McMinnville delays budget and tax-rate vote; nonprofits press city for funding

The McMinnville Board of Mayor and Aldermen postponed approval of the city—udget and the tax rate to the next meeting after officials said the delayed delivery of a fire truck requires changes to the draft budget. The item was formally deferred to the June 24 meeting.

The deferral came amid a public hearing on nonprofit appropriations in which local service providers described demand for services and requested continued or increased city support.

Lana Hillis, director of the Montgomery County Senior Center, told the board the center now registers 2,355 members aged 60 and older and has provided 116,940 unduplicated services year-to-date and 23,418 meals so far this fiscal year. "We're currently averaging roughly 200 people per day," Hillis said. She said the center requested $35,000 in city funding; she understood the board was considering $30,000 but asked the council to consider any additional funding.

Melissa Mullins of the Chamber of Commerce asked the board to clarify whether a $40,000 package discussed at a prior meeting remained under consideration. "To my understanding, the Chamber is currently slated to receive 12,000 of nonprofit funding and 5,500 in membership dues from the city," Mullins said, adding that she had heard a prior discussion that included $28,000 from the tourism budget to support the visitor center. Mullins said the Chamber originally requested $67,000; she asked the board whether the tourism portion of the previously cited $40,000 would be provided.

Board members exchanged questions about what the tourism funds would cover; Mullins said she understood the $28,000 would be split into roughly $20,000 for facilities maintenance and staffing, $7,500 for merchandise, and $500 for mailings to support visitor-center functions. A board member said the allowable uses of tourism dollars can be complicated and required additional review.

Christie Stellafield, director of Families and Process, asked the board to consider her organization's application for city funding and described recent shelter activity: "We serve over 600 a year for all of our services. Currently, in the last 3 months, we've provided over 500 bed nights for victims in our shelter," she said, and invited city officials to visit the facility. Stellafield also said the organization recently opened a local sexual-assault examination center.

A former elected official urged the board to re-evaluate whether Main Street McMinnville and the Chamber should be classified as nonprofits within the city's appropriation process. "Main Street McMinnville comes under economic community and development according to the state of Tennessee. That's not nonprofit," the speaker said, asking the board to review how economic-development entities are categorized for city funding.

The board closed the public hearing at 7:15 p.m. and moved into its regular meeting, during which the budget-and-tax-rate ordinance was formally deferred to the June 24 meeting.

What happens next: city staff will bring an amended budget and tax-rate ordinance to the board at the scheduled June 24 meeting for consideration and vote; nonprofit appropriation decisions remain under board review.