News
June 14, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
The County Commission will consider passage of a higher property tax rate and a consolidated budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year when it convenes in regular monthly session on Monday, June 26 at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Mike Foster Multipurpose Center at the County Complex.
A public hearing on the proposed budget and tax rate will be held prior to the meeting on Monday, June 26 at 6 p.m. in the same location as the monthly meeting.
The total expenditure package comes to more than $63 million funded by local, state, and federal sources.
If adopted as recommended by the budget committee, the county’s property tax rate will increase by almost 27 cents (0.2692 cents) from the current level of $1.7308 cents to $2.00 per $100 of assessed value and all the increase will go into the county general fund. The property tax rate is to be divided as follows: County General: $1.2583, up from the current level of 0.9891 cents; Highways/Public Works: 0.0326 cents (no increase); General Capital Projects: 0.0733 cents (no increase); Debt Service: 0.1060 cents (no increase); General Purpose Schools: 0.5298 cents (no increase). Total proposed tax rate: $2.00, up from current level of $1.7308 cents.
Steve Bates, the county’s financial advisor/fiscal agent said that the county needs more revenue to help offset higher costs of operation due to inflation and other factors that have taken a toll on the county general budget in recent years.
Budget highlights include the following from the School Budget, County General, Highway Department, Capital Projects, and Non-Profit Charitable contributions:
*Pay raises- A 5.24% pay raise as required by the state for county public officials. The county also includes the same 5.24% increase to county general employees in addition to any step increase to which they may be entitled on the county’s wage scales. Salary for Veteran Service Officer position to be increased from $12,900 to $16,800 per year. The Assistant EMS Director to get a one dollar per hour raise. Pay for the Juvenile Court Youth Service Officer will go from $42,360 to $45,000.
*County Clerk Office: County funding for half of new full time Deputy Clerk position. Restricted earmarked fees for the office generated from noting of liens and titling transactions will be used to fund the rest of the salary. The starting base salary for the position will be $33,819 ($43,600 including base salary and all provided benefits calculated for a first-year employee) The county will budget half the cost for this position
*EMS:
-$45,000 to equip a new ambulance scheduled to arrive in January with an automatic loading system and power cot which had not been included in the specifications when the ambulance was ordered this past year.
-The county plans to make application for a Community Development Block Grant for a new ambulance. If fully funded the grant totals $352,497 with a 16% grant match by the county of $67,142. EMS Director Hoyte Hale said the projected cost for a 2025 ambulance is $237,000 but it would also need equipment that the grant could cover including a Stryker automatic loading system, Pro 2 ambulance cot, Stryker Stair Chair, Zoll heart monitor, and ventilator.
-The county is awaiting arrival of another new ambulance which was ordered several months ago and funded in the 2022-23 capital projects budget. Funding of $225,000 for the new ambulance will roll over to the new budget year if not spent by June 30.
*Fire Department:
– $40,000 to replace a leaking metal roof on a portion of the Main Station fire hall on King Ridge Road and $7,000 to install insulation to the Belk Fire Station, which is a metal building with a concrete slab with no inside insulation.
– Additional $50,000 in capital projects funding, putting the total seed money at $150,000 to build a public safety building on property owned by the US Army Corps of Engineers near Center Hill Dam to house a fire truck to serve the Wolf Creek Community once a partnership agreement has been finalized between the county and the Corps.
*County Mayor: $30,000 toward purchase of an SUV for county mayor’s official use
*Sheriff’s Department- $165,000 to purchase four patrol cars. The needed equipment for the vehicles is to be funded by the sheriff’s department’s maintenance budget line item which is about $12,000 per car.
*Solid Waste- $80,000 to fund the purchase of 12- 30 cubic yard open top containers. Meanwhile, the county is awaiting arrival of a solid waste roll off trash truck, which was ordered several months ago and funded in the 2022-23 capital projects budget. Funding of $221,000 for the trash truck will roll over to the new budget year if not spent by June 30.
