Cheatham County approves school-bus financing and a package of budget amendments

Cheatham County commissioners on Dec. 18 authorized financing to purchase seven school buses, approved a suite of budget amendments and confirmed mayoral appointments to several boards.

The legislative body voted to authorize an interfund capital outlay note not to exceed $1,014,482 to finance seven school buses. The motion, made by Commissioner Chris Gilmore and seconded by B.J. Hudspeth, follows a Dec. 7 School Board approval and references the requirements of Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 9, Chapter 21 for interfund capital outlay notes.

Budget amendments approved at the meeting included a $104,000 allocation to the General Purpose School Fund from a United Way grant to pay teachers for tutoring (breakdown recorded in the resolution: $89,100 for teachers; $5,525 Social Security; $8,020 pensions; $1,355 Medicare). The body also authorized several smaller amendments to the County General Fund (including funds for Circuit Court expenses, rural fire protection and library donations), and a $13,894.27 transfer from General Capital Projects to replace an EMS station HVAC unit.

Commissioners authorized the surplus and disposal of county assets: four Dell OptiPlex desktop computers from the Accounting department and a 2000 GMC bucket truck from Building Maintenance (to be sold or scrapped). Appointments confirmed on the mayor’s recommendation included Larry Roberts, Anna DiCarlo and Larry Nash to the Water/Wastewater Board and Matt Von Lunen to the Cheatham County Planning Commission; those appointments were approved by voice vote.

County Mayor Kerry McCarver also announced that the county received a $48,128 state grant and publicly thanked Pam Frejosky of the Election Commission for assistance in securing it.

All roll-call votes recorded in the meeting on the budget and the school-bus note were 11 Yes, 0 No, 1 Absent unless otherwise noted. The meeting adjourned at 7:07 P.M.