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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For more on news 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

Dixon Announces Bid for Alderman

 Karen Dixon is running for Alderman in Ward 4, she announced recently. Here's more:

I am introducing myself as a 2020 candidate for Hendersonville Alderman in Ward 4. My husband and I have lived in Hendersonville since 2012 and fell in love with this city and the people in it. We have two wonderful grown children; a daughter living in Japan with her husband who is a chief in the US Navy, and a son who lives here in Tennessee as well.

I retired in 2018 with a fortune 20 company with 35 years of service.  During my career, I worked in various corporate leadership roles in Finance, Quality Compliance and Regulatory Affairs. I most recently have worked as an independent consultant in the area of FDA Regulation. I also enjoy being a volunteer with the Middle Tennessee Literacy Council.

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Got news? Email us: newshendersonville@gmail.com

A "Bare Bones" Budget

The Hendersonville Standard has the story of the city's initial budget proposal for FY21:

Hendersonville leaders on Tuesday voted 12 to 1 on first reading for a “bare-bones” 2020-2021 fiscal year budget that does not require a property tax increase, spends more than $4 million than it takes in, and leaves a projected end fund balance of $118,000.

Still, at a time when revenue is uncertain due to the impact of COVID-19, most of the city’s aldermen expressed relief at not having to ask for a tax increase as well as not having to lay off any of the city’s more than 300 employees.

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

Halloween Wars

The Tennessean has the story of a Hendersonville woman carving pumpkins on the Food Network:

For Liza Slaughter Barker of Hendersonville, gearing up for fall means something unique.

Slaughter Barker is “crazy about Halloween,” and although she sculpts year-round with oil-based clay and even chocolate and cakes, this time of year means working with a seasonal specialty: intricately carved three-dimensional pumpkins.

Her 3D pumpkin sculptures step away from the typical jack-o'-lantern mold to resemble realistic faces and characters.

“Normal people faces get boring,” she told The Tennessean last year.

Slaughter Barker — who likes to hang onto her “Halloween-y” maiden name, Slaughter — is showcasing her pumpkin-carving skills on Food Network’s “Halloween Wars,” kicking off its ninth season Sunday, Sept. 29.

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

What are We Paying Them For?

Wes Duenkel, a Goodlettsville resident who chairs the Strong Schools PAC, made the following remarks at the County Commission meeting on Monday night. His basic premise: Those County Commissioners (like Jim Vaughn) who are claiming they didn't know there would be a tax increase vote in November should have been paying attention. Otherwise, what are we paying them for?

Here are Duenkel's comments as delivered:


I would like to take this opportunity to thank the commission for having the courage to put Sumner County in a better financial position for our children. By voting to return our tax rate to what we paid 13 years ago, they put community before politics. In the face of mounting financial challenges, they made an unpopular vote; not because it was easy, but because kicking the can down the road is not how a responsible government behaves.

I understand some of my fellow citizens are angry.

They're angry that those commissioners "raised our taxes" (albeit to a rate we paid a little over a decade ago).

But I think they're angry at the wrong commissioners.

You see, I was at the November budget committee meeting, and the specially called commission meeting on November 3rd. I saw several commissioners gathered in the lobby, outside the budget committee meeting while the County Finance Director delivered a presentation on the dire financial future our county faced, and why he recommended returning the tax rate to $2.50.

Then, I saw the finance director deliver the same presentation to the full commission.

But was flabbergasted with what I heard next: some of the same commissioners who gathered outside those open doors claimed that they were surprised the commission was considering a tax increase!
Those commissioners, after they were notified of the meeting that was called with the “INTENT TO EXCEED THE CERTIFIED TAX RATE” claimed . . . they didn’t know what the meeting was about!

Those commissioners, who were elected, and are paid $500 a month, didn’t know what the meeting was about?

Those commissioners didn’t offer any alternative proposals. Instead, they complained about how long the meeting was lasting!

You bet I’d be angry. I’d be really angry if commissioners I elected, and I paid $500 a month, didn’t take the first step to understand what a meeting was about, and then complained about how long the meeting was lasting.

Rather than be angry with the commissioners that had the courage make this tough decision, I’d be angry with those commissioners who didn’t want to do the most simple aspect of their jobs: KNOW THE PURPOSE OF A MEETING.

Those looking to reduce government waste need to look no further than the salaries paid to commissioners who don't put the slightest effort toward what they were elected...and are paid...to do.

For more on news impacting Hendersonville, follow @HvilleNews

No More Mimi's

Not in Hendersonville, anyway.

Yep, another Streets of Indian Lake restaurant closes.

Hendersonville Fire Department Gets a Boat

Yep, they'll be fighting fires from the lake in this new boat -- either boat fires or fires on homes that can easily be accessed from the miles of shoreline in Hendersonville.

Controversial Apartment Complex Off the Table ... For Now

The controversial rezoning of land behind Cracker Barrel on Indian Lake Boulevard to accommodate a 312-unit apartment complex has been removed from the Board of Mayor and Aldermen's consideration ... for now.

