County Poised to Pass "NO NEW TAXES" Budget

The Sumner County Commission passed a budget recently and that budget does NOT include new taxes. Here's more from Gallatin News:

Sumner County Commissioners are scheduled to vote on a combined county government and school system budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year next week, which does not include a property tax increase for residents.

The approximately $355.5 million combined spending plans were approved by the county’s budget committee on June 15. A vote by the full commission is set for June 29.

Unlike in previous years, Sumner County Budget Committee Chairman Chris Taylor said that county departments and elected officials were told this year that additional funding would be limited due to the negative economic impact the pandemic has had locally.

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Budget Committee to Consider Teacher Pay Raise

The Budget Committee of the Sumner County Commission will meet on Monday, August 12th at 6:00PM in Conference Room 112 of the County Administration Building in Gallatin.

The agenda will include a discussion of a proposed pay raise for Sumner County teachers that would take effect in the 2020-21 academic year.

Director of Schools Del Phillips is proposing that the County Commission commit to funding a $4000 pay raise for all teachers in order to make teacher pay in Sumner County more competitive.

A final decision on the measure is expected to be voted on at the August 19th full commission meeting.

To date, the 2019-2020 county general purpose and school system budgets have not been approved.


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Tinsley Talks Taxes

In response to this story about Sumner County's pending budget challenges, County Commissioner Luke Tinsley offered some tweets to explain where he stands:

TABLED

The Sumner County Commission tabled the 2019-2020 budget in a meeting last week after disagreement about funding for volunteer fire departments and other funding disputes.

The move comes as Sumner County enters a 5th consecutive year without any revenue increase. Here's more from the Hendersonville Standard:

After lengthy discussion and hearty citizen disapproval of stripping the volunteer fire department of funding, the commission voted to table the 2019-2020 fiscal year budget appropriations and to approve a continuation budget at 1:28 a.m. on June 18.

The continuation budget was approved by a vote of 21 – 2 and means that all department funding will stay as it is beginning on July 1 until a decision is reached. The appropriations were tabled and will be discussed at the next commission meeting on July.

“One thing to bear in mind when volunteer fire department came up, and that was a tough one, we had slotted $10,000 to $14,000 (each),” Taylor said, but the previously awarded $24,000 was not available due to additional expenses, such as the jail roof and repairs to jail locks.

“I’m going to ask for a one time $450,000 improvement for them, call it a tax increase, call it whatever you want,” he continued.

This was later approved by vote of 19 – 1 with 3 abstaining votes, though where the money would come from was not decided. It would give every volunteer fire department the $24,000 and also leave $130,000 for emergency services to distribute to other stations upon review. Donations and fundraising activities make up the rest of their funding.

While the County Commission struggles to fund growth, the Sumner County School Board sent a budget that included a 5th consecutive budget without a scale increase for teacher pay. Sumner County ranks 103rd in Tennessee in rate of teacher pay raises since 2014.

The situation last week echoes the early warning signs of fiscal crisis that preceded the 2012 closing of Sumner County Schools due to a budget impasse between the School Board and County Commission.

It will be interesting to see how the County Commission ultimate responds to this challenge. Will they move to increase revenue by way of a small property tax increase or will they shift funds in order to kick the can down the road or will they adjust priorities?

It seems many more early morning meeting adjournments may be forthcoming.

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

Sumner County Budget Committee to Meet Monday

Subject to a special call, the Budget Committee of the Sumner County Commission will meet on Monday at 4:30 PM at the County Administration Building in Gallatin.

Here's the call:

A special called meeting of the Budget Committee is noticed for Monday, June 1st, 2015, at 4:30 P.M. (local time) at the Sumner County Administration Building, 355 North Belvedere Drive, Room 112, Gallatin, Tennessee. 

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss, consider, and possibly vote on the Sumner Schools Budget, the General Purpose Budget, the Debt Service Budget, the Highway Budget, and any other Sumner County budgetary matters being considered for the 2015-2016 fiscal year.

