“After a difficult year due to COVID-19, we have adopted a budget that is unique to the times we find ourselves in,” said County Mayor Joseph Butler upon passage of the 2020-2021 budget. “Due to both federal and state assistance, we will see increased revenues, and will take on a number of nonrecurring expenditures, as well as continuing to fund the essential services our County provides.”
The certified tax rate from the state of $1.4131 is down from the previous year’s rate of $1.5519 due to the county being reassessed.
The budget and tax rate passed unanimously.
With increased revenues through federal and state as support, the county will be taking on an airport project, finishing the Westport Emergency Tower project, purchasing emergency dispatch consoles, adding COVID-19 (and future virus/sickness) protections in our office complex, an election security grant, Court House cleanup and upgrades, our ADA evaluation and transition plan, and a ThreeStar grant project related to broadband development, among other things. The Health Department is adding critical personnel, which is reimbursed by the State. The county will also be using a portion of our state support grant revenue to put towards the Highway Department for a special project.
All other funds and departments are funded at or near their existing funding level, aside from the County School /Bus Transport, which will be funded around the state’s new maintenance of effort for that department/fund.
The FAA has requested us to fix a taxiway connector issue, where we have direct access from the apron to the runway.
“We are working with TDOT and A2H to remove the existing connector and replace it with one that alleviates the safety concern,” said the county mayor.
“The project itself will be around $200,000. In the end, it will be at only a small cost to the county, as we will receive both state and federal assistance on the project.”
The county will receive $899,491 from the state budget through COVID-19 pandemic funds.
The budget committee has limited the Carroll County Watershed Authority to $60,000 in funds.
The general fund tax rate of $1.0681 is to support the $12,253,168 expenditures with $12,409,127 in revenues. The Solid Waste tax rate is .0810 for $1,658, 119 in expenditures with revenues estimated at $1,820,281. The Highway Department’s portion of the tax rate is .0750 that is to support expenditures of $4,411,881 with revenues of $4,305,867. The school transportation’s share of the tax is .0789 which is to support $1,575,577 in expenditures with revenues estimated at $856,858. The general debt service’s share of the tax is .1101 which is supposed to support $630,919 in expenditures with revenues estimated at $632,513.
The General Purpose School Fund receives no portion of the property tax, but is included in the county budget. The fund shows estimated expenditures of $2,757,480 and revenues of $2,705,280.
A separate resolution shows the appropriations to non-profit organizations that receive funds from the county.
They include: Rescue Squad, $3,000; Gordon Browning Museum, $5,000; McKenzie Memorial Library, $6,000; Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, $25,000; TN. Rehab Center, $500; McKenzie Senior Citizens, $200; Carroll County Shooting Sports Park, $10,000; WRAP Organization, $3,823 for a total of $53,523.
Others resolutions passed by the commissioners include:
•A resolution to appoint Jesse Turner and Pamela Joyner to the Carroll County Library Board with terms ending in August 2023.
•A resolution to reappoint Marty Hurley to the Carroll County Electric Department Board with the term ending in July 2024.
•A resolution to reappoint Dr. Lee Carter, MD as Carroll County Medical Examiner with the term ending in August 2025.
•A resolution to reappoint Vince Taylor to the Carroll County Civil Service Commission with the term ending in August 2024.
