Hickman County TN

Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. Proverbs 14:34

Budget, Finance & Human Resources · Meeting · May 11, 2026

Mon, May 11, 2026

Oversees the annual budget process, departmental funding requests, and personnel policies including hiring, compensation, and benefits.

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Outline

This outline was generated by an LLM from a transcript and may contain errors or inaccuracies. Prefer the original recording when available.

The committee moved quickly through routine business, then spent most of the meeting on the school budget and related tax questions. A resubmitted school budget built around a 4-cent property-tax increase was rejected 9–4, with members objecting to the size and permanence of the increase, the effect of raising the local option sales tax assumption, and the prospect of adding roughly $400,000 for capital through Fund 151. After a recess, the committee instead approved guidance to send back to the school system: model the budget with a 2-cent property-tax increase, pare the local option sales tax assumption back to about a 6% maintenance-of-effort increase, and treat the $405,000 capital request as a one-time use of fund balance rather than a permanent tax-backed addition.

Other actions were largely unanimous: multiple year-end cleanup budget amendments, $22,000 in opioid funds for the schools’ Prevention Now program, sheriff’s drug-fund money for K-9 recertification and training, FEMA Mission 8 note budgeting, school insurance recovery/TCAP revenue, and attorney-fee reimbursement tied to debt collection. The mayor also addressed rumors about EMS Station 3, saying it was not closed by the State Fire Marshal, and the committee approved county employee medical-insurance changes, including a tiered system and other plan revisions, plus a revised budget schedule.

Call to Order and Approval Items 10:38

  • 10:38 Roll call showed 13 present and 1 absent, establishing a quorum.
  • 11:22 Agenda amended to move the mayor’s update to item 5.5, between minutes and budget amendments; approved by voice vote.
  • 11:51 Amended agenda approved by voice vote.
  • 12:11 No public comments.
  • 12:19 Previous meeting minutes approved by motion, second, and voice vote without substantive discussion.

Department / Official Reports

County Mayor update on EMS Station 3 12:31

  • 12:31 The mayor said online reports claiming EMS Station 3 had been closed by the State Fire Marshal were false.
  • 12:51 He said the issue arose because the station was built or arranged somewhat differently from the way the plans had been written, and a meeting with the State Fire Marshal was scheduled for 9:00 Monday morning to discuss what changes would be needed.
  • 13:10 The mayor said he had received heavy public inquiry about the issue and wanted commissioners to have the same factual update.

New Business / Agenda Items

Budget amendments 13:34

  • 13:42 Finance presented a group of “cleanup” amendments and asked to take them together.

Cleanup amendments approved together 14:12

  • 14:12 Budget Amendments 2664, 2665, 2667, 2669, 2670, and 2671 were described as mostly year-end cleanup items with no new money overall.
    • 14:16 2664: year-end cleanup for County General.
    • 14:20 2665: year-end cleanup for EMA, including moving money to supplement insurance recovery for a vehicle purchase.
    • 14:34 2667: sheriff’s department cleanup.
    • 14:41 2669: adding money to the trustee’s commission for adequate facilities.
    • 14:54 2670: reclassification/coding correction.
    • 15:03 2671: debt-service year-end cleanup, moving interest with no new money.
  • 15:13 Motion and second to approve the group.
  • 15:26 Roll-call vote approved the package 13–0, with 1 absent.

Opioid funding for school Prevention Now program 15:59

  • 15:59 Budget Amendment 2666 requested $22,000 in opioid funding for the Hickman County Schools Prevention Now program.
  • 16:06 The amendment had already been approved by the school board on April 14, 2026.
  • 16:14 Motion and second to approve.
  • 16:29 Approved by roll call 13–0, with 1 absent.

Sheriff’s drug fund K-9 costs 16:52

  • 16:52 Budget Amendment 2668 moved money from drug-fund balance for K-9 recertification fees and training.
  • 17:10 Motion and second to approve.
  • 17:21 Approved by roll call 13–0.

FEMA Mission 8 note allocation 17:44

  • 17:47 Budget Amendment 2672 budgeted FEMA Mission 8 note allocation revenue and matching expenditures.
  • 17:47 Finance said the county did not expect to use all of the amount, but wanted both the revenue and expenditure sides budgeted.
  • 17:59 Motion and second to approve.
  • 18:08 Approved by roll call 13–0.