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Anthony Holt, Taxes, and the Sumner County Budget

County Executive Anthony Holt points out in a recent article in the Hendersonville Standard that the previous County Commission committed to a host of expenditures before they left office ... leaving the new Commission with two choices: Cut budgeted expenses or raise revenue to cover the expenses.

Here's Holt's statement on the issue:

"The majority of these expenses were budgeted and committed to by our previous 'fiscally responsible' County Commission with no attempt made to increase revenue or make corresponding reductions in the county’s budget, leaving our newly elected Commissioners holding the bill."

Among the new expenses is a bailout of the insurance trust, already bailed out in 2013 because the Commission under previous leadership refused to charge adequate premiums or deposit sufficient funds to cover claims.

That Commission, under the leadership of Merrol Hyde, also spent nearly all of the $40 million of reserve funds on recurring expenses, effectively running deficit budgets with no plan to meet expenses.

The new Commission raised revenue in a way that responsibly invests in Sumner County, including supporting schools and other county needs.

Teachers Skeptical of New Pay Scale

Sumner County teachers are skeptical about a new pay plan adopted by the State Board of Education and suspect it could mean lower lifetime earnings, especially with the current makeup of the Sumner County Commission. 

The plan changes the state's mandatory minimum teacher pay and would allow districts to keep the pay of some teachers stagnant for years.  While no teacher will make less than they do in the 2013-14 school year, there's no requirement that they ever make more, either. 

The state has suggested that districts differentiate teacher pay -- based on either test scores or hard to fill positions.  However, the state has provided zero new dollars to districts to assist them in boosting teacher pay. 

Sumner County's teachers are among the lowest-paid in middle Tennessee and starting salaries in Sumner lag some $6,000+ behind those in neighboring Davidson County. 

In recent years, the Sumner County Commission has balked at efforts to fund the School Board's budgets.  This has some teachers worried that the Commission will use the new pay scale as a way to demand that the Board not increase salaries.  In the past, the Board justified raises by noting that the state required certain increases for teachers.  Now, that argument is off the table. 

Fortunately, Board Chair Ted Wise has indicated he wants to see Sumner teacher salaries remain competitive. 

The Board will be tasked with developing a new pay scale in the coming months so that it may be approved the State Board and implemented in 2014-15. 

Mike Towle Takes on the County Commission

Sumner County Publications General Manager Mike Towle writes that he's "baffled" by certain things going on in Sumner County and the world.  Specifically, he mentions the school funding crises of recent memory which were followed by this year's amazingly smooth budget process.  Towle notes that 2014 is election year and that perhaps the Commissioners are on good behavior because they hope to get re-elected. 

Nevertheless, a look at past budget votes indicates that there are several County Commissioners who have been stalwart opponents of strong school funding.

Among them, Budget Chair Jerry Stone, former budget chair Kirk Moser, Jim Vaughn, Frank Freels, Paul Freels.  Others voting against school funding in 2011 and 12 include:

Steve Graves

Mike Akins

Moe Taylor

Billy Geminden

David Satterfield

Joe Matthews

Jo Skidmore

Bob Pospisil

Sometimes voting for and sometimes against school funding were Paige Brown Strong and Shawn Utley.

Voting records are permanent and cannot be escaped by one summer of "good" behavior. 

County Commission Makes History With Budget

The Sumner County Commission made history this week, passing both the school and general purpose budgets BEFORE the start of the fiscal year (July 1) for the first time anyone can remember or demonstrate by record.

Of course, this historic moment comes after extremely contentious budget cycles in 2011 and 2012.  And less than a year before the May 2014 primary elections for County Commission.  Perhaps Commissioners believe citizens will forget their unwillingness to fund schools in the past?

It's worth noting that the fact that this is historic means the Commission has been neglecting its duties for years.  The School Boards of the past helped, too, of course -- not getting budgets to the Commission in a timely fashion.

