to happen in a year. So, I I'm prepared tonight to make a motion to support for all the list of projects provided by the school board with the board to come back to us with a short-term project cost and be funded from the schools balance and for the mayor to proceed in taking the lend talking to the lender to bring back to us to borrow $25 million to fund a long-term project for schools. And that's what I'm prepared to make a motion for tonight. Was

proper motion by Commissioner Grove. Is there a second? Second by Commissioner Moline. Let's continue the discussion if there is any any other discussion or questions. Commissioner Simpkin,

I just got I just want to know how you feel about that if dropping that to 25. I think with what we're understanding, I believe I understand the motion Commissioner Grove has made is that um again I'll try to give the short answer but yet the short answer yes I am comfortable with that with the understanding that the money the county borrows needs to be done on on a project that is long-term that has a life and ex that exceeds the life of the loan which on this borrowing would have to be 20 million dollars. Commissioner Grove is correct also that u if this comes back or are there other projects that uh were mentioned such as a bus garage if that's the will of the school board and the commission that that would be a something eligible to borrow because it would have a 20-year life. But I think anything less than that uh with just simple repairs and things of that type need to come out of the school's fund balance that would not have a 20-year life. So yes, I am comfortable with that because we're not binding the commission on anything tonight. What we're I think with this motion, if I understood it correctly, is that we're sending the school back on the list of work they've done and said telling them to go and start doing specific planning where we can get what true cost is on that school in particular, which I know will take a little bit more time along with the money that they need. I want to call it the 17 million to do shorter term repairs that might not require as much study and effort as doing a construction plan. So the short answer back is yes. I'm comfortable with that motion.

How long the plan do you think this whole thing is? I asked that last month and I don't know is this a two threeyear project

and I I heard your questions and and my personal reply. I would hope it wouldn't take two or three years. Um, getting the funding and the understanding of the funding is always a challenge. Spending the money on plans as we did a few years ago that that never turn into a productive project um is a concern of mine and yours and the rest of the schoolboard members. So, we limit what we put in for the upfront mostly with our design team getting information. Um, I've talked with them earlier and if you're talking about final build plans where you have the fire marshall involved, you have every bit of the plans involved, I would venture to guess you're probably in the 5 to six month range getting that kind of detail. But from a preliminary type plan that would be uh renderings, drawings, showing good budget estimates and all that. I would hope that I could commit them to a 90 to 120day window to get that information at at the most. They they probably aren't going to look at me kindly when I say that, but I think it can be done. Um the other projects, and I I agree with the mayor, I agree with Mr. Grove that when we put this together, we ran into situation several years ago uh with the commissioners looking at the fact that we had a reserve fund when we knew it needed to be spent towards projects, but you really can't spend it towards projects without knowing there's a plan or approval for some longer range things that would need to be done, too. So, tying those together was important to us this time. So, I while I don't disagree with that approach, I I do think the 25 million is going to be a push to make that work because I think the the bus garage is needed. Um I'm hoping the school will come in um in that range. U it could be a little higher, it could be a little lower. Hopefully, it would be a

little lower. It depends on a lot of factors on the final design, but it's going to be a close number at that. Um, also reiterate that that our reserve money is made up of of revenues, mostly sales tax, that we don't budget the beginning of the year as revenues to be conservative, to avoid having to be a tax burden on the community to come back short to raise taxes for schools. It the operation budget is held at bay by thee, which I agree with that budgeting process. It creates the image that there's a lot of money sitting out there that is just excess money when in fact it's from lack of doing those projects. And if we're going to split it up, I think that the school board would likely come back with an amendment to our reserve money. But it would it would probably be more than 17 million because there are annual expenses to tie with that. Some expenses for buses, some uh computers and things like that that we have alluded to the last six months. And I would like to see you see all that at one time. So it would probably be more than just a $17 return, 17 million return. And I would don't want to quote a number that would stick, but it might be more in the 1920 million range to get those projects done along with those expenses.

