Hamblen County Mayor Chris Cutshall presented the county’s general fund revenue report to commissioners on May 22, saying the county’s reassessment is revenue neutral but that several revenue lines will not fully offset rising expenses for the coming fiscal year.

Cutshall told commissioners that property-tax revenue was budgeted roughly the same as the prior year because the reassessment is intended to be revenue neutral. Collection rates by the trustee have improved (reported at about 96% and possibly moving toward 98%), which has reduced delinquent‑tax income that in prior years buoyed revenues. At the same time, the mayor said declines in other local revenue sources — notably franchise cable fees and reduced contributions from the city and schools for the school‑resource officer (SRO) program — will reduce budgeted revenue.

The mayor highlighted one significant change: contributions that helped fund the SRO program in recent fiscal years will not be present in the coming budget period. In the past two fiscal years the county received approximately $800,000 from the school system and about $150,000 from the city for the SRO program; those revenues will not be included in the proposed budget and accounted for a substantial portion of the projected year‑over‑year decrease.

Other revenue lines showed small changes: modest increases tied to state public‑health program funding were offset by corresponding salary expense increases; personal‑property ratios used in reassessments may shift and could affect collections for business personal property, but those outcomes were uncertain at the time of the briefing. The mayor said the administration prefers conservative revenue estimates and higher expense projections to avoid mid‑year budget shortfalls.

Cutshall told the commission the administration anticipates an overall reduction in budgeted revenues of about $808,000 for the next fiscal year and called on the commission to expect “hard decisions” during the coming budget deliberations. The county’s budget committee scheduled further deliberations and public meetings in June to work through appropriations and priorities.

Commissioners and staff discussed the timing of future budget meetings and the need to balance flat revenues with rising personnel and operational costs.