County approves budget By Jeremy

After a brief flurry of amendments, Loudon County Commission approved the 2021-22 fiscal year budget despite an attempt to add Run LoCo funding and remove an Adequate Facilities Tax reduction.

Commission met July 6 specifically to vote on the budget, which passed 7-3 following a motion by Commissioner Van Shaver and a second by Commissioner David Meers. Commissioners Matthew Tinker, Harold Duff and Julia Hurley opposed.

“I think overall I think it’s very solid,” Rollen “Buddy” Bradshaw, Loudon County mayor, said. “I knew a couple of those topics were going to come up and those are not going to be popular and, to be perfectly honest, those never came out of budget committee unanimous either. I knew the conversation was going to come. Overall, I think I’m pleased with it and I think the commission for the most part is relatively pleased. I know there were three ‘nos’ on the ultimate and I think those two subjects were the reason for those.”

Included in the budget are a $1,000 annual wage increase for all full-time employees and a 2% raise for part-timers. Seven additional full-time employees were added, including one each for the property assessor, county clerk’s office and recycling center, three corrections officers at the jail and either a patrol deputy or investigator.

The certified tax rate is $1.5183 per $100 of assessed value. The county’s reserves will be about $8.3 million.

Prior to the budget vote, Tinker and Hurley motioned and seconded, respectively, to remove a 2.5% reduction of Adequate Facilities Tax for Lenoir City Schools. The vote failed 7-3, with Tinker, Hurley and Duff opposing.

Commissioners Van Shaver and Kelly Littleton-Brewster motioned and seconded, respectively, to ensure the extra AFT funding went to Loudon County Schools’ Capital Projects Fund 177, which passed 7-3. Hurley, Tinker and Duff again opposed.

“I know that any student in this county can go to any school and with the growth that’s going on up on the north end of (U.S. Highway) 321, they’re all going to be going North Middle School and Eaton Elementary School for the most part,” Adam Waller, county commissioner, said. “It’s just an ability to have $4,600 more for the next four years to go into our capital projects to help the county schools. ... The budget committee does thankless work and they put tens of hundreds of hours into the budget process and I really trust what they come out with. Is there still room to cut? Sure, but there’s more places to spend as well. But I’m not going to rock the boat in terms of the incredible work they do.”

Lenoir City Council voted Monday to halt AFT documentation processing in response to the commission decision.

Commissioners initially thought the reduction would only take $4,600 from Lenoir City Schools. Chip Miller, Loudon County trustee, said Friday the amount for this fiscal year is $34,506.

“I would say that there are a few commissioners that stand in the way of growth on a regular basis and if we could see more growth we wouldn’t have these arguments or issues,” Hurley said. “We would be able to keep our promises and not raise taxes, but considering the fact that we continue to block builders with the AFT and now we’re telling them, ‘You came to Lenoir City to build specifically knowing you were told where your AFT money’s going to go. Hey, we’re taking that from you, too, but we still want you to pay that dollar extra per square foot.’ It’s an anti-growth program to begin with and now we are telling ourselves we’re not going to grow in the correct places with the promises that we made with it. Again, just a poor decision overall.”

Prior to the vote, Lenoir City Board of Education Chairman Matthew Coleman asked commissioners to remove the reduction.

“It’s my understanding that years ago when the county commission voted in the Adequate Facilities Tax it was for a growing district, growing county and supporting school systems in that county,” Coleman said. “You may or not be aware that Lenoir City Schools district is one of nine districts across the state that actually increased enrollment this last year. I really think if it hadn’t been for COVID it probably would have been higher. I’m sure if you’ve driven around Lenoir City you see all the houses going up. It is my understanding that between 800 and 1,000 new homes will be built in two years in Lenoir City.

“I expect our enrollment to continue to rise and at this time instead of decreasing and cutting funding for a growing school and growing district, now’s the time that we should be supporting that district, supporting those kids in that community,” he added. “Those children are going to be the ones in my seat, your seat in 20-30 years from now and I just don’t think that cutting funding for a growing district right now is the right thing to do.”

In an unrelated matter, commissioners approved a total contribution of $1.1 million to nonprofits in the budget following a motion and second, respectively, by Satterfield and Shaver. That vote passed 10-0.

Duff and Hurley also motioned and seconded, respectively, to allocate $2,500 for Loudon County Education Foundation to pay Loudon County Sheriff’s Office for Run LoCo support. That vote failed 7-3, with Commissioners Shaver, Littleton-Brewster, Waller, Meers, Bill Satterfield, Henry Cullen and Gary Whitfield opposing.

“I’ve calculated and roughly we’ve put about 140-plus hours into the budget this year,” Meers said. “We try to take very serious look at the needs now, at economic factors and other things. This has not been an easy process, but we’re trying to do what we can do.”