A Story on Tennessee's Financial Condition

 Governor Bill Lee and state lawmakers just used some of Tennessee’s largest ever budget surplus to fund a historically large incentive package for Ford Motor Company. Even after that deal, policymakers may still have at least $3 billion in unallocated funds to appropriate next year. This total includes a record-setting $2 billion for recurring items – and that’s before even speculating about routine revenue growth. For comparison, Tennessee’s total budget from state revenues this year was about $21 billion before the Ford deal passed.

Turns out, Tennessee continues to collect significantly more money than it plans to spend. Sycamore notes that through the first three months of the fiscal year:

• Actual collections for October 2021 were about 22% higher than budgeted.

• As of October 31, 2021, Tennessee had collected about 24% of the $16.5 billion in total budgeted revenue for the current fiscal year.

• Collections through October were about $902 million higher (or 24%) than what was budgeted for the time period.

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Sumner County Doubles Number of County Commission Districts

 The Portland Sun reports that the Sumner County Commission voted to double the number of County Commission districts from 12 to 24. That means each district will now have one commissioner instead of two and each commissioner will represent about half of the population currently represented. 

The Sumner County Commission voted 16 to 8 on Nov. 15 to double the number of county commission districts from 12 to 24. However, the total number of commissioners will remain the same, meaning each district will have one elected official instead of two.

It’s the first major change of the legislative body in more than 50 years.

The vote on Nov. 15 culminated the county’s redistricting process – a requirement of legislative bodies every 10 years following a federal census in order to make sure citizens receive equal political representation.

Sumner County’s population grew by about 20 percent between 2010 and 2020, according to recent U.S. Census data. At 196,281 residents, Sumner is the state’s eighth largest county.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Tennessee Funding Board Shortchanges Schools, Infrastructure

 The Tennessee State Funding Board — the group responsible for setting the revenue projections used in state budgeting — met this week and got it wrong. Again. Like they do every single year.

Why does this even matter? Well, the Funding Board estimates are used to determine the parameters for the state budget. When the question is asked “why don’t we budget more for X,” the answer can be: The Funding Board says we won’t have that money.

Except, well, the Funding Board is wrong. ALL THE TIME.

Let’s look at the most recent evidence. This year, Tennessee is sitting on the largest budget surplus ever. EVER. That’s because state revenue came in at $2 billion ABOVE projections.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Tennessee Reports Massive Revenue Surplus

 Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is seeking to reallocate the school funding pie in a state that historically earns low marks for its investment in schools. Now, the Sycamore Institute reports Tennessee has a significant surplus – both banked dollars and recurring money – that could be used to help address a range of priorities.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Congress May Cap Payday Loans at 36% Interest

 6th District Congressman John Rose, who represents Sumner County in the U.S. House of Representatives may soon have the opportunity to vote in favor of a bill that would cap the interest rate on payday and car title loans at 36%. 

Current law in Tennessee allows payday loan rates to be as high as 460%. 

Consumer protection legislation that would cap rates on payday and car title loans at 36% has been introduced in the House of Representatives. The bipartisan bill is a companion to similar legislation filed in the Senate in August. Current rates on payday loans can be in excess of 400% in some states.

The bipartisan House bill was introduced by Rep. Jesús “Chuy” Garcia (D-IL) and Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) and is a companion to the Senate bill (S. 2508) that was introduced in August by Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

“For too long, payday and car-title lenders have been allowed to exploit the most economically vulnerable members of our communities,” said Candace Archer, payday and consumer campaigns manager for Americans for Financial Reform. “Congress is right to take the initiative to address this problem, especially as many families are struggling to recover from the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. This bill will establish nationwide safeguards to protect consumers from dangerous debt traps.”

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Democrats to Hold Candidate Workshop

 The Sumner County Democratic Party plans to host a workshop for potential candidates in early December. Here's more on the workshop from the SCDP:

Are you curious about how local elections work? If so, we have an event for you! Come to our "Ready to Run? Information Session" on Saturday, December 4 at 10 am at the SCDP headquarters in Gallatin. Register now! 

We’ll provide an overview of the local election and campaign process, then have Q&A with past Democratic candidates. This event will get you ready to support local elections as a volunteer or ready to jump start your own campaign for local office! 

Meeting will be held in person at the SCDP Headquarters, so masks are required. We’ll also provide a link to view the event virtually upon request. 