The past two years, however, the School Board has delivered its budget early, making needs known in April, passing a budget plan in May.  This year, not a single County Commissioner attended the School Board's May budget meeting -- despite the schools being the single largest county-funded program.

Some have suggested the process can't be done too much earlier, because estimated final budget numbers would mean the School Board would end up operating with additional funds in reserve.

Here's what happens now, though:  The School Board operates with the MINIMUM amount of reserves allowed by state law.  Roughly enough to keep schools open for 7-10 days. That means in the event of a disaster requiring expenditure of funds, the Board would have a tough time making ends meet. 

Of course, the alternative would be to present the budget earlier, use even more conservative numbers, and increase the reserve balance after the books are closed for the fiscal year.  IF both the Board and the County Commission are comfortable operating with the MINIMUM reserves allowed by law, the Board can simply include the reserve overage in the next year's budget.  Alternatively, the Board could set a goal of having reserves totaling 10% of operating costs and then spend any excess toward the next year's budget. 

The lesson this year, though, is that the budget process doesn't have to work the way it has in ALL those years before 2013.  It CAN work smoothly and be passed on time IF the goal is the development and funding of excellent schools that benefit the entire community. 

That's one way to put it ...

County Commissioner Jim Vaughn is "applauding" the wisdom of Schools Director Del Phillips because Phillips is not asking for more funds for schools in this year's budget.

In short, Vaughn is gloating that after two budget cycles, Phillips has gotten the clear message that the County Commission (at least in its current form) won't be funding excellent schools.  They seem content with portable farms, low faculty and staff salaries, and supplies funded by PTOs and fundraising drives and supplemented by teachers. 

So, Phillips has taken better than expected numbers from the BEP and some county revenue growth and made the most of it, utilizing funds in a way that keeps schools going without asking for a start on the investment necessary for truly excellent schools.  The alternative was yet another fight with the County Commission that likely would have seen that body ignore the will of the public and continue to under-fund schools.  Layoffs mid-year would have likely followed.

Also, to say the budgets for all departments are passing early is a strange way of speaking.  The fiscal year begins on July 1st and budgets should (and can) be passed by that date.  In other words, this is the first time in a long time the County Commission has managed its business well enough to get their job done on time.  I'm sure if Jim Vaughn had an employee who completed work on time once very six years, he'd keep him on -- or even give him a raise? 

Library Controversy Gets a Committee

The controversy over who owns (and who wants to own) the Hendersonville Library now has a County Commission Committee.

The issue now seems to be that neither body actually wants the Library.  The County has not properly funded the library, and the City handles maintenance costs.  The City seems unwilling to fund much more than the $50,000 they now contribute.  And so, who will get the library?  It's worth noting that private and City funds paid for much of the construction of the library.  And the property has never been deeded to the County, so it would seem to be fairly easy for the County to just leave it to the City. 

Absent a tax increase at the City level, however, it seems unlikely that the City could operate the Library at its current paltry state of operating hours. 

Of course, the County could leave the situation as it is and continue to contribute funds to the Hendersonville Library in order to ensure that every city in the county has an operating Library.

Stay tuned as Library Battle 2013 heats up this summer.

Sumner Schools 2013-14 PROPOSED Budget

Last night, Director of Schools Del Phillips unveiled his budget proposal for 2013-14.  The budget was unveiled in a presentation to the Board and members of the public who wished to attend.  The event was dubbed a workshop and allowed for a Q&A session before the formal vote on the proposal scheduled for Tuesday, May 21st. 

Here are the highlights:

The budget will require NO NEW REVENUE from the County Commission in order to be fully funded. 

This is for several reasons:  local sales tax revenues are up, increasing the money available for schools, the state BEP allocation was higher than normal, the state allocated SOME money for purchase/upgrade of technology, and the Administration has been conservatively managing existing resources. 

