Could your county property taxes be going up?
Members of the county budget committee are working hard to avoid that but they may have their work cut out for them.
During Thursday night’s meeting, the budget committee, while not taking a vote, looked at cutting over $300,000 from the proposed county general fund budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year. But even with those cuts, the proposed budget still shows a deficit of more than $700,000. To make that up, the county would need an additional seventeen cents on the property tax rate, according to the county’s financial advisor Steve Bates.
A major new spending program affecting next year’s budget is the federally mandated Affordable Health Care Act in which the county and school system must offer health insurance coverage to every full time employee. County Mayor Mike Foster said the cost to the general fund to meet this mandate could run from $360,000 to more than $400,000.
Foster said it’s too early to say if any tax increase will be needed. He said more cuts may yet be made in the proposed budget for the general fund.
One place the budget committee is looking to possibly cut back on is the proposal for four additional School Resource Officers. To fund all four, the county would need to come up with $236,969.
A majority of the budget committee members, Wayne Cantrell, Jerry Scott, and Larry Summers suggested cutting that back to two new SRO officers, which would slice the cost in half to $118,485.
Committee members Jack Barton and Marshall Ferrell preferred leaving four new SRO officers in the proposed budget.
“If the right thing happened, I would like to see four (SRO Officers) total, ” said Summers.
“I think you could split one (SRO Officer) between Northside and Smithville Elementary School,” said Cantrell.
Foster and members of the budget committee stressed that things remain “fluid” when it comes to the proposed budget and nothing has yet been finalized.
The board of education is expected to have a workshop and a special meeting Monday night to revise their proposed budget. The county commission’s budget committee will meet again next Wednesday night to review all budgets.

Nick Luper has been named the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency 2012 Boating Officer of the Year while Tommy Stockling is honored as Part-Time Boating Officer of the Year.
The recipients of the annual awards were announced by Darren Rider, TWRA Boating and Law Enforcement Division Chief. Both officers serve in TWRA District 31, which encompasses 12 counties in northern Middle Tennessee and has popular boating and fishing destinations. The officers were presented their awards at the May meeting of the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Luper inspected close to 600 vessels for compliance with Tennessee boating laws. He issued 43 citations and 69 warnings. He also arrested 19 operators for Boating Under the Influence (BUI). He took the lead in boating accidents, including three which resulted in fatalities. He was involved in the rescue of a pair of fishermen from a disabled vessel and made numerous other assists to boaters who were stranded because of mechanical failure.
Active in boating safety education, Luper taught six courses and monitored more than 160 exams. In addition, he also trains wildlife and boating officers in boat operations and BUI procedures.
He is active in public outreach in the Upper Cumberland area. He is responsible for scheduling and setting up the TWRA BUI simulator at public functions to demonstrate the dangers associated with alcohol and boating. He initiated a media event on Center Hill Reservoir in preparation for Operation Dry Water.
Stockling is a member of the agency’s part-time boating officer program. As part of his duties, he inspected almost 3,000 vessels for compliance with Tennessee boating laws in 2012, often as boaters prepare to launch their vessels. He performed courtesy inspections to see that the vessels were incompliance, and gave boaters the opportunity to correct any infractions.
He issued 49 citations and 31 warnings. He also made two BUI arrests. He also assisted boaters who were experiencing various problems.
Stockling’s education efforts included teaching a pair of boating safety classes and assisted with other classes. He worked with the Free Fishing Day events to promote boating safety. He also worked with a Center Hill Reservoir marina staff and customers to hold a BBQ event to help assist families of military personnel at Fort Campbell.
—TWRA—
(TOP PHOTO: TWRA Executive Director Ed Carter with Tommy Stockling)
(MIDDLE PHOTO: Tommy Stockling (left) and Nick Luper are with their respective awards after being introduced as the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency part-time Boating Officer and Boating Officer of the Year for 2012. Both officers serve the TWRA in Region III’s District 31. The officers were presented the awards at the May meeting of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission. Also pictured are (from left) District 31 Lt. Tim Singleton, District 31 Cpt. Roy Cannon, Region III Maj. CJ Jaynes, Boating and Law Enforcement Division Chief Darren Rider, and Asst. Boating and Law Enforcement Chief Glenn Moates.
(BOTTOM PHOTO: TWRA Officer Nick Luper)

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has announced road projects this summer which may affect traffic.
TDOT plans to resurface State Route 56 from the bridge over Pine Creek to south of U.S. 70.
Lane shifts will be altered throughout the project to allow shoulder work to be performed. Weather permitting; the contractor could have temporary lane closures. In the event of a temporary lane closure, the contractor will use flaggers to maneuver motorists through the project .Estimated project completion date is July 2013.
TDOT also plans to install a flashing beacon on U.S. 70 at the intersection of State Route 83 near Kilgore’s Restaurant.
The contractor may have short lane closures in order to install a flashing beacon at the intersection of SR-83. Estimated project completion date is July 2013.

The Smithville Volunteer Fire Department was called to Star Manufacturing this morning (Thursday) where a laser cutting machine caught fire.
“We had a little fire at Star Manufacturing in one of their laser cutting machines,” said Chief Charlie Parker. “They evacuated the building. They had some smoke coming from the laser. Maintenance crews took it (machine) apart where we could pull it outside to get to it. There was some smoke in the building. We set up a fan and pulled some of the smoke out of the building. We cleared the building (of smoke) so they (employees) could go back to work. It was primarily in just one machine. We didn’t put any water on the fire. We took the machine apart and pulled the filters to where we could get it outside. It pretty much went out on its own,” said Chief Parker.

A Mount Juliet man was killed when his motorcycle crashed into a guardrail on Dale Ridge Road (Highway 96) Tuesday afternoon.
Dead is 29 year old Joshua Jernigan.
According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Jernigan was traveling north on his Suzuki motorcycle when he went off the right side of the road and struck a guardrail post. The fatal crash occurred near the intersection with Caplinger Hollow Road.
Jernigan was wearing a helmet.
He was taken to DeKalb Community Hospital by DeKalb EMS where he was pronounced dead.
The accident was investigated by Trooper Jeremy Wilhite of the THP.

Omega Apparel Incorporated received notification from the Department of Defense that they won their bid to produce skirts for the Air Force and Marine Corp. The contract effective date is September 28, 2013 and will continue for 5-years.
“This is a critical win for us” shared Terry Green, Plant Manager at Omega. “Retaining the Air Force and Marine Corps contract enables us to create scale in our skirt production line and continue to provide jobs for 25+ Smithville area residents.”
“I’m very proud of the Skirt Team” added Connie Jolley, Customer Service and Quality Manager at Omega. “We win contracts by delivering the highest levels of quality and never missing an order. The skirt team has been doing this for the last 5-years.”
“The skirt team recently purchased Omega branded t-shirts for their team” continued Cindy Kemper, Skirts Line Supervisor at Omega. This is great indication of their high level of motivation and commitment to excellence.”
Omega Apparel was established in 1994 and is a leading producer of uniforms for the Department of Defense. The company specializes in making dress pants and skirts for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. The production facility is based in Smithville, TN and employs a workforce of 200+ that deliver $10M+ in annual sales. Omega Apparel has a best-in-class track record in the industry for Quality and Customer Service. Omega Apparel was acquired in 2012 by Brentwood, TN, resident Dean Wegner