Budget stalls after two failed votes

After proposed 2-cent property tax increase rejected, county faces a tighter timeline before fiscal year begins July 1

10:00 p.m. May 18, 2026

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Moore County’s proposed 2026-27 budget did not clear first reading Monday night after Metro Council fell one vote short of the supermajority needed to advance a spending plan with a 2-cent property tax increase.

A second attempt to remove the increase and keep the tax rate flat also failed, leaving the county without a first-reading budget vote roughly six weeks before the new fiscal year begins July 1.

That date now matters.

If Moore County has not adopted a budget by July 1, state budget rules allow the county to keep operating temporarily under the prior year’s spending limits.

That would keep day-to-day government moving through July and August, but it would not give local officials a blank check.

Under the continuation rules, county offices and agencies could not spend or encumber more in July or August than they spent during those same months in the prior fiscal year. The county also could not start new programs or expand operations beyond the prior-year baseline without proper legislative approval.

Debt payments and court-ordered expenses still must be covered. But the continuation budget is a temporary backstop, not a way to govern for the year.

The first budget vote on Monday was 9-2 in favor of the proposed spending plan, but the margin was still not enough. After the vote, Council Chair Amy Cashion noted the measure needed 10 yes votes because approval required two-thirds of the full council.

Voting yes were Arvis Bobo, Gerald Burnett, Amy Cashion, Marty Cashion, Bradley Dye, Dexter Golden, Sunny Rae Moorehead, John Taylor, and Shane Taylor.

No votes were cast by Peggy Sue Blackburn and Robert Bracewell.

Four council members were absent: Douglas Carson, Greg Guinn, Jimmy Hammond, and Houston Lindsey.

The proposed budget would have added two cents to the county tax rate and placed that money into capital projects. District 5 Council member Burnett said the money was intended to help prepare for future costs, including employee retirement expenses and possible jail renovation needs.

The increase, he said, was meant to help the county avoid a larger tax hike later.

“This is one of those deals where we talked about planning ahead and not having one big increase,” Burnett said during the discussion.

District 2 Council member Bracewell questioned the increase and the broader use of fund balance, saying it appeared the county was “borrowing from savings” to avoid a larger tax increase in an election year. He also pushed back on the argument that smaller, incremental increases are easier on taxpayers over time.

After the first vote failed, a motion was made to remove the 2-cent increase and keep the county tax levy at last year’s rate: 1.7412 for the county and 1.7480 for urban services.

That motion failed, 6-5.

Voting yes were Blackburn, Bobo, Burnett, A. Cashion, M. Cashion, and J. Taylor.

No votes were cast by Bracewell, Dye, Golden, Moorehead, and S. Taylor.

Clock is Now Ticking

The failed votes leave the budget unresolved.

Amy Cashion said the council could bring the budget back next month, but because the budget requires two separate readings, a special-called meeting may be needed if the council waits until June to restart the process.

The Budget Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 1, at the American Legion, 119 Booneville Hwy., to discuss budget amendments and how the county will pay for the jail renovation.

Moore County would not shut down on July 1. But Monday’s failed first-reading vote does put the county on a shorter track.

If the county cannot adopt a budget before July 1, the continuation budget would give officials some breathing room. But there is also a hard state deadline. Under Tennessee’s budget rules, the county must finalize and adopt its operating budget by Aug. 31.

If that does not happen, county officials would have to show extraordinary circumstances and seek formal written approval from the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury to extend the continuation budget through Sept. 30. The Comptroller’s office can also require action to make sure critical debt obligations are paid.

That means the next few weeks matter. The longer the budget remains unresolved, the less room council members have to work through the tax rate, fund balance, capital projects, and the jail renovation question before state deadlines begin to limit their options.

Jail Renovation Moves Forward on First Reading

Council members did approve the first reading of a jail renovation plan, voting 10-1 to move the project forward.

Sheriff Tyler Hatfield told the council the county had worked with contractor Lee Adcock to cut the original bid. The original total was just over $1.05 million before alternates. After reviewing the bid line by line, the revised renovation number came to $833,498.68 before kitchen appliances.

The lower number came after officials removed or reworked several items, including a decision for the county to source kitchen equipment separately.

Council members then added a $150,000 appliance allowance, bringing the total to $983,498.68.

The council still has not settled how it would pay for the jail renovation.

Hatfield said the county would still need to source the appliances, and any unspent funds would be returned to the project balance. The work includes needed kitchen and fire-suppression upgrades, roof-related repairs, and other jail improvements.

Hatfield said some items were not wish-list upgrades, but issues tied to jail standards and inspections.

Voting yes were Bobo, Bracewell, Burnett, A. Cashion, M. Cashion, Dye, Golden, Moorehead, J. Taylor, and S. Taylor.

The no vote was cast by Blackburn.

The jail renovation will require a public hearing and second reading next month. Council set the jail public hearing for 6:20 p.m. before the June meeting.

EMS Vehicle Approved

Council also approved an EMS vehicle request after questions about why the department wanted a 2500-series truck rather than a smaller vehicle.

Public Safety Director Jason Deal said the county currently relies on fire trucks, highway department trucks, and other borrowed vehicles to tow emergency response trailers. He said the larger truck would also allow EMS to carry a stretcher in the bed during weather events, farm accidents, four-wheeler crashes, and other calls where an ambulance may not be able to reach the patient directly.

Deal said the vehicle would replace an older Ford Explorer that had been used for years before safety issues forced it out of service.

The EMS vehicle request passed without further objection.

Housing Grant, Rezonings Also Approved

• In other business, the council approved a housing grant item tied to the Tennessee Housing Development Agency, advanced one rezoning on first reading, approved three rezonings on second reading, handled notary items, and reviewed the monthly building permit report.

The grant item would allow the county to remain eligible for funds used to help qualifying low-income residents with home repairs, weatherization, fall hazards, and similar needs. Mayor Sloan Stewart said the money is federally funded through the development district and does not come from the county budget.

• Council also approved first reading of a rezoning request for Map 043, Parcels 010.01 and 012.01, from A-1 to R-2. A public hearing on that rezoning was set for 6:25 p.m. before next month’s meeting.

• The second-reading rezonings included Map 025, Parcel 010.00, from A-1 to R-2; Map 011, Parcel 018.02, from I-2 to R-2; and Map 011, Parcel 010.00, from A-1 to R-2.