Range to have in ready day. Correct. And interesting comment is the comfortable range. I think that my comfortable range, I've always held to uh in talks with some of you and the mayor that uh I like the 18 maybe a 17 million range. I think the state tells us that um we have to have you know 3 to5 million depending on what percentage they use. Um I I think the leadership from the county I've always been told was 12 to 14 million. And if you'll ask the finance director, Miss Bowie, she prefers 100 million at most times to make life a little bit easier. But we all have a different range. But I think the anywhere from the 16 to 18 is a very comfortable range.

Wellin come back with 20 million ys. We're still well within that comfortable range is what I'm saying.

It'd be up the board to make that decision, but it'd be in mind. I can speak for me and I I think um with a little time she'd be okay with it, too. I think we're going to be in the 45 to 47 million range. That was a very a very tight number to begin with and we left some projects off. We prioritized we stayed mostly just on middle school finish the high school and our goal with that is to keep this body whoever it is and whether it's 3 years from now 10 years from now having to come back and having jobs that were halfway done. It it doesn't do us any good to add classrooms to a 70-y old building if we don't take care of mechanical roof and bring that building up to speed at one time. We have security uh requirements that when we do that type of remodel now, we must do certain security features that are required that have to be done that need to be done. But um bringing those buildings up to speed as we go is the best long range plan for me as a taxpayer, you or whoever is going to be the next commissioners to deal with. And we've we've done all this with that in mind, hoping to avoid creating a burden down the road. Is it to say that we won't need anything in the next 3 to 5 years? Uh I know you asked me that question. You know, can you tell me you won't need as a new building or any new building in a certain time frame? This board is not looked at it in time like past boards and like past commissions. When we talk about looking at what time we're going to need something, it's really based more and we've studied it more from a number standpoint. If our student population remains the same, then we'll have the opportunity to create better facilities for our kids. If the population were to take off like we see in surrounding communities, that dictates the space we have to have, then I might be back next year asking you for

a new building. I don't see that in the Dixon County growth numbers myself. One thing we also have to consider as a school board, while our population might be hovering in the 7,700 range, uh there's 2,000 plus children that live in our community that aren't part of the public school system, whether they're in private school, whether in homeschool. And and I think that number I shared might be even a little bit on the low side. It's it's a conservative number. We have to have space for anyone that wants to go to our public schools. We can't say no, you chose to homeschool the last 5 years, you can't come. We have to leave a little bit of buffer zone to accept that. And those numbers change daily. They do come back into our system. Some come and some go. Depends on what the u trend is in the community. Right now, the trend is vouchers. And as long as that goes on, there'll be some fluctuation in numbers. Uh at some point in time, there may not be a place for some of those to go or they may want to come back. We as a school board and you as a commission have to think that we have to have space for our community whether they're going there or not and be prepared for that potential ever so slight influx that might change that. So it's more numbers based than it is a time based.

Any other questions for Mr. Haley? Question for Mr. So I'm trying to understand this motion. So tonight, is this just sending this back to the school board, asking them to reo the resolution and bring another resolution back with these projects, or are we turning them loose, the 17 million to start the process? I I guess I'm just trying to clarify that.

Yeah. And and uh Commissioner Grove can correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I understand it is it's simply saying that the commission, if you vote in favor of this, that you support the list of projects that they've provided you. That's kind of a starting point of we're in support of the projects that you have provided and we're comfortable with the range of numbers that we hear talked about right now, but what needs to happen is there needs to be an identification of short-term projects that can be funded by the school board's fund balance. And so they come back to you, it may be next month. They come back to you and say, "Here are eight projects, eight eight things we want to fund from that come from that list that we want to fund from the school's fund balance." At that point, then you'd have to approve an amendment to the school's budget to appropriate those funds from the school's fund balance. And so that funding would then be there automatically. The second part of that motion that Commissioner Grove made was to have the mayor go ahead and start talking to the lender about borrowing the $25 million. That takes some time to work through the lender and get rate information, but at some point uh that funding is not approved at this point. the lender will have its own form of resolution just like you've seen with all the other borrowings that would come back to this body and at that time you would vote to approve uh that resolution that would then put the funding in place but the schools would still have to come and present the long-term projects at that point and it may all be happening at the same time but they're going to have to be presenting the long-term project and what the cost is and hopefully between now and then, some of those cost estimates can be firmed up so

that when schools come back and say, "Okay, we want a further budget amendment to appropriate additional monies to cover these long-term projects." That additional appropriation will be coming from the draw on the loan.

