The Cumberland County Commission met last night. Highlights include the following resolutions that passed:

Resolution 03-2021-1 to grant Middle Tennessee Natural Gas (MTNG) a permanent easement – Landfill Road. MTNG is bringing additional natural gas capacity to Cumberland County by constructing a distribution pipeline. This resolution authorized an easement on county property along the road at the landfill.

Resolution 03-2021-3 budget amendment, drug control fund, sheriff’s department, drug enforcement $10,000 –  This resolution authorized the moving of funds so the sheriff can procure a drug dog, related equipment, and required handler training.

Resolution 03-2021-4 – budget amendment, general fund, COVID-19 grant expenditures, emergency medical services $10,500 – This grant approved CARES Act funding for installing UV lights in the county ambulance fleet.  The lights reportedly will kill COVID-19 and other pathogens in approximately 90 seconds.

Resolution 03-2021-6 – budget amendment, debt service fund $1,600,734 – This resolution approved paying off the debt note recently issued for the County Archives project.  This was a short-term note issued by a bank to be paid off from Debt Service Fund Balance and is a financial move to keep the county in audit compliance.

Resolution 03-2021-7 to approve updating the current Cumberland County personnel policy  – A few minor personnel policy changes were made including incorporating the Tennessee Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and a workplace search policy. The entire policy will be available online this week.

Resolution 03-2021-8 to approve the Cumberland County community service workers handbook – A handbook was approved for community service workers in a unanimous vote. These workers are not employees, so the handbook was approved separately and contains many of the same provisions as the employee handbook. This will be available online this week.

COUNTY FINANCIAL REPORT

County Finance Director Nathan Brock reported Emergency Medical Services (EMS) collections for the month were $353,230 which is $19,897 above the monthly budgeted amount of $333,333. Last month, collections were $314,227 which was $19,106 under the monthly budgeted number.  Additional funds were received last month that revised income up to $369,964 which is $36,631 above the monthly budget. Year to date, the county is $480,897 ahead of projections.

Sales tax collections for the General Purpose School Fund came in at $1,278,153 which is $193,816 above projections. Year to date the county collected $7,105,638 and are $747,954 above budget.

Property tax collections year to date are 91.9% of budget compared to 93.8% at this point last year.

Cumulative hotel/motel taxes are $445,714 which is 66.71% of the budget. The budgeted amount was revised down this year to $668,166 from $817,283. Last year, with the larger budgeted amount, the county collected $484,533, or 59.3% of budget, at this point.

Cumulative prisoner boarding collections are $236,396, or 39.19%, of the $602,396 annual budget. Last year the county was at $368,277, 49.6%, of an annual budget of $743,000.