It's worth noting that the budget is NOT the "ideal Sumner Schools budget" and there are still gaps in technology, teaching positions, salaries, etc.  BUT, the budget adds 11 new teachers (long overdue) and increases allocation to technology beyond the state allocation.  It also includes a pay range adjustment for bookkeepers which will mean an average increase in pay of about 50 cents an hour for the system's bookkeepers. 

Other jobs will need range adjustments going forward.

All employees are slated to receive a 1% raise.  Again, not enough ... but a forward step after many years in which there were no raises at all.

The budget does ask the County Commission to cover roughly $3.4 million in capital costs, including the purchase of buses and textbooks. 

If dollars are appropriated wisely, there should be no need for a tax increase to fund this budget. 

Certainly, future years should see proposals that will ask for additional funds to move the schools from an "adequate" budget to one that no longer includes student fees for basic course materials, excessive fundraising to pay for essential supplies, and a lack of access to technology.  This budget takes a small first step in that direction. 

Tune in May 21st for the Board's vote and then watch the County Commission process starting in June to see if this basic, sound budget passes OR if there's yet another budget battle. 

Sumner County Commission Committees to Meet

Several committees of the Sumner County Commission will meet tonight beginning at 5PM at the County Administration Building in Gallatin. Among the items up for discussion -- the "gifting" of the Hendersonville Public Library to the City of Hendersonville.

A Budget Battle Summary - 2011 to Present

It seems like it's always been going on.  A budget battle between the School Board who wants more money for schools and the County Commission who resists providing the funds.  With a school system that operates with old technology, underpaid teachers and staff, numerous portables, and PTOs and parents chipping in at least 15% MORE than what the County allocates, it seems hard to argue that the Board's recent requests for more money represent excess.  In fact, in the 2011 negotiations, the Commission found only $300,000 in expenses it deemed excessive in the scope of a $180 million budget.

That said, this article attempts to summarize the key turning points in the budget fights of recent years as we head into budget season again, starting with the Board's budget-related meeting in mid-May. 


2011

It started with a proposed CAP on school spending artificially imposed by the County Commission BEFORE the school system's budget was considered by the School Board. The School Board didn't like that idea and requested a budget that was $12 million over the cap and that would have reduced or eliminated many school fees.

After the Commission rejected this initial budget, the Board cut more than $6 million from the request and sent it back.  Commissioners Jerry Stone and Kirk Moser balked at this and suggested the schools try again.  The School Board then deferred action on the budget, taking some time to consider the most judicious cuts. After mulling things over a bit, the Board then narrowly decided to ask new Director of Schools Del Phillips to propose cuts to get much closer to the Commission's suggested budget number.

Layoffs of school employees were predicted and a centralization of bookkeepers which would have cost at least 20 jobs was considered, then rejected.  With projections growing dire, County Executive Anthony Holt joined the chorus of County leaders calling for less funding for schools.

The Board then adopted a "cuts budget" that met the County Commission's spending requirement. It was pointed out that a property tax increase of about $5 a month for the average property owner in Sumner would more than cover the School System's budget needs.  Some County Commissioners, however, were unwilling to entertain such an increase.

The "cuts budget" - narrowly passed by the Board, was kicked back to the County Commission, where members of key committees were changing just in time for key votes.

Both the County Commission's Education Committee and Budget Committee approved the cuts budget.

The County Commission then sent the Budget back to the School Board, requesting that the Board find a way to NOT cut jobs ... After the Board initially requested $12 million more than the Commission had allocated and after a month of fighting, the Commission finally gave in and offered $500,000 more to schools so that 40 jobs could be saved (which is not much money per job, really).  Textbooks, raises, elimination of fees, and added faculty for growth were all cut out.

In October, the Board indicated that the 2012 year would also require more funding -- and be more problematic to fix if the Commission did not come up with additional funds. Then, in November, the Commission put a Wheel Tax on the March ballot.

2012

With 2011 in the books and 2012 presenting a new opportunity (and a Wheel Tax vote), conditions did not improve.  In fact, as budget time drew near, things got worse. 

By February, the groundwork was being laid for what would become the 2012 School Budget Battle.