Let make it clear. I do think that we want this wrapped up before the before August, September. You know what I mean? I think that us, our body and your body wants to get this took care of in the next few months quick as we can possibly get it took care of. Madam Speaker, mayor. Sure.

So in response to Mr. Reagan, that's the way I understand it and I think this way that I understood even your motion, but I would, as he stated, I would expect the amendment aspect of it hopefully to be returned at your next meeting. I think we have budget numbers. Um, as as you mentioned in the work session, when you speak the numbers for a building or you speak the numbers for a project, that becomes the number. So, we have good budgetary numbers. They're that far along and more. Uh, I'm hesitant to say, as talked about in the work session, that one roof is going to cost x amount of dollars. Um, a good example is the high wall at the high school. We budgeted a number for that and it came in many dollars below because of the RFQ process and the bidding process and getting it done. So, uh I think packaging the projects together as a lump sum would be a much better spend of our money to get us the best bang for our buck. But I think it can be narrowed down enough that you would be comfortable with it.

Commissioner Dawson. Yeah, Brian. Let me let me get this straight. What you what you're talking about the mayor's borrowing the money. All right. And if it's going to be two years before he actually comes back with amendments to use that money, the county be paying interest on that money for two years. Is that right? That's that's more of a banker question. I'll leave that to the mayor. Well, I mean, no. I mean, it's if if it's if he borrows the money and goes talks to the lender and approve approves it or whatever and the lender he's sitting there with the money and it ain't that school's not going to use it for two years, we're going to pay interest on that money, right? No. You won't pay interest on it? No. So, you just It's going to be like a line of credit. It's going to be

Yes, sir. It'll be It won't be till use it, but I would hope and think we wouldn't be at a two-year project, but you just have to start the loan over, but do Exc. Yeah, that that's simply it. It'd be a line of credit and so you pay no interest until we actually bold money off of it and and use it. So what do you collaterize that with? General obligation is the faith and credit of uh Dixon County, Tennessee and our credit rating. Biggest unsecured loan you can get. Hey, I know all about them alliance. Believe me.

I bet you get one like that the bank anytime you want it. Hey, listen. I I I paid them people's salary down there for years. Any other questions? I like go ahead.

I guess just to kind of recap on that. So the way I'm seeing this is this is a two vote process. So you've got the vote, we're going to just say for instance, if we approve the resolution that the board, the school board sent to us, that's just a vote saying that we agree and then we they've got to come back with an amendment to their budget for the 17 million. So there's there's a motion there that that would amend their budget for the 17 million, but also they've got to come back for the they'd have to come back for the bond obligation once we have that number. So is it even is it even worth tying and I know you've done this in the past, but is there even a reason to tie that number right now until we get that number that bid? Could we just not approve the 17 million and release the school board to go on and do the projects they think they need to do and to start the the construction plans on the school and then when they get that number they come back over here for the bond and then the school and then the the county commission will be voting on the bond number. That may be 22 million that may be 32 million. We don't know but I just I'm just asking that question.

