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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Budget Committee Recommends New Tax Rate

The Budget Committee of the Sumner County Commission met last night (August 12th) and recommended a new tax rate be adopted by the full County Commission.

The new rate would be $2.262 if the full Commission votes in favor of the recommendation.

The state-adjusted "revenue neutral" rate is $1.93.

The proposed rate includes a 15-cent adjustment for inflation since the last tax increase in 2014.

Additionally, around 12 cents would pay for a $4000 raise for every teacher in Sumner County.

Other needs funded by the proposed increase include road improvements, a new facility for the jail, a parking garage in Gallatin, and adding SROs to every school in the county (15 new hires).

Even with the proposed new rate, Sumner County would have one of the lowest tax rates in middle Tennessee.

At $2.26, Sumner's rate would be only slightly higher than Rutherford County, and significantly lower than Wilson, Davidson, Cheatham, Montgomery, and Robertson.

According to Zillow, the average sale price of homes in Sumner County is around $260,000.

Based on those values, the new tax rate would mean $216 more per year for the average taxpayer, or just about $18 a month.

The County Commission will meet at 7:00 PM on Monday, August 19th at the County Commission Chambers in Gallatin to consider the new rate.

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Sumner Democrats to Host Potluck

An announcement from the Sumner County Democratic Party:

Please join us for our monthly potluck on Thursday, August 15! Bring a dish unless it's your first potluck! Bring a friend, always! A variety of options and wonderful deserts.

Doors open 5:30pm, dinner is served at 6pm. Hope to see you there! 333 W Main St., Suite F, Gallatin, TN.

 

We have several opportunities for you to be a part of SCDP by joining one of the committees. Bring your talents to the party. We need event planners, singers, artists, graphic designers. If you want to stay flexible we encourage you to join our volunteer list.

Looking forward to seeing you all!

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Property Tax Assessment Appeals

Sumner County Assessor of Property John Isbell explains the property tax assessment appeals process after an assessment cycle many homeowners have found lacking in accurate information.

According to Isbell in the Hendersonville Standard:

Now that all assessment change notices have been mailed to citizens, the next step towards setting the certified property tax rate is the appeals process.

The appeals process allows anyone who disagrees with the new valuation of their property to have their situation re-evaluated.

Informal appeals can be filed until June 4 by calling the assessor’s office at 615-452-2412 or by filling out an e-form at wevaluesumner.com. The site also gives the date and time that members of the assessor’s office will be offsite to answer property valuation questions.

Isbell has faced questions in recent years regarding the way his office conducts assessments.

In 2016, delayed billing was noted as a problem:

Tennessee's Office of the Comptroller of the Treasury weighed-in recently and noted:


“We know of no other counties that have had this magnitude of a problem as it relates to the tax freeze and tax billing,” Mumpower (of the Comproller's Office) said. “And certainly not a reoccurring problem as you have seen here, which have included five consecutive years of delayed tax billing.”

Isbell also faced complaints about his use of a publicly-funded website for political purposes:

Log on to the Sumner County web page for Assessor of Property John Isbell and you'll find a link for more information about the recent property tax reappraisal.
That page is attracting criticism from Sumner County residents like Dan Wright who feel its content amounts to a political attack on the public's dime.
"Absolutely it's political yeah. From what I see it's political defense," said Wright.
The part Wright believes is political involves direct attacks towards County Executive Anthony Holt calling him a "Pro-Tax Increase Bureaucrat."
The page also accuses Holt of holding "secret meetings" and "wasting taxpayer dollars" and towards the end of the page accuses him of conduct that's akin to "the worst kind of public servant."

In the face of concerns over Isbell's inability to accurately conduct assessments, residents are encouraged to appeal in order to receive a fair assessment.

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

County Budget Committee Meets Today

The Sumner County Commission's Budget Committee meets today starting at 3:30 PM at the County Commission Chambers in Gallatin.

Today's meeting continues the budget hearing process as the Commission prepares to discuss and vote on county departmental budgets.

Today's agenda includes the highway department, the Sheriff's office, Emergency management, and libraries, among other items.

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

Flu Virus on the Rise in Sumner

From the Hendersonville Star-News:

Sumner Regional Medical Center in Gallatin has seen its flu cases skyrocket within the last few weeks, too.
According to hospital spokeswoman Rachel Lassiter, Sumner Regional went from having two patients test positive for the flu virus in November to 108 patients test positive in December. On Friday, four adults and one child were admitted to the hospital with the virus, she said.
“We’ve really taken off here the last couple of weeks,” said Emergency Department Director Ray Pinkston.

Food Bank Opens New Location

The Sumner County Food Bank has opened a new location -- expanding its ability to serve the neediest Sumner County citizens.