Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rhea County approves budget amendments, accepts state grants and authorizes park grant administration
Summary
At its Nov. 18 meeting, the Rhea County Commission approved a package of county and school budget amendments, accepted multiple state grants and grant amendments, and authorized the Southeast Tennessee Development District to administer a Three Star grant for the Morgantown Community Park and Playground.
The Rhea County Board of Commissioners approved a bundle of budget amendments and several state grant actions during its Nov. 18 meeting.
Chairman Jim Reed presided over the session, where Commissioner Thedford moved and Commissioner Dunn seconded approval of the minutes from Oct. 21, 2025, and the motion carried. The commission then approved Amendments #42 through #52 to the County General Fund (101). Those amendments reallocated unassigned balances and funded items including fire prevention pager purchases, delinquent tax receipts, an archives grant, vacation/comp-time payouts for county employees, senior center plumbing repairs, tourism event support, and sheriff department incentive pay. The motions to approve were made by Commissioner Thedford and carried unanimously; Commissioners Francisco and Welch were recorded absent.
The commission also approved Solid Waste Amendment #3 (Fund 116) and School Fund Amendment #10 (Fund 141) to cover solid-waste cost allocations and school system dues and memberships, respectively. Motions were made and carried by uplifted-hand votes; no nay votes were recorded.
On grants, the commission approved Resolution #25-11-85 authorizing the county executive to sign an agreement with the Southeast Tennessee Development District to provide grant-administration services for the Morgantown Community Park and Playground Three Star grant. Commissioner Fisher moved the resolution with Commissioner Thedford seconding; the vote was recorded as AYE: All, NAY: None, ABSENT: Francisco, Welch.
Commissioner Cashman moved (seconded by Commissioner Thedford) to accept a $105,521 non-matching grant from the Tennessee Department of State, Division of Elections (a HAVA-funded award) for the Rhea County Election Commission. The county’s grant contract and the federal award worksheet were entered into the record; the motion carried unanimously with two absences noted.
The commission also approved two amendments to grants from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, which extend project timelines and clarify procurement and reimbursement timing. Resolution #25-11-87 amends a previously awarded TDEC grant in the amount of $73,260 to extend purchase and installation deadlines; Resolution #25-11-88 approves a separate $48,969 amendment with similar deadline and reimbursement clarifications. Both amendments were approved by roll call as AYE: All, NAY: None, with two absences.
Finally in this cluster, the commission accepted a $19,869 award to the Rhea County Archives for the "Foundations of History: Preserving Rhea County’s Historic Records for America’s 250th" project (Resolution #25-11-89). That award carries project completion requirements set by the State and a prescribed period ending April 30, 2027, as reflected in the award documents entered into the record.
The meeting concluded with routine approvals (including several notary bonds) and adjournment.
What happens next: Several of the approved grants require post-award administrative steps—procurement, vendor selection, inventory tagging, and submission of final reimbursement requests by dates specified in the grant amendments. The county administrator and relevant department heads will carry out those steps, and expenditure reports and inventory will be required for state audits.