No, I think and again I I know we probably restate this motion. Oh, Commissioner Grove and Mr. Reagan correct me, but tonight we're ba we're voting as much on a concept that the 17 million I'm going to start using loose numbers 17 million 25 million for the very reasons you mentioned. If that school comes in at 15 million, that will be the request at that time. If it comes in for, I'll make it reasonable, 30 million, that could be the request at the time. But we're not bound by what this motion. It's we're basically telling the school board, go make your plans, spend that money. Because you know, we had discussion in the past. There's been money spent for plans that were never put in place. But if y'all are in favor of this concept in general, that's what we're doing. Because the 17 million might turn into 16 million. It could turn into 22 million. It's not until y'all approve it and amend their budget. The same thing with the borrowing. So again, we've taught rough numbers at 25 million. Uh I've heard less, maybe a little more. We don't know, but it's just to give a concept. And did I state that and for y'all two in particular? And you, Mr. Tra, is that correct?

Other than the 17 million, when we come back with the amendment, it will likely be a little bit more because of the other expenses that we would do during the year all at one time. And then I think as Commissioner Grove said earlier or maybe he and I talked about it last week offline is the fact that even with the 17 million using that number as the school's fund balance if it grows they can take more money out of their fund balance and potentially borrow less from us because again everything we obviously do is on estimation. Uh and using our best judgment probably going to be pretty close but we're not going to hit a bullseye with it. Exactly. But as their fund balance grows, they may have 2 million more dollars in projects that are not even online now. But that's going to be a living, breathing animal that comes in here to this commission for another five and a half months and the next commission for the next four years. So it'll be the will of the body on that. and mayor, due to the city cutting their sales tax funding, that's probably going to cause the uh reserve fund to collect about a million dollars less than it has in the past. Am I correct in that thinking?

Yeah. And that's what we saw. That's already been in for a year and we basically saw that last year in the budgeting process. But even with that subtraction, we added some additional county funds. Not quite a million dollars, but we tried to bolster that along the way. And uh you know that I think we've weathered that storm at this point.

Okay. I just want to thank the uh the school board for their their hard work. I know they work really hard on this. Uh, I sit in a lot of meetings and uh, I know all this work I feel is very very legitimate and I know that needs to be done. I I could speak very well to Dixon Middle School stuff because I've been in that school a lot and I'm just assuming that the other schools are in the same situation. I know we need more seats at at uh, Charlotte Middle School for sure. I think you did a great job with $15 million. I know I was informed of what all went on. They they come here, they did what we we asked them to do. I don't have a issue with uh approving your resolution uh the way that you presented it myself. So I I don't think you're going to take the money and do something irresponsible with it. So that's how I feel about it.

Thank you. Any other questions or comments? Yeah, I don't think it's a question of taking the money and doing something irresponsible. I think it's a it's a question of as a legislative body, are we being responsible and conservative to not put the this next mayor and this next commission against the wall in case something comes up. So, if you go ahead and max that $30 million out, then you have a disaster and you have to borrow money. Go ahead and print that on the taxpayers because we're going to have to raise taxes to cover it. So, it's nothing about it's nothing about y'all's project or what you've done. has been responsible and seeing out behind today is looking for that thing that's going to happen a year from now or two years from now that was unforeseen from us that might happen and if it does happen at least we got $5 million to fall back on without putting the burden of raising taxes on taxpayers. So that that is that that's the question with me. Are we going to be responsible enough to leave the taxpayer a buffer or we just going to go ahead and max it out because y'all want it? That that's my issue with 5 million. you know,

like Mr. Gro just got through saying, I mean, we're going to put that tax burden back on the county anyway. So, what's the difference? And what I see if you do it and they get they get control of the $30 million, it's just like the school superintendent told me at that time. But when when our budget is is approved, we can't stop them from spending the money. We got to approve the amendment. So, I mean, you know, I think it's about control. So, I asked you the other night if you take care of that. you know, it needs to be controlled. I mean, as far as I'm concerned. Any other question? Yes, ma'am.

