Where's Jim?

Where's Jim? That's the question citizens in the 6th County Commission district are likely asking about County Commissioner Jim Vaughn following his recent column in the Hendersonville Standard.

In the column, Vaughn suggests the recently adopted tax rate came as a surprise to him. He further notes that he doesn't understand why the schools need more money and that it's not clear to him Sumner County faced financial disaster if something wasn't changed.

Vaughn might be surpised about the budget and tax issues because meeting minutes from the September 2nd meeting where Commissioners were sworn-in and assigned to committees reflect that Vaughn wasn't present that night.

Minutes from the September 8th meeting where the School Board's budget was voted on by the Education Committee indicate that Vaughn didn't bother showing up for that one, either. And, on September 15th, when County Commissioners voted on the budget for schools, Jim Vaughn wasn't present.

Voters elected Jim Vaughn to serve them by attending meetings, asking questions, and being a part of the process. But it looks like he took most of September off. No word yet on whether Vaughn will return his monthly stipend for September to the General Fund.

Vaughn did show up to the October 20th County Commission meeting. But his November 21st article suggests he wasn't aware of what was going to be discussed at a November 3rd County Commission meeting.

Vaughn says he was surprised a tax increase was being discussed in spite of public notice published on the County Commission website and in the Hendersonville Star News and Gallatin News Examiner on both October 22nd and October 31st. The notice stated clearly the "intent to exceed the certified tax rate."

Further, as a County Commissioner, Vaughn would have received a meeting packet and agenda. So, sometime in the two weeks between when he should have known what was on the agenda and the night of the meeting, Vaughn could have talked to Finance Director David Lawing and found out more about what was going to be recommended.

Finally, Vaughn asserts that the county was well-managed in the past. This must mean he suffers from the same faulty memory currently afflicting fellow Commissioner Merrol Hyde. Vaughn previously served on the budget committee. He was a part of the group that consistently recommended deficit budgets made whole through spending of reserve funds. It was Vaughn who helped craft a taxpayer-funded bailout of the county's failed insurance trust.

As County Commissioner Chris Taylor made clear in an analysis of the budget situation, before the vote to raise taxes, Sumner County was on the verge of financial collapse as early as July, 2015. This because previous leaders, Vaughn among them, steered the ship wrecklessly in the name of never raising taxes.

Now, taxpayers in District 6 are left to wonder: Is Jim Vaughn doing his job? He's not showing up to meetings, he's not paying attention to meeting notices, and he's not taking responsibility for his past failed leadership.

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Chris Taylor Takes on the Budget

County Commissioner Chris Taylor has prepared a 6-page document that explains the reasoning behind the new property tax rate of $2.50.

Taylor uses charts and graphs and straightforward explanation to note why the County Commission set the rate where it did.

Here are a few highlights:

1) The property tax rate had not been raised or adjusted for inflation since 2003. Real purchasing power has declined by about 21 cents on the dollar over that time period. That means the county brings in the same dollar amount and it buys less and less each year.

2) The previous County Commission borrowed over $22 million from various reserve funds over the past 5 years to make up for the deficit budgets they were running.

3) The County Insurance Trust was bailed out using reserve funds in 2013 and will need another $3 million bailout to remain solvent in 2015. The Commission intends to correct this problem going forward by charging an appropriate rate for benefits and by properly funding the employee portion of benefits

4) Each 1 cent increase on the tax rate generates roughly $400,000

5) Operating funds for schools, including the new Burrus Elementary, account for nearly 18 cents of the increase

6) An additional portion of the increase will be used to pay for capital projects at schools, including a building plan that will both increase space at existing facilities and repair aging HVAC systems.

7) There are 700-800 people in Sumner County without running water. It will cost roughly $30 million to correct this problem -- but once fixed, it will have long-term health and economic development benefits.

YES - you did just read that there are homes in part of Sumner County that in 2014 do NOT have running water. 

The rate was set at $2.50 so as to allow for projected growth and adjust for inflation over time. In other words, the current County Commission did not want to just cover expenses and be faced with a crisis again next year. This rate, explains Taylor, will allow for growth and the accumulation of reserves.

Read his full presentation here.

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