The Tullahoma Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BoMA) checked off the last reading of the budget for the upcoming fiscal year in its rescheduled meeting Monday, June 29, where it approved the certified tax rate and added funding to the Tullahoma Sports Council.

The original meeting was scheduled for Monday, June 22, but was postponed to Wednesday, June 24, due to a lack of quorum. However, the Wednesday meeting was then postponed to the following Monday due to a lack of quorum as well.

For the final reading of the budget, the Tullahoma City Schools budget, as required per statute, was added to the budget. The Board of Education formally adopted its budget of $46,423,723 at its June meeting after formalizing its estimates for state and local funding sources. Also included in the budget were the city’s upcoming capital projects, which include projects for the municipal buildings, storm water, parks, streets, sidewalks/ greenways, airport, equipment and other miscellaneous projects, totaling to $10,855,932. Along with the capital projects, the budgets for all organizations and agencies were included.

The final addition to the budget is the final state certified property tax rate for both sections of Tullahoma after the reassessment for Coffee County. The rate for Tullahoma in Coffee County has been reduced to $1.5368. However, the portion of Tullahoma in Franklin County was not reassessed, where the properties are only at 72.7% valuation. Its certified property tax rate is $2.1130, a decrease from the previous $2.15. Franklin County will get its reassessment next year.

Before the meeting, the board held a public hearing for the final reading of the budget to give anyone one last chance to address the board about anything about the budget. Several representatives from the Tullahoma Arts Council and South Jackson Performing Arts Center addressed the board about the importance of the arts in the community and asked the board for their consideration in supporting the arts. The final person to address the board was Scott Shasteen, Vice President of the Tullahoma Sports Council, who asked the board to reinstate funding to the Sports Council after being cut off last year. The board has been in discussion about reinstating funding to the nonprofit organization during the readings and study sessions about the budget. During the second reading of the budget, a proposed motion to give the Sports Council 12% of the hotel/ motel tax, as well as increasing South Jackson Performing Arts Center to 12% to match the Tullahoma Area Chamber of Commerce, but the motion was withdrawn so the board and the city attorneys could look into the matter further.

Shasteen encouraged the board to fund the Sports Council, arguing that, like the performing arts center, the Sports Council helps bring revenue to Tullahoma with tourism in part to the tournaments it helps to organize and support other organizations behind the scenes.

“We don’t have a great economic impact study here because we don’t keep any extra money for stuff like that,” Shasteen said. “The Sports Council works behind the scenes to help support lots of other local organizations, and to help them create events.”

He finished his address to the board and said, “We encourage and ask the board to refund the Sports Council. Don’t cut this thing off just as it’s gaining great momentum. That would be a mistake.”

When the board discussed the final reading of the budget, Tullahoma Mayor Lynn Sebourn briefly explained that while some residents’ properties appraised higher, it did not mean the city would be taxing them higher; rather, the state has the city lower the tax rate.

“That’s what the certified tax rate is,” Sebourn said. “Your property value went up, but your property rate went down 60-70 cents. So, you should pay about the same that you paid last year.”

Sebourn then asked for any more discussion; Alderman Matthew Bird made a motion to amend the budget by increasing the funding for the Tullahoma Arts Council from $1,500 to $6,000. Per Bird, the arts council received $6,000 in funding two years ago before it was cut down. The board unanimously approved of the increase. Then, Sebourn made a motion to restore funding to the Sports Council to a level of $35,000. Given the previous discussions, Sebourn explained the city has an ordinance regarding the hotel/motel tax, and if they wanted to change the ordinance to add the Sports Council and make any changes to the percentage received by other groups, the change would require two hearings.

“We’ll get (the Sports Council) funded this year, and then I would like to have a lot more discussion in the coming year with a number of groups and sort out a better path forward for all of us that we can rely on in the future,” Sebourn said. “But for this year, that gets them restored.”

Sebourn then asked for comments, specifically asking Alderman Jerry Mathis, and Mathis said he wanted to make sure the Sports Council got what it deserved.

“They are an outstanding group. They do a lot for our sports because I’ve been directly involved with it in many, many aspects, and they deserve everything they get,” Mathis said. “They put a lot of work into it. It’s not costing us very little money, and I think they deserve whatever.”

With no further discussion, the board unanimously approved the refunding of the Sports Council by $35,000. Before making the final vote, Sebourn let the board know that when they confirmed Jeff Damron as City Administrator, they did not set a salary, so after discussion and conducting a salary survey, the salary for the position was set to $165,000.77, with Sebourn saying it was set that way as it had to do with a certain point on the step grade scale. He said it was in the budget and wanted to let the board know so they could discuss it and make any necessary changes.

With no further discussion, the board voted 5-0 on the final reading of the budget for the city of Tullahoma of $41,308,120. Aldermen Kurt Glick and Busch Thoma were absent from the meeting.