Um, this is for you. So, if if they did do the $30 million, are we strapping the county to the point where if there was an emergency, there would not be an option to be able to borrow more money at all? Because I I'm just saying it's kind of shaky ground when we can't plan if we're always gonna what if I mean what if for the next administration, you know, they need to have this and so maybe we don't need to do this right now. But we've been planning and things have been moving. So now we're going to just, you know, what if in case something happens for the next mayor and and then the next administration comes along. Are we not going to be able to do anything because what if for the next one? I'm just a little confused. Well, and again, I don't mind walking back through that budget presentation I did on debt service, but we're in a position to take on a lot more debt than 25 $30 million. And again, we could reasonably take on uh $45 million in total debt, probably a little more. I'd have to go back to that. So, our goal has never been to bind ourselves. Uh, and again, I I apologize. I have to go back to the beginning on this. This is where we were 15 years ago when we opened a jail and we didn't have this plan in place to either fund the debt or fund operations. Well, we've we've passed that now. We're way past that. We have the option to fund things we can't even make up right now. Uh so we're in extraordinary shape. And it's I know when I say it it probably sounds to y'all self-s serving, but the factual answer is we're in excellent financial shape because we're we are literally talking about borrowing $25 million that it's already been

figured into the tax rate. The t that requires no increase in taxes. We can borrow more money on top of that. Again, we have to bar it responsibly. But that's why I agree with everything that's been said on that. But this plan was devised about 15 years ago to get us to this point. Commissioner Simpkins asked last time, what else do we have to do on county government side? Well, once these two historic buildings are finished this calendar year, we're done in the foreseeable future. There's this building in particular, the justice center, the two biggest building areas. They we have room to expand into long after everyone sitting over there is long and gone. There was not there 30 and 40 50 year buildings what we got there. So our focus has turned back to schools at this point in time and my saying was three and a half years ago talking to Dr. for weeks at the time. This is your chance to get these school buildings up to date and cleaned up and uh using the term we can look as much like a Williamson County school right now because of the flat student population growth. If we were, as Mr. Haley pointed out, if we were growing but by bounds in students and started approaching 10,000 students, we wouldn't be talking about updating. We'd be building a school. So the iron was hot three years ago. We started this three and a half years ago. Well, it's molten as can be right now. So, I mean, we need to get this done for these schools because at some point in time, student population is going to catch up with us. And so, we've got to get these building fixed where we're not fixing buildings in seven or eight years and building a school. So, the money's there to be done. And and again, it's work by people like Mr. Hall, Mr. Reagan, uh Star

Moore. There's people and all the department heads. We've been putting these numbers together for years. So, it's not a fluke. It's we've we know what we're doing and it's been done well and uh it's take a work a lot of people, but we're prepared to take on debt without going to harming the taxpayer at this point in into the foreseeable future. So, no, we're in great financial shape to take care of this project and several others that may come up. Yes, sir.

Um, I like it because, uh, it's fixing what's broke. We're not, you know, building new schools, look at building, buying land, and we're taking what we got and fixing it. And I I think that's what we need to do. If we're spending taxpayers money, that's we need to fix what we already have, not look for something to to go and do. So, I I like the concept of it myself. Any other questions or comments? Yeah, I got a lot of people. That's fine.

Anybody else got any comments? One more. So, it seems like to me like the 25 million is just kind of like an arbitrary number because if it comes back at 22 or 32, then this commission is going to have to decide if they want to move forward with the project. So, I'm, you know, it's just kind of like maybe we're just telling them maybe that number helps the architectural firm draw the plans to fit that number. I don't know. Maybe that's the maybe that's the motive here. But I think what I'm what I'm hearing is we've still got to vote on a debt number at some point in time and that may not be 25 million. That's true. You have the final say.

Yeah. So, I think that's, you know, that's what I'm trying to understand is, you know, even though we're throwing this 25 million number out, it it may actually not be that in the final resolution. I guess we only have five different people on the commission. They might not feel the same way the commission does now. And you're going to have a different mayor. So two years from now they may not can get that passed or years from now. So you know Mr. Chair. Sure.