Former Mayor Charles Kimbrough is consulting with the North Carolina-based company and admitted he was unsure the votes were there to approve the new development.

Some advocates for schools also raised concerns about the number of new students who would be zoned to attend either Whitten Elementary or Nannie Berry Elementary -- two already over-crowded schools. 

Whether or when the rezoning will be back before the Aldermen is unclear.

Aldermen Meet Tonight

The much-discussed and now somewhat controversial plan for apartments behind Cracker Barrel on Indian Lake Boulevard is NOT on the agenda. 

So There's a Petition About Apartments

And not building them.  Or, at least not the apartments being proposed behind Cracker Barrel on Indian Lake Blvd.

Here's the text:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/preserve-hendersonville-2

Preserve Hendersonville

The Petition

We, the citizens of Hendersonville, petition the Board of Mayor & Aldermen to:

1. Deny the rezoning of the land parcel behind Cracker Barrel on Indian Lake Blvd. for the construction of multi-family housing.

2. Conduct a comprehensive traffic study of the Indian Lake Blvd. area between Main Street & SR 386, independent from the studies conducted by apartment developers.

3. Grow our city in a responsible & controlled manner without the negative impact of overdevelopment on our way of life, our schools, infrastructure or overall crime rate.

Hendersonville currently has no fewer than 22 existing or approved apartment complexes totaling 4,881 apartment units. There are currently 2 complexes under construction, but not yet complete: 1 is located behind the Glenbrook shopping center & the other is located behind the cinema at the Streets of Indian Lake. No one currently resides in these 2 complexes under construction. Our infrastructure, schools and way of life have not felt the impact of these 2 new complexes yet. However, the Board of Mayor & Aldermen is weighing the possibility of adding yet another apartment complex to the already overloaded Indian Lake Blvd.-changing our community forever.

 

The long-term impact of overdevelopment cannot be un-done. We urge the Board of Mayor & Aldermen to study the impact of multi-family housing & general overdevelopment by glancing toward the Antioch & Rivergate areas. The citizens of Hendersonville want to preserve our community, and the hometown atmosphere that makes Hendersonville a great place to live, work & play. 

Let your voice be heard by signing this petition, contacting the aldermen and by attending the Board of Mayor & Aldermen meeting next Tuesday, Feb. 26th at 7:30 pm @ City Hall.

Steve Brown may get his Dog Park

Apparently, the City of Hendersonville is considering a Dog Park.  Some may remember that Steve Brown ran for Mayor on a Dog Park Platform.  It looks like he'll be getting his wish.  While a dog park wasn't enough to give Brown a plurality win in the Mayor's race, it seems there is in fact enough interest among Hendersonville citizens that a dog park will be created. 

Garry's Back!

Former Hendersonville Alderman Garry Forsythe is back at City Hall.  This time, as a special consultant to the Mayor.

Of course, Forsythe sort of ran for Mayor against Scott Foster back in 2012. His campaign was so tepid that many suspected he was running simply to muddy the waters and allow Foster to win re-election in the face of strong challenges from both Alderman Steve Brown and Alderman Tommy Elsten. 

Now, Forsythe will make up to $48,000 a year consulting at the Mayor's direction and reporting exclusively to the Mayor while having a City Hall office and City of Hendersonville email account. 

Aldermen expressed concern about the arrangement noting they didn't even know it had been arranged. 

Some speculated that Forsythe would receive a plum city position in exchange for his willingness to help the Mayor win an otherwise unwinnable campaign. 

Now, that speculation seems to have proven rather accurate. 

So, 2013 has not started well for Mayor Scott Foster.  He's taken heat for buying gifts and meals for his wife with taxpayer funds and now he's hired a friend for a taxpayer-funded position without telling anyone. 

Hendersonville's Hungry Mayor

So it seems Hendersonville Mayor Scott Foster is a hungry guy.  That, or he is being reimbursed from City funds for meals he purchased for his wife on a recent business/personal trip.

What's most telling about this story is the arrogance with which Foster responds to the questions.  Not only does Foster believe he is exempt from the policies that govern every other city employee, he also believes taxpayers won't mind too much if he's spending their money for personal purchases. 

Not once in the piece does he apologize or offer to re-think the policy or reimburse the City of Hendersonville. 

Instead, he responds incredulously to the idea that a reporter might actually obtain publicly available documents and use them to write a story. 

While the receipts don't necessarily indicate that Foster purchased food for two people (he is a bodybuilder, after all, and could be very hungry when he travels) -- he doesn't dispute the claim. 

Foster is right in one sense.  The story is talking about a relatively small sum of money in the grand scheme of the City's budget.  However, readers don't know (yet) if this is the norm for Foster - is he frequently spending City money to purchase meals/entertainment for his wife while she's with him on City business?

Can the Finance Director really not deny his claims? Why doesn't the reimbursement policy for every other City of Hendersonville employee apply to the Mayor - a full-time position funded exclusively with taxpayer dollars? 

Fortunately, Alderman Matt Stamper seems focused on getting to the bottom of this.  Possibly even changing the policy going forward. 

No word (yet) on Foster reimbursing the City for this trip, though.