Then, there was a shortfall in anticipated state funds.

Not surprisingly, in March, voters rejected the Wheel Tax. Following the Wheel Tax vote, Commissioners Jerry Stone and Jim Vaughn indicated the schools would need to rely on "other" sources of revenue -- because no taxes would be increased.

The School system then considered outsourcing of custodial staff. And rejected due to safety and management concerns, a small initial savings, and no promise of sustained savings to the district.

In early June, the School Board reviewed an initial budget proposal -- showing a $7 million shortfall.

An initial rhetorical standoff led to discussion of cuts.

The Board then passed, earlier than ever, its budget -- with a $7 million shortfall (on June 19) asking the County Commission to fully fund it. Then, the County Commission suggested that the Board deny raises to employees for the 5th year in a row.

On July 10, the County Commission's Budget Committee denied the School Board's budget request.

Then, the County Commission passed a General Budget that meant the schools would be forced to cut $7.6 million from their initial proposal -- BEFORE the Board had considered any options.

Then, early August saw the School Board take a stand -- demanding their budget be fully-funded.  And if not, school would be out ... indefinitely.

The County Commission was not amused.

Then, more gimmicks and trickery from the Commission.

Finally, after the Board lost the standoff, made some cuts, and deferred some capital needs, school started.  And the County Commission put another Wheel Tax on the ballot.  It failed, of course, but got twice as much support (by percentages) as the March edition had. 

And now, we're in 2013.  Commission leaders are again promising no new revenue for schools.  The School System needs state-required technology upgrades and new teachers to keep up with growth.  Plus, there are employees who haven't had a raise in 6 years now.  Basic school functions (copy machines, supplies, even some teacher salaries) remain paid by parents and PTOs through fees and fundraisers.

Will the School Board pass an excellence-based budget?  And is there any chance the Commission would fund such a measure?

Stay tuned.  Summer's just getting started.

Sumner County Commission Budget Committee Meets Tonight

The Budget Committee of the Sumner County Commission meets tonight at 5:30 PM at the County Administration Building in Gallatin.

They will review a couple of budget amendments from the School Board and ostensibly here at least some preliminary discussion regarding the school system's budget.  The School Board is slated to take up their budget at a Special Called meeting on May 14th.

Under-funded Schools Place Burden of Basics on Parents

Without millions in school fees and millions more in PTO fundraisers, the Sumner County Schools simply could not operate.  That's the finding from a review of monies collected through school fees and an analysis of PTO expenditures across Sumner County.

Focusing on the fees, which total $1.8 million a year, the Star News and reporter Jennifer Easton talked with parents, principals, board members, and the Director of Schools. 

The bottom line:  Parents pay fees that end up covering basic costs -- like supplies for class, workbooks, computers, and even the salaries of some teachers. 

If you take into account the contributions from PTOs, it appears that parents are contributing 15-20% above the total dollars allocated to schools by the County Commission.  And that's just to operate the current program, which many consider inadequate in terms of technology, school safety, and salaries for teachers and staff. 

The School Board meets in Special Session on May 14th to discuss the 2013-14 budget.  That will start a process that will likely end with fighting in the County Commission.  It's not clear whether the Board will submit an excellence-based budget that will reduce or eliminate fees, fund technology, raise teacher pay, and move toward eliminating unsafe portable classrooms.  Even if they did, it seems an anti-school majority on the County Commission, led by Kirk Moser, Jerry Stone, Jim Vaughn, and Merrol Hyde will continue to block improved funding for schools. 

If baseball's not enough summer entertainment for you, turn to the School Board and County Commission meetings - they should be full of fireworks and ultimately, disappointment.

Mike Towle: Raging Liberal?

Well, that's the word from County Commissioner Jerry Stone.

Towle writes all about how Stone wrote a letter calling Towle a liberal.

Towle felt so offended he was compelled to defend himself.

Anyone who has read Mike's writing in praise of Debra Maggart, for example, knows he's no liberal.

