Aarons InsuranceAccentsAdvantage SuitesAdventures Off RoadBaker Agency InsuranceBank of Frankewing
Chapman Tire
Crockett CinemasCut N UpD.E. Hill & SonsDiamond Pools & SpasDixon's Fine JewelryDustin's Lawn CareEnergy Smart SolutionsFancy Pants First Class Charter Fox Sporting GoodsGreens Furniture The Hidden Garden Hood Flora Realty
Kelly Appliance & Vacuum
Lawrenceburg Florist Lawrenceburg Glass Lynn Electronics
The Mad Hatter's PartyMarkus Insurance Mckelvey's Flowers Mo's Pawn Nature's Nuggets Nerd's Computer RepairOne Stop Medical Pettus Turnbo Funeral Home Randy's Cycle & ATVRent Right Rick's ElectricalSeven Springs OrthoSterling VaporSue Sue's Sandwich ShopSummit of LawrenceburgSwap and Shop Center True Value HardwareWall-Modrall Insurance

 

APPLIANCE REPAIR

Kelly Appliance & Vacuum 931-244-7200

AIR CONDITIONING

D.E. Hill & Son 762-9584

ASSISTED LIVING

The Summit of Lawrenceburg
Summit of Lawrenceburg 762-3524

 

AUTO REPAIR

Chapman Tire 931-829-2155

 

BANKS

Bank of Frankewing
Bank of Frankewing 762-6800

 

CINEMAS

Crockett Cinemas 931-762-6821

 

CLINICS

One Stop Medical
One Stop Medical 762-9797
Seven Springs Orthopaedics 244-7181

 

COMPUTER REPAIR

Nerd's Computer Repair

DAY SPA

The Hidden Garden 762-9799

ELECTRICAL & PLUMBING

Rick's Electrical & Plumbing 931-242-5325

 

ELECTRONICS

Lynn Electronics 762-0401

E CIGARETTES

Sterling Vapor 931-231-5422

FLORIST

Accents

Accents Floral & Gifts 244-6480
Lawrenceburg Florist 762-3722
McKelvey's Flowers 762-4511

FUNERAL HOMES

Pettus-Turnbo Funeral Home 762-3291

FURNITURE

Green's Furniture
Swap & Shop Center

GLASS REPAIR

Lawrenceburg Glass 766-1004

 

HARDWARE

True Value Hardware
True Value Hardware 762-7516

HOBBY

Adventure Off Road 852-5445

INSURANCE

Aarons Insurance 931-629-8065
Baker Agency 762-4550
Markus Insurance 762-9401
Wall-Modrall Insurance 762-6528

JEWELRY

Dixon's Fine Jewelry 762-9979

 

LAWN CARE

Dustin's Lawncare
Dustin's Lawn Care 242-4414

MEDICAL

Seven Springs Orthopaedics 244-7181

NATURAL FOODSNature's Nuggests 762-2895

OUTDOOR

Randy's Cycle & ATV 762-2450

PARTY / SUPPLIES

The Mad Hatter's Party Wonderland

The Mad Hatter's Party Wonderland 931-244-7222

 

PAWN

Mo's Pawn Shop 762-2529

POOLS/ SUPPLIES

Diamond Pools & Spas 762-7189

REAL ESTATE

Hood Flora Realty
Hood-Flora Realty 762-4247

 

RENTAL

Rent Right
Rent Right 762-8187

RESTAURANTS

Sue Sue's Sandwich Shop
Sue Sue's Sandwich Shop 762-8879

SPORTING GOODS
Fox Sporting Goods 931-766-0313

 

TRAVEL

First Class Charter
First Class Charter 762-5778

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

School Board, Commissioners Meet To Hash Out Budget Issues

T.R. Williams/ Lawrence County Executive

Lawrence Countians can be proud of the fact that their School Board and County Commission sat down last week to discuss how we can work together to solve our financial dilemma.

“Our” is the right word even though Lawrence County Government and the School System operate under separate spending plans. Our budgets are interdependent, so the problems and the solutions must be ours as well.

For too long, the school system and county government have kept up with inflation by using money from their fund balances. Because of that we now face the task of raising new revenue or cutting services, and neither decision will be popular or easy.

In spite of the situation that's still before us, I believe several good things came out of last Thursday's meeting. Among them was a better understanding of one revenue source: our county wheel tax.

A permanent $25 wheel tax was established in 1984 for the purpose of paying off school debt. A 30-year bond was issued at the same time for several school building projects.

Wheel tax revenue - about $900,000 a year - helped pay for that, but over the years, more school debt accumulated. After the 30-year bond was retired, wheel tax revenue was applied toward that newer debt. Even with that help, our debt service, like other county accounts, is stretched to its limit and significant debt will not be retired until 2020.

Each $25 of new wheel tax money (less than a dollar a week if you own two vehicles) would raise another $900,000 for schools. It seems to be a more fitting solution to increase the wheel tax rather than the property tax because almost everyone owns at least one vehicle and only about 38 percent of Lawrence Countians own property.

Still, a 2007 attempt to raise the wheel tax showed us why it's not the easy answer it seems to be. Commissioners approved an additional $25 wheel tax for much-needed school building improvements, but signatures were collected calling for a voter referendum, and the measure failed 3-1. Because of the disparity between property owners and vehicle owners, any proposed wheel tax increase would likely fail at the polls.

At last Thursday's meeting I told the Board that Commissioners are considering taking on some of their annual capital expenses to relieve most of their deficit spending. We have discussed, but not approved, covering about a million dollars a year that comes out of the Lawrence County School System budget: payments for Student Resource Officers, buses, debt payments, and building improvements.

These and other capital projects should be separated from true operating expenses, as I said last week. After the 2015-16 operational budget is approved, we will tackle capital projects.

In return, we asked the School Board to help us by returning a spending plan that was mindful of our difficult financial condition. They met later that evening to approve a final budget submission that included a raise for teachers, funded through the state’s Basic Education Program, and a raise for support staff. Together, they total about $700,000.

The County Commission’s Budget Committee along with the full Commission will be meeting to review the request next Monday, June 29, at 5 p.m. in the second floor conference room of the Administrative Center. As always, the public is invited to attend.

If you haven’t watched the June 18 meeting between Commissioners and School Board members, I encourage you to do so. It is available at LawrenceburgNow.com, the County Commission’s Facebook page and other locations on the internet.

 


 


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Lawrenceburg Now
Hood Flora Realty Seven Springs OrthoRon Fisher Realtor D.E. Hill & Sons
Mike Wilburn at Barr Nissan Cut N Up Hair SalonGreen's Furniture StoreOne Stop Medical