Mr. Williams, thank you for your comments on that. And the school board's operated on the long range plan of the county, what we've been told from the very beginning and and we have worked to stay within those means. Um, we've done the same with our operation budget to keep it where it needs to be. I don't want to increase a tax burden. Uh, as a taxpayer, I don't uh I think we squeezed pretty hard to make this project fit in 47 million. Uh, we spoke of 45 million at first. We didn't have our reserve number back. Our reserve number came back at 4 million above. So, we chose to put 2 million into this project. and other two mean and the annual onetime expenses you keep hearing me mention but um uh we'll we'll do what we'll make what works what you approve but that number of 47 million didn't just come by throwing a dart at the wall it was a lot of um hours and a lot of head knocking on our end that we all had to come to terms on what was important and what wasn't and we hope to come in less 25 will be tough but we'll do what can to make that work and we'll come back and it'll be y'all's choice from there. We feel like the 47 million was a very fair and and modest approach on that.

But thank you. Yeah, that that wasn't like a that wasn't a stab at the school board. I was just saying Well, I know it wasn't from you. I was just clearing up for those that that hear and and that Yeah, I just want to make sure that that 25 that may change. But no, I understand the school board. I mean, school board's elected just like we are. Y'all are, you know, y'all are to be looking after the taxpayers as well. So, no.

Yeah, but I'm not stuck on the 25. Y'all are stuck on the 25. I think we can borrow 25, then by this time next year, the money will be there to fund the other 5 million without having to max us out on our debt. And I also think this body has been very good to the school system. If this even at the 45, it' be 43 that we've approved and plus another 15 million for projects we've approved in the last two years. So, we've invested almost $60 million if it's passed like it is in our school system. So, I believe that that that this body's been very fair and very spending with our school system to upgrade when you go almost $60 million if this passes tonight. So, I'm not saying that 30 million is not going to cover it. I'm saying that we can need to borrow 25 million to keep us a buffer and in a year from now, you might have the other 5 million. If not, we'll make plans to to fix it to make sure the other 5 million is there. But I think the 25 million is not a dead number when you look at what your fund balance could grow to to next year and you can help your you can help us help you and still stay with the county buffer. So I'm not I'm not saying 25 million. I'm saying 30 million will probably do the project, but you got a year from now or a year and a half from now to help that in the fund reserve to pay for the other 5 million. If that makes sense.

It does. And I certainly didn't mean to imply you're being unfair on that. I just um wanted you to know that that number came with a lot of work to get to that to get as low as we could to shoot for what we were were told to target for and not to get above.

Do you think just one more question? So, do do you how long will it take the school board to come back with this this motion that's been requested tonight for the list of that? Is that something that's going to take several months to get back to the commission? I think the amendment would probably come back as early as next month because I think that is for the most part done, but that's why I took you off the $17 million number because the annual expenses tied to that would all need to be done at one time. Get one amendment. That way we're not coming back a month or two from now adding something else to it. Um, as far as the the number for the uh project in Charlotte, uh, at best you're looking at three months, probably four. We have budgetary numbers. They're good numbers, but uh, getting the direction to turn these guys loose, to go to more detail. The detail that you asked for to to look at plans would be more the challenge than actually the budgetary number. Uh, they've worked the budgetary numbers up pretty well. So,

Commissioner Batty, I just look at this motion that this is at least getting us going where we're not doing anything right now. I'm correct. Like I said, this lease lets y'all get going. And if there's other numbers, you're going to come back. So, I guess I'm just maybe a little confused why this just we don't let this go with this motion and let them get started and then if we have to adjust we can. Um, but am I correct? This is just letting them get going. You're correct.

Any other questions or discussion? You know what, mayor, rest, I want to go back next two years and and and now all of this bar and everything 47, we had 60 million. We got money to build two new schools. Ain't that ironic that we're going to repair the old schools and we ain't going to have no new schools and going to spend that kind of money? That's that's pretty good something to think about. That's what the taxpayers think about, too, you know. And I think what what is y'all's budget as far as salaries and retirements and everything about 60% of you what you receive every year?

Uh I probably need to defer that to the finance director, but I think it's going to be probably more in the 80% range. Just time you figure benefits, paying everything. Our biggest expense is payroll. It's Yeah, schools are made up of people.