Address: SCDP Headquarters, 333 W. Main St, Suite F, Gallatin TN 37076

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Ward 2 Alderman Pat Campbell Dies

 The Hendersonville community is mourning the loss of Ward 2 Alderman Pat Campbell who died unexpectedly early Tuesday.

Hendersonville police received a call to assist EMS at Campbell’s home at a little after 5 a.m., according to HPD Commander Scott Ryan. A cause of death has yet to be determined.

Campbell was 55.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Lee Continues to Lose in Court

 Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee continues to face losses in federal court. This time, a federal judge has ruled that legislation he supported banning mask mandates in schools cannot be enforced. That is to say, those districts using mandatory masking to protect the health and safety of students and teachers may continue to do so. 

Lee continues to lose in court, and the ruling is being interpreted as having broad application to the entire state, therefore allowing districts with mask mandates to circumvent the recently-passed state legislation.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Calls Growing Across TN for Boost to School Funding

 In a state that continues to earn failing grades in school funding, community groups in Nashville, Memphis, and Chattanooga are calling on Gov. Bill Lee and legislative leaders to both increase school funding and update the BEP with a focus on equity.

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For more on issues impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

City Seeks Input on Spending

 The city of Hendersonville will hold two workshops in November to discuss potential uses for its share of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The $1.9 trillion federal economic stimulus bill was passed in March to speed up the country’s recovery from the economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city of Hendersonville’s share is estimated to be around $5.9 million and is expected to go toward investments in water, sewer or broadband infrastructure. The city has received its first allocation of $2.9 million, and is expected to receive a second payment in 12 months. None of the funds have been spent.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

About School Funding Reform

 A Tennessee teacher takes a look at school funding reform:

The tea leaves are not difficult to read here. The new BEP formula will include some form of vouchers (they, of course, won't be called that) and because the BEP funds public schools across the state, then it will not violate the "Home Rule" provision. State legislators will be put in a position to either vote in favor of the new BEP formula (which will undoubtedly include actual needed improvements that will be popular with their constituents) or reject it. It's a lose-lose situation for them. Either support the new BEP formula that will actually privatize public schools or be accused of being against public education. 

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Tennessee School Funding Falls Short

 While Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s Administration is off discussing potential changes to state’s funding formula for schools (the BEP), a joint report from the Southern Poverty Law Center and Education Law Center indicates there’s a lot of room for growth. It’s not just how the funds are allocated, it’s also about how much — turns out, Tennessee is near the bottom in the nation when it comes to things like funding level and funding effort — we’re not putting in much money and we’re not trying very hard to change that. Lee so far has not committed to any funding increase in his proposed formula change.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Partisan School Board Races on the Horizon?

 The Tennessee General Assembly recently adjourned a special session to address COVID-19. Among the bills that passed? Legislation permitting partisan school board races. I mean, if there’s one thing that will help local communities better respond to the challenges COVID has placed on schools, it is most certainly more partisanship.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Gubernatorial Candidate Jason Martin Brings Tennessee Thrives Tour to Hendersonville

 Tennesseeans, we want to hear what you're looking for from your next governor! Starting September 9th, we're launching the Tennessee Thrives Tour! We will be traveling to all Tennessee's 95 counties in 95 days and hosting listening tours.

When: Wednesday, November 3 at 9 am
Where: La La Lounge (750 W Main St, Hendersonville, TN 37075)

The Tennessee Thrives Tour is designed to connect Tennesseans with the campaign and provide an opportunity for dialogue on the type of leadership Tennesseans believe will best serve our state.

Afterward, Dr. Martin and our campaign team will take the thoughts and suggestions from the tour to craft a policy platform.

Out of an abundance of caution, the campaign staff and team are taking extra precautions during planning to mitigate the spread of the COVID19 pandemic.

Contact info@martinfortn.com to RSVP and send us your questions.

For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Merrol Hyde Wins Soccer State Championship

 Merrol Hyde won their first-ever soccer championship Saturday at CHI Memorial Stadium with a 2-0 victory over Alcoa in the Class A State Championship. 

“You keep pounding that wall, and it will eventually break,” Bentley said. “To see the smiles and joy from our team is everything. We’ve been on the opposite side of this, and it’s good to experience this side of it.”

Saturday’s contest against Alcoa marked the first time these two teams met on the pitch since the Lady Tornados ended the Lady Hawks season in 2019 in the quarterfinal round.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews