Board of Mayor and Aldermen adopts 2025–26 budget, approves tax increase and directs staff to work with schools on crossing guards

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen adopted Ordinance 16‑51, the city’s fiscal 2025–26 budget and tax rate, on third and final reading after public comment and a series of amendments and votes. The measure passed in the final roll call 6–1, with aldermen approving a property tax change the administration said is intended to fund road maintenance and building needs.

Why it matters: The budget increases recurring funds available for repaving and public‑safety equipment while also proposing a property tax increase the mayor said will be dedicated in part to road paving and to address the municipal building’s needs. The board and public commenters focused much of the meeting on the consequences of moving responsibilities between the city and other local entities — most prominently the proposal to shift school crossing guards from the city budget to Tullahoma City Schools.

Hank Jordan, director of business for Tullahoma City Schools, read an email from the school director noting the district could not absorb a sudden transfer of crossing‑guard duties on short notice. “The most pressing concern to me is the safety of students,” Jordan told the board, and spelled out the personnel, payroll and training steps the district would need to take before it could assume the program.

Alderman Auburn Bird proposed that staff begin coordinating a transition of crossing‑guard responsibility to the school system but not remove the program’s funding from the city budget immediately. Bird framed the item as a multi‑month transition, and the board asked staff to work with the schools to create job descriptions, identify funding lines and set a timeline. City staff told the board they could begin planning immediately and that a target of late September was realistic given school staff availability. The board left the crossing‑guard appropriation in place for now and directed staff to coordinate the transition; formal budget amendments would come later if and when the schools request them.

Public‑commenters representing local tourism and economic‑development organizations urged continued funding for their programs. Hope Nunley, executive director of the Tullahoma Area Chamber of Commerce, summarized the chamber’s outreach and tourism promotion work; Beverly Lee, chairman of the Tullahoma Area Economic Development Council Corporation, urged sustained economic‑development staffing and said recruiting an experienced director remains a priority.

Key budget context and amounts included in the discussion: the administration presented an estimated annual repaving need of roughly $1.5 million to maintain a 20‑year paving cycle; the draft budget proposed a 20‑cent property tax increase (described in the meeting materials as a 10% increase in the city rate), which city staff used in its modeling to fund roads and to begin addressing the municipal building’s capital needs. The mayor said the proposal would result in about $150 per year for a $300,000 home, per the materials presented. The board also voted to guarantee a minimum annual paving allocation (the board discussed a floor of roughly $1.5 million annually).

Votes at a glance - Ordinance 16‑51: Adopt annual budget and tax rate for fiscal year 2025–26 — outcome: approved (final roll call reported as 6 yes). Referenced repeatedly during the meeting and closed on third reading after amendment votes. - Ordinance 16‑52: Amend future compensation for members of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (second/final reading) — outcome: failed (vote recorded 2 yes, 5 no). - Consent agenda (minutes and routine items): approved (vote recorded as 6 yes, 0 no with 1 abstention for one item noted). - Beer board: approval of minutes and on‑premises beer permit for 122 West Lincoln Street — minutes approved (5–0), license approved (vote reported 7–0). - Police procurement: approve purchase of 01/2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 from Russell Barnett, Winchester — outcome: approved (vote reported 7–0; amount $34,498; funding reported from drug‑funds, not general fund). - Radio trade and replacement: surplus of seven in‑car Motorola APX 4500 radios in trade for credit of $31,289 and purchase of portables, batteries and chargers for $31,217.14 — outcome: approved (7–0); staff said portables cost about $7,000 each and the trade preserves funds for future portable purchases and is part of the new radio system. - School Resource Officer grant application: authorize police to apply for State of Tennessee SRO grant (approx. $75,000 per qualifying school) and execute grant documents — outcome: authorized (7–0); staff said the MOU is unchanged from prior years. - Property tax adjustments (journal entries) from county assessor: accepted (7–0). - Local Government Corporation hardware maintenance and software support renewal: approve renewal and authorize mayor to sign — outcome: approved (7–0); amount $68,606 (approx. 8% increase over prior year). - Real‑property sale: reduce asking/sale price for 1201 Country Club Drive from $230,000 to $210,000 and authorize closing — outcome: approved (7–0); staff said appraisal came in about $20,000 below original expectation and estimated net city cost after donated acreage and tree removal was in the ~$22,000 range.

Discussion and directions (non‑binding / staff tasks) - Crossing guards: board directed staff to begin planning a phased transition of crossing‑guard duties to Tullahoma City Schools, including job descriptions, onboarding needs and a timeline; funding remains in the city budget until the schools request an amendment to accept those duties. Staff gave a planning target of late September for a smooth handoff; board members stressed the need to avoid a service gap that could raise student‑safety risks. - Positions and one‑time items: aldermen debated several proposed reductions and delays to open positions and one‑time equipment purchases. The board approved a package of smaller amendments (including reductions to programming and a reallocation for police ballistic‑vest purchases) and directed staff to document realized savings; several items were left for future study (for example, whether certain maintenance functions should be reorganized across departments).

Quotes drawn from the meeting record - "The most pressing concern to me is the safety of students," Hank Jordan said while reading an email from the school director explaining why a rapid transfer of crossing‑guard duties would be difficult for Tullahoma City Schools. - "I'm recommending that this be a future change to the budget but not immediate," Alderman Auburn Bird said regarding the proposed shift of crossing‑guard responsibility to the school district; Bird added the board should give schools time to prepare.

What’s next: Staff will incorporate the board’s amendments and prepare final budget documents and any required contract signings. The board asked staff to return any formal requests to amend the budget lines (for example, if the school system formally takes on crossing guards) for a future board vote. City staff also said they will continue planned procurement and grant application steps already approved by vote (police vehicle, radios, SRO grant application).

Ending note: The meeting included routine permitting and procurement approvals, public praise for local tourism and economic‑development groups, and extended discussion about how to balance near‑term fiscal pressure with long‑term infrastructure needs. The board repeatedly emphasized avoiding a service interruption for crossing guards while allowing time for a responsible transition to the school district.