I knew it was several years back, so I figured it still was. Well, what I what I'm just from the old common sense side just like you do a project, you know, I'd like to see it beat it here in Dixon County, not go to Nashville, wherever. Get local people to do it, you know, have a project manager, let them oversee it. Let them make sure that somebody's answering to somebody, then they can come back answer to us. We can answer to the taxpayers, you know, and it it's it's got out of hand. I mean, the whole thing's out of hand, you know, in my opinion, but I'm just one. So, any other question or discussion?

I would just like to say one thing that they this the board, they are made up of elected officials. They were elected just like we are elected and they have twice as many constituents as we do because their one district takes up two of ours. So I think their their shoulders feel the responsibility of being responsible and making sure their money is going to the best way it can be spent. Thank you. Mayor has something to say about that

public. And I tell everybody if we had 10 people out of each district that was sitting out there in pews, we wouldn't be doing what we're doing right now. there'd be a lot of stuff changed because they we'd have so much backlash and if people come to the school board like they should, it wouldn't be done over there either. So, I mean, just because that I'm elected, I'm not elected of my own opinion. I got other people I answer to, you know, and I think that's where all of us are. We we fall short because we think we know what what's going on, what we're going to, you know, do and and we we just do it. So, you know, I said I going to shut up. I'm going to this time.

I got no answer for you. Uh, any other questions or comments? For the question. Question called for without objection. All in favor of vote with stating I

opposed. Thank you. Next time of business approval of the notaries. Madame clerk. Thank you, Mr. Haley. Susan Allheight, Donna Aldridge, Heather Allen, Marty Allison, Leonard G. Belar II, Mary Connors, Aaron Gonzalez, Jacob Holly, Jacob Haley, Tammy Hall, Patricia Hayes, Tasha Ames, Megan Hodes, Brianna Hoffman, Tiffany Lane, Alan Miller, Kyle Lee Milsap, Mark Odel, Britney Smith, and Bobby Well. Motion by Commissioner Buckner, second by Commissioner Spicer. All in favor of open up stating I opposed. Thank you. Announcements. Any announcements to be made.

I got one thing right before that. Mayor, I spoke with the sheriff last two weeks ago about changing the speed limit on Old Stage Road. I'd like to have that on the agenda for uh April. Old Stage, one end to the other. Uh it's from uh Suffer Fork to the Tucker Crossroads up there. What? What crossroad was it? Tucker. Tucker. Tucker crossroad.

Any other announcements? Barbecue about April 11th, aren't we? Rob, that means help.

Oh, can't do fish. I'm going to if there's no other announcements, I'm going to make the final announcement. Then I'm going to make two announcements after the meeting because they're not governmental. So unless there's no other announcements, uh the next regular session meeting will be on Monday, April 20th, 2026 at 7 p.m. in the Beaverdale Booty Reed Jr. County Commission Chamber of the D County Administration building for courts, Tennessee. Have a motion second adjourn. Thank you. uh the non-governmental ones. I think we have a uh mayor forum tomorrow morning at 7:30. Y'all go home and get you some rest.

It is in the morning, isn't it? 7:30. Somebody take notes for me. It should be another announcement. Uh Sheriff Ees. Yes, sir. Thank you, Mayor. Uh, real quick, I just want to It is uh election year and so the barbecue will be this Saturday at 5 starts at 5 fairgrounds. All of you invited. You'll have an envelope with a couple complimentary tickets. Those of you that are retiring, mayor, commissioner, y'all also have an invite if you want to come give a farewell. Give everybody uh three or four minutes on the mic. Oh, I got plenty I want to say.

Oh, absolutely. And uh I'm also extending that any other candidates that are running. I'm trying to reach out to them and let them know we'd love to have you. Bring your kids, grandkids. We got face painting, cornhole, and all you can eat barbecue. So y'all come join us and say hi to everybody. Thank you, Mayor.