*Smithville-DeKalb County Rescue Squad: $2,000 increase in the county’s annual donation to the rescue squad. Captain Dustin Johnson said the new money would be to add internet service to the rescue squad building located near Greenbrook Park for electronic filing of reports to the state and for the “IamResponding” app providing quicker alerts to rescue squad volunteers for faster response time. The county currently donates $40,821 per year to the Smithville-DeKalb County Rescue Squad operation as a non-profit entity. The new contribution would go to $42,821
*DeKalb Emergency Management Agency: Director Charlie Parker asked for adjustments in a couple of EMA budget line items totaling $2,800. Part of the extra funds would be to cover expenses for continuing installation of a radar omega system to provide advanced weather radar storm tracking alerts to the public via app. A portion of Parker’s funding request would also be for communication expense and for meals not already provided at meetings of the local Emergency Planning Committee and for snacks and refreshments during any future missing person search efforts such as the massive one held recently for Brittany Miller.
*Recovery Court: $20,000 increase in county funding from $46,700 per year to $66,700 mostly to help meet increased costs for travel and contracted services.
Schools:
– $3,000 pay raise for certified personnel and a $2,000 increase for non-certified staff.
*Tutoring: ($82,500) state funding to tutor students who failed to pass third grade testing. (Amount could change)
*K-3 Literacy: ($439,272) state funding for support and tutoring students in K-3 Literacy
* Local funding to replace approximately $100,000 in federal funding for one teacher, five educational assistants, and one secretary in the Special Education Program.
*Career and Technical Education Program: State (TISA) funding for new Marketing Instruction Program teaching position.
*Local funding for projected 2% increase in employee Medical Insurance premiums
Capital Outlay: Local funding of $400,000 to purchase and install new bleachers and a retaining wall at the DCHS soccer field.
Highways: $2.5 million allocation from the State Aid Highway Program Investment fund made possible through the Governor’s Transportation Modernization Act which was approved earlier this year by the Tennessee General Assembly. Road Supervisor Danny Hale said the new money will be earmarked for state aid road and bridge projects to be spent over a three-year period.
County funding to the following non-profit organizations:
-Upper Cumberland Development District- $2,000
-TN Division of Forestry- $ 1,500
-DeKalb County Rescue Squad- $42,821 (increased by $2,000 from 2022-23)
-DeKalb Animal Coalition-$ 36,805
-Plateau Mental Health-$7,180
-Senior Citizens Assistance Senior Program -$ 81,948 (increased by $1,303)
-DeKalb County Soil Conservation District- $ 89,433 (increased by $4,837)
-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce $35,000 (increased by $10,000)
-Imagination Library- $ 12,000
-Veterans Honor Guard-$1,500
-Civil War Trails-$ 400
-DeKalb County Fair- $ 5,000
-Jamboree-$ 5,000 (new contribution)
-Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency- $ 5,500
-UCHRA Assessment-Homemaker Aide, Etc. -$9,717
Total- $ 335,804
City Begins Summer Garbage Pickup Schedule Tuesday, June 20
June 14, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
The City of Smithville will implement the summer schedule for public works department employees including trash pickup starting Tuesday, June 20 at 6 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. daily (Monday-Friday)
Sheriff and Police Chief Warn Public to Guard Against Auto Break-Ins
June 14, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
Don’t become a victim of a vehicle break-in!
That’s the warning by the Smithville Police and DeKalb County Sheriff’s Departments as both agencies have had recent reports of those type crimes in which victim’s car windows have been shattered and personal belongings stolen.
In a joint statement, Sheriff Patrick Ray and Police Chief Mark Collins are warning you to never leave your car with valuables in plain sight, even if car doors are locked.
“We believe these thieves are targeting vehicles with valuables in plain sight no matter if the automobile is locked or not. The thief walks by the vehicle, sees a pocketbook, wallet, or other valuable items in plain sight, pops (shatters) the window, grabs the valuables, and then is gone in a matter of seconds. We want to encourage everyone to lock valuables in your trunk and keep them out of sight,” said Chief Collins.
Sheriff Ray said some of thefts locally have been at areas around the lake as well as in Smithville.
“There have been some car break-ins on Cove Hollow Circle near the Dam and Edgar Evins State Park. The City of Smithville has also had some,” said Sheriff Ray.
Similar crimes have been reported recently in other counties including Wilson where authorities have posted on social media a photo of a suspicious vehicle. Sheriff Ray said the vehicle in that photo could be the same one seen in the area where the DeKalb County burglaries occurred.
Meanwhile, suspects using a stolen a credit card from a local victim were photographed at Walmart here.
If you can identify the suspects or have information that could help solve the crimes, contact the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, Smithville Police Department, or central dispatch at 615-215-3000.
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