School insurance recovery and TCAP revenue 18:32

  • 18:35 Budget Amendment 2673 added school-system insurance recovery and TCAP revenue.
  • 18:35 The amendment had been approved by the Board of Education on April 13, 2026.
  • 18:49 Motion and second to approve.
  • 18:59 Approved by roll call 13–0.

Attorney fees and debt-collection reimbursement 19:22

  • 19:27 Budget Amendment 2674 for Fund 207 covered attorney fees and reimbursement related to debt collection.
  • 19:27 The item had been approved by Solid Waste on May 4.
  • 19:37 Motion and second to approve.
  • 19:45 Approved by roll call 13–0.

School budget and capital request 20:16

Road-paving timing question tied to TIDEL property proceeds 20:24

  • 20:24 Before the school presentation, discussion briefly turned to a highway paving plan using proceeds from the sale of the TIDEL property.
  • 20:30 Ronald Coates had submitted pricing to repave multiple roads, but no budget amendment was ready for this meeting.
  • 20:56 Members discussed either bringing a late amendment directly to county commission this month or waiting until next month.
  • 21:53 Several members said they were comfortable handling it at county commission if necessary by setting the rules aside, so the highway department could proceed without further delay in advertising.

School system resubmits budget with 4-cent property-tax increase 22:40

  • 22:40 Director Michelle Gilbert thanked the committee for prior discussion and said the school board had met after county commission.
  • 23:00 The school board decided to accept the committee’s proposed 4-cent property-tax increase for the current budget, and the resubmitted budget before the committee reflected that number.
  • 23:33 She said the system knew difficult decisions lay ahead, including spending restraint, and said the maintenance project list was unchanged from the prior presentation.
  • 23:41 She asked for continued county help and clarified there were no additions to the maintenance projects list.

Chair allowed to speak more freely in debate 25:18

  • 25:18 A motion was made to set aside the rules so the budget committee chair could participate more freely in discussion, given his prior school-board service and budget experience.
  • 25:50 The motion passed by voice vote.

Objections to the 4-cent school budget request 26:04

  • 26:25 The chair argued the proposed school maintenance-of-effort increase was about 11%, while county general departments had been asked to cap at 4%.
  • 27:09 He said prior-year maintenance of effort was about $6.1 million, and this proposal would add about $710,000.
  • 27:48 He suggested the local option sales tax assumption might be another lever to reduce or eliminate part of the 4-cent property-tax request.
  • 28:28 He contrasted a state TISA increase of about $286,000 on roughly $25 million with the county request for $710,000, questioning the scale of the local increase.
  • 29:28 Another member said he could not support the budget as presented and preferred to reject it so the school system could look again at local option sales tax assumptions or a lower property-tax ask, possibly 1 cent rather than 4.
  • 31:52 Another member said the package represented a “big bite,” stressing that what used to be called 4 cents now translated into a much larger dollar commitment after reassessment, and warning that increases to property tax, local option sales tax assumptions, and an additional $400,000 in Fund 151 together would permanently raise the baseline.
  • 33:34 He said he did not believe voters in his district would support the combined package if it were put directly before them.

School response and clarification on prior-year giveback 34:09

  • 34:19 Michelle Gilbert said it was her understanding that last year the school system had given up 6 cents, roughly equivalent to about 4 cents now, and that there had been an expectation or at least a working assumption that schools could ask for that back this year.
  • 34:50 She framed that as a prior good-faith concession by the system that informed the current request.

Clarification on local option sales tax and maintenance-of-effort floor 35:25

  • 35:25 A member employed by the school system said changing the local option sales tax figure on paper does not itself hand schools a fixed extra amount; schools still receive 50% of actual collections.
  • 36:02 He said the bigger policy concern was that budgeting a higher local option sales tax amount raises the guaranteed maintenance-of-effort floor if collections later fall short.
  • 37:34 Members also clarified that school capital projects would be handled separately from maintenance of effort and are not themselves tied to the maintenance-of-effort formula.

