Commission advances departmental budgets, approves mayor travel allowance and higher legal‑services line, sets school budget aside

Hamblen County commissioners advanced a broad set of departmental budgets during the June 1 meeting, approving line items across dozens of tabs while deferring several complex items for later discussion.

On the County Mayor's budget (tab 7), commissioners added a $5,400 car‑allowance line to cover travel costs the mayor has been absorbing personally; the finance director said the allowance will be treated as a taxable fringe benefit on the mayor’s W‑2. ‘‘It will be a taxable fringe benefit,’’ the finance director told the body when asked how the allowance would be reported.

The commission also approved an increase in the county attorney/legal‑services line to $50,000, citing recent unanticipated legal invoices and an anticipated change in the county attorney position; staff said additional legal invoices this year pushed current expenditures above initial estimates and that increasing the budget is prudent preparation.

During debate on the county commission budget, Commissioner Miss Green urged cutting the chairman’s monthly pay (stated in the meeting as $950) to a lower level, suggesting a reduction to $550–$650 to ease taxpayer burden; other commissioners responded that any change in the chairman’s pay would take effect only when a new commission is seated.

The commission took up the Hamblen County Board of Education budget (4G) but, after roll call produced multiple abstentions and not enough votes for approval, commissioners voted to set the item aside for a later meeting rather than approve it at the session.

The meeting ended with a plan to resume budget deliberations Thursday evening to cover nonprofits and cost‑of‑living adjustments that remained unresolved.