Moreover, this type of name-calling by Stone hints at a certain level of desperation.

Conservatives and Liberals in Sumner County both support excellent public schools.  A solid majority of the community has repeatedly attended County Commission meetings, made phone calls, and sent emails. 

None of this has swayed Stone and his buddies who have consistently opposed school funding.  So, now they are resorting to name-calling.  They attempt to divide and drive wedges rather than respond to the will of the people. 

Perhaps they hope the distraction about left vs. right will take away focus from what's been going wrong: The School Board and Commission can't get together and agree on what's best for schools.  Our children and our entire community are held hostage while adults fight to gain the political upper hand. 

And now, schoolyard name-calling has entered the mix.  That means there's not much hope for the coming budget cycle. 

How much more needs to be said about our community's desire for excellent schools? About the desire on the part of many to pay just a little bit more in order to have a school system that lives up to its potential for greatness?

Would Stone not be better served by presenting a reasonable budget alternative that helps move our schools (and community) forward?

Elections are coming in 2014.  And the budget battle this year has the potential to make Stone and others look bad -- unless they do what they need to do to set our schools on a path toward excellence.

So, expect more name-calling and desperation.   

County's Lack of Oversight Leads to Audit Findings

The Sumner County Commission hasn't been keeping up with recommendations to have an Audit Committee and properly review departmental budgets.  That's the takeaway from the most recent Comptroller's Audit of the County's finances.

The Audit, conducted by the state Comptroller's Office, found several repeat deficiencies in the way County departments conduct business.  These inefficiencies could end up costing taxpayers. 

Most disturbing, however, is that the state recommends that County governments have permanent Audit Committees in addition to their Budget Committees in order to carefully review state audits and recommend improvements. 

Sumner has only sporadically had an Audit Committee since 2005 (when the recommendation went into place).  Now, it appears that rather than being proactive, the Commission (chaired by Merrol Hyde) is reacting to unfavorable state findings. 

A more thorough review by the Budget Committee on the front end and the existence of an Audit Committee on the back end could have addressed these issues years earlier had Commission leaders chosen to act more responsibly.

The lack of due diligence on the part of Commissioners means the committee was formed quickly and will now have to work fast to address findings identified in the most recently list of departmental shortcomings. 

Budget Committee Meets Tonight

The Budget Committee of the Sumner County Commission will meet tonight at 5:30 PM at the County Administration Building in Gallatin.

The agenda is exclusively focused on the 2013-14 budgets to be considered by the County Commission, including possible votes on the budgets for next year and a discussion and possible votes on financing for the budgets. 

Not on the calendar explicitly (but sure to be discussed) is the schools budget.  In the past, the Budget Committee has proposed a tax rate at meetings like this and then passed all the County Budgets except for the Schools Budget.  Effectively, this sets the amount of money available for schools for the upcoming budget year.

Of course, this happens BEFORE the School Board has finalized its budget -- which is slated to happen in May this year, earlier than ever before.  If County Commissioners were to attend the School Board budget meetings and wait to set a tax rate or budget until AFTER the Schools Budget is discussed, some of the tension between the two bodies might be resolved.

The Budget Committee is chaired by long-time opponent of school funding Jerry Stone, who once compared supporters of schools to Kool-Aid drinkers with no grip on reality (A reference, no doubt, to the Jim Jones debacle). 

Tune in tonight to see if your County Commission continues to egg on the fight with the School Board or if reason prevails and the Commission waits to hear from the School Board before setting the final budget numbers.  And by waiting, were talking about 20 days or so -- still plenty of time to get everything hashed out in June and the budget set before July 1st.  Readers may recall that it was nearly October last year before the school system had a final budget. 

School Board Meets in Study Session

The Sumner County School Board will meet in Study Session tonight at 6PM at the Board Meeting Room in Gallatin.

Among the agenda items is discussion of employee insurance benefits, an issue that has been somewhat contentious of late -- especially with the insolvency and bailout of the County Insurance Trust.