Motion to approve school budget as resubmitted fails 30:45

  • 30:45 Motion made and seconded to approve the school budget as resubmitted.
  • 37:56 Roll-call vote:
    • Yes: Matthew Barnhill, Claude Callicott, Clay Chessor, Jim Herron.
    • No: Dusty Jordan, Ricky Murray, Keith Nash, Devin Pickard, Ron Puckett, Michael Wayne Thomasson, Danny Clark, Steve Gianakos, plus one additional no reflected in the tally.
    • Several members declared conflicts but voted in what they said was the interest of their constituents.
  • 39:04 Motion failed 9–4, with 1 absent; the school budget was therefore not approved.

Recess to develop clearer guidance 45:13

  • 45:13 A member suggested a 10-minute recess so members could try to formulate practical guidance rather than simply leaving the school system without direction.
  • 45:22 Recess approved by motion, second, and voice vote.
  • 45:35 Committee recessed until 6:15.

Post-recess compromise guidance to schools 58:36

  • 59:02 After the recess, members reported discussion around a possible compromise.
  • 59:26 One proposal was to reduce the property-tax portion from 4 cents to 2 cents.
  • 59:34 The same proposal would also scale back the local option sales tax assumption so the maintenance-of-effort increase was about 6% rather than the higher level discussed earlier.
  • 1:01:13 Members said that combination would largely address the Fund 141 operating issue without adding the separate $400,000 capital burden into the permanent tax structure.
  • 1:01:44 Finance confirmed the county could place $405,000 in capital expenditures and let it come from fund balance rather than identify a new dedicated revenue stream.
  • 1:01:56 Members emphasized that this would make the capital support a one-time contribution instead of a permanent tax-backed increase to Fund 151.

Formal motion giving direction on school budget and capital 1:02:59

  • 1:02:59 Motion made to send the Fund 141 school budget back with guidance reflecting:
    • a 2-cent local property-tax increase,
    • a reduced local option sales tax figure aimed at about a 6% maintenance-of-effort increase,
    • and treatment of the $405,000 capital request in Fund 151 as a one-time use of fund balance, with no tax increase anticipated for that amount.
  • 1:04:05 The chair clarified this was guidance back to the school board, not final approval of the school budget itself.
  • 1:04:21 He also acknowledged the earlier rejection motion had bundled rejection and guidance together awkwardly, and said the items should have been separated.

Guidance motion approved 1:05:00

  • 1:05:00 Roll-call vote on the guidance motion:
    • No: Jim Herron, Clay Chessor.
    • Yes: Dusty Jordan, Ron Mayberry, Ricky Murray, Keith Nash, Devin Pickard, Ron Puckett, Michael Wayne Thomasson, Matthew Barnhill, Claude Callicott, Danny Clark, Steve Gianakos.
    • 1 absent.
  • 1:05:28 Motion carried 11–2, with 1 absent.
  • 1:05:40 The chair said the action addressed both the operating-budget guidance and the capital-request approach, and would likely shape the motion if the matter returned to committee later.

Unfinished Business 1:05:58

County medical insurance changes 1:06:07

  • 1:06:07 The committee returned to county employee medical insurance, noting that a formal motion was needed to implement previously discussed plan changes.
  • 1:06:32 Motion made and seconded to approve the new tiered insurance offering for employees.
  • 1:06:45 Approved by roll call 13–0.
  • 1:07:17 Finance then asked for clarification, noting the prior motion referenced only the tiered structure even though the package included multiple plan changes.
  • 1:07:35 Additional changes mentioned included a secondary plan option and an ER copay, among other revisions.
  • 1:07:47 A second motion was made and seconded to approve the overall medical-insurance package “as discussed and budgeted,” covering all changes.
  • 1:08:11 Approved by roll call 13–0.

New Business / Agenda Items 1:08:35

Revised budget schedule 1:08:44

  • 1:08:44 Finance presented an amended budget schedule that had been included in packets.
  • 1:09:08 Key revisions:
    • cancel the May 14 meeting,
    • aim to complete schools and solid waste with committee approval by May 28,
    • book the budget to commission by June 1,
    • publish notice by June 4,
    • hold the public hearing on June 8 alongside the regular budget meeting,
    • and approve at county commission on June 22.
  • 1:10:02 Motion and second to approve the revised schedule.
  • 1:10:11 Approved by voice vote.

Adjournment 1:10:21

  • 1:10:21 Motion and second to adjourn.
  • 1:10:30 Meeting adjourned by voice vote.

Key figures and statistics

Figure Type Context / topic Timestamp
13 present Attendance Roll call attendance 11:07
1 absent Attendance Roll call absence count 11:07
5.5 Agenda item Mayor moved into agenda between minutes and budget amendments 11:22
9:00 Monday Time Mayor’s meeting with State Fire Marshal about EMS Station 3 13:10
2664 Budget amendment County General year-end cleanup 14:12
2665 Budget amendment EMA year-end cleanup and vehicle purchase support 14:20
2667 Budget amendment Sheriff’s department cleanup 14:34
2669 Budget amendment Trustee’s commission / adequate facilities 14:41
2670 Budget amendment Reclassification / coding correction 14:54
2671 Budget amendment Debt-service interest reallocation 15:03
13–0 Vote Approval of cleanup amendments package 15:50
2666 Budget amendment Opioid funding for school Prevention Now program 15:59
$22,000 Funding Opioid funds for Hickman County Schools Prevention Now 16:06
April 14, 2026 Date School board approval date for opioid item 16:06
13–0 Vote Approval of amendment 2666 16:46
2668 Budget amendment Drug fund transfer for K-9 recertification/training 16:52
13–0 Vote Approval of amendment 2668 17:36
2672 Budget amendment FEMA Mission 8 note allocation budgeting 17:44
13–0 Vote Approval of amendment 2672 18:24
2673 Budget amendment School insurance recovery and TCAP revenue 18:32
April 13, 2026 Date Board of Education approval date for amendment 2673 18:35
13–0 Vote Approval of amendment 2673 19:15
2674 Budget amendment Fund 207 attorney fees / debt-collection reimbursement 19:22
207 Fund number Debt-collection attorney fee item 19:27
May 4 Date Solid Waste approval date for amendment 2674 19:27
13–0 Vote Approval of amendment 2674 20:01
4 cents Tax rate School board resubmitted property-tax request 23:00
4% Cap / policy reference County general departments’ requested budget cap 26:37
11% Percentage Approximate school maintenance-of-effort increase under proposal 26:25
$6.1 million Funding base Prior-year school maintenance of effort 27:09
$710,000 Increase Added school maintenance-of-effort request 27:09
$286,000 State funding increase TISA increase cited in discussion 28:28
$25 million Funding base Approximate amount on which TISA increase was measured 28:28
1 cent Tax rate Example of possible lower property-tax alternative mentioned in debate 29:54
$400,000 Capital amount Additional Fund 151 impact discussed by opponents 33:16
6 cents Tax history School system’s prior-year giveback mentioned by director 34:26
50% Revenue share School portion of actual local option sales tax collections 35:47
9–4 Vote School budget as resubmitted failed 39:04
June 8 Date Regular budget meeting date referenced after school vote 39:13
14th Date Later meeting discussed and then canceled 39:31
May 28 Date Another scheduled meeting date for budget work 39:54
$405,000 Capital request School capital amount discussed as one-time funding 41:01
151 Fund number School capital fund referenced in debate 43:22
6% Percentage Maintenance-of-effort target discussed after recess 43:45
10-minute Recess length Recess requested to work on guidance 45:13
6:15 Time Return time from recess 45:35
2 cents Tax rate Compromise property-tax guidance after recess 59:26
6% Percentage Target maintenance-of-effort increase using reduced local option sales tax assumption 59:42
$400,000 Capital amount Operating/capital distinction referenced in compromise discussion 1:01:13
$405,000 Capital amount One-time Fund 151 capital support from fund balance 1:01:44
141 Fund number School operating budget sent back with guidance 1:03:07
151 Fund number Capital fund to receive one-time contribution 1:03:31
11–2 Vote Approval of guidance motion to school board 1:05:28
1 absent Attendance Absence count on guidance vote 1:05:28
13–0 Vote Approval of tiered medical-insurance structure 1:07:03
13–0 Vote Approval of overall medical-insurance package changes 1:08:26
May 14 Date Budget meeting canceled in revised schedule 1:09:08
May 28 Date Target committee approval date for schools and solid waste 1:09:17
June 1 Date Budget booked to commission by this date 1:09:17
June 4 Date Publication date target 1:09:24
June 8 Date Public hearing with regular budget meeting 1:09:24
June 22 Date County commission approval target 1:09:33