Senator Wilder hands out checks in the county
State Senator John Wilder visited Brownsville
January 18 with grant checks that totaled $35,000
for city and county organizations. Pictured (from
left) are Lt. Barry Diebold, Brownsville Police
Department; Nancy Cates, Brownsville/Haywood County
Parks and Recreation; County Mayor Franklin Smith;
Senator John Wilder; Joe Taylor, City Alderman and
Vice Mayor; and Bishop Will F. Boyd, representing
the Brownsville-Haywood County Community Action
Organization.
State Senator John Wilder was in Brownsville in
January handing out state grant funds for operations
within the county. The funds are to be used by
county and local governments, as well as local
non-profit organizations for much-needed
improvements to operations. Senator Wilder presented
the grants in a ceremony on Friday, January 18, at
the Haywood County Courthouse.
“Our communities are filled with hardworking people
that are dedicated to improving our community,”
Wilder said. “I’m happy that I can do my part to
provide them with the resources they need in order
to expand their services.”
The
grant comes as part of the Community Enhancement
Grant Program, a $20-million program initiated by
the Tennessee General Assembly during its last
session. CEG grants are intended to provide
financial assistance to worthy community and
non-profit organizations.
In
Haywood County, Wilder has secured a grant in the
amount of $20,000 for the city of Brownsville Police
Department and a $5,000 grant for the
Brownsville/Haywood County Parks and Recreation.
Another grant of $5,000 will also go to
Brownsville-Haywood County Community Action
Organization, and the Town of Stanton will receive
$5,000.
“These groups all do good work for our communities,”
Wilder said. “The least State government can do is
give them some help to ensure they continue
providing quality services.”
More discussion on criminal
justice complex site selection
When the county commission met January 22, Jail
Committee Chairman Brad Bishop reported what most
attending the meeting already knew. The committee
hasn’t made a decision on where to locate the
proposed criminal justice complex. Complicating the
committee’s work is new information and at least one
protest.
Old jail site
Lawyers with the County Technical Advisory
Service, CTAS, have written County Mayor Franklin
Smith saying that locating the courts outside the
city limits at the old jail location is illegal.
CTAS lawyers state the selection will make Haywood
County a “test case.” Smith also reported that CTAS
doesn’t believe a Private Act, as has been
discussed, will solve the problem. The mayor told
commissioners, “Its not legal unless the city
annexes.”
Old Wal-Mart and further south on the bypass
Jail Committee Chairman Brad Bishop says the
15-plus million price tag for the old Wal-Mart
location is, in his opinion, “not feasible.”
Church leaders at Mercer Baptist Church don’t like a
third option for location on the bypass near their
church and the county highway department. Rev.
Wilbert Atkins says his congregation opposes the
site. He says having a jail across the street from
his church projects a “bad image.”
Jail committee’s power reduced
Last fall county commissioners passed a measure
allowing the jail committee to make the final site
selection for the new criminal justice complex.
Though there was no vote rescinding that power when
the commission met January 22, there seemed to be
agreement that the committee will now recommend and
not actually select the site.
New court costs
Get in serious trouble – plan on paying
additional court cost in Haywood County. The county
commission tacked on an extra $45 court cost that
will apply to select criminal cases heard in General
Sessions court. The commission took the action
during a meeting January 22. The money will go
directly to help fund the child advocacy services
for the Carl Perkins Center. There was no estimate
of how much money the new fee may raise.
Rural water could get new tank
The county applied for funds that could build a
$700,000- plus water tank north of Brownsville. The
tank is needed for the growing rural water system.
A CDBG grant of a half million dollars could fund
part of the cost. A $200,000-plus grant and loan
from USDA could fund the balance. County
commissioners, when they met January 22, authorized
county leaders to apply for the money.
County taxpayers to help Stanton
County commissioners, during their January
meeting, agreed to provide up to $40,000 to the city
of Stanton. The city is asking for the money to fund
a welcome center at Stanton.
City Alderman Allan Sterbinsky said the center is
part of Stanton’s efforts at revitalization and
critical, Stanton leaders believe, to help lure a
company to the mega-site.
WILDER, NAIFEH, BREDESEN ANNOUNCE
CDBG GRANT FOR BROWNSVILLE
State Senator John Wilder, State House Speaker
Jimmy Naifeh, Governor Phil Bredesen, and Economic
and Community Development Commissioner Matthew
Kisber recently approved a $500,000 Community
Development Block Grant to improve both wastewater
treatment facilities in Brownsville in Haywood
County.
“I’m very pleased the state of Tennessee can
offer this financial assistance to Brownsville for
the improvement of their wastewater treatment
facilities,” Bredesen said. “The types of
infrastructure repair and modernization projects
funded by Community Development Block Grants benefit
and boost development at the local level and lead to
the continued improvement of our state’s economic
health."
“Our community deserves congratulations for
working together to secure this grant,” Wilder said.
“Community development is impossible without
teamwork, and this award is evidence that
Brownsville understands that need for cooperation.”
Funding for the $575,000 project will include
$75,000 in local funds. The funds were provided by
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
and were allocated under a procedure authorized by
the Tennessee General Assembly. The grants were
approved by the ECD Loan and Grant Committee
following an application by each county.
“CDBG grants offer needed support to communities at
the most basic levels of infrastructure, including
well-kept roads and effective water and sewer
facilities,” Kisber said. “ECD is pleased to lend
its support to this program that is so essential to
the progress of communities across the state.”
The grant was approved following an application
by the City of Brownsville and has the support of
Wilder, Naifeh, and Mayor Webb F. Banks. Sen. Lamar
Alexander, Sen. Bob Corker and Congressman John
Tanner aided in securing the funds.
“To see the fruits of a concerted effort toward
development in Brownsville is truly encouraging,”
Naifeh said. “This CDBG grant represents a
significant step of progress in the economic
potential of our community.”
Allocation of CDBG funds is based on priorities
set at local levels where community needs are best
known. The CDBG program is administered in Tennessee
by the Department of Economic and Community
Development.
Mayors list goals and priorities for
2008
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Mayor Webb
Banks |
Mayor
Franklin Smith |
Haywood County Mayor Franklin Smith
and Brownsville Mayor Webb Banks have each set their
goals for 2008, and many are joint ventures that both
county and city governments will share.
Goals and Priorities for Haywood
County
- The selection of a site and
design for the criminal justice center and the
beginning of construction.
- Name a metro government study
committee so they can begin their work
- Continue with efforts to develop
the mega site and locate industry
- Create a master plan for the
development of the newly purchased industrial park
site
- Continue to make county
government more responsive to the citizen’s needs
- Continue working with the medical
community, including local medical providers and
Haywood Park Community Hospital, to strengthen
hospital operations in the community.
Goals and Priorities for
Brownsville
- Make law enforcement more
proactive in order to reduce crime rate
- Develop the new industrial park
- Continue to recruit industry for
area industrial sites, including the old industrial
park, the new park on the bypass, the distribution
center on Anderson Avenue, and the mega site, in
order to provide more and better paying jobs in the
community
- Intensify efforts to bring new
retail to the area
- Implement regional industrial
recruitment efforts
- Conduct a study to determine the
feasibility of a large lake
- Institute new safety programs in
the city and county workplace
- Establish a program to do major
renovation of city streets (Banks noted that the
city is anticipating a $320,000 grant with a city
match of $80,000 to meet this goal)
- Continue the city’s Crash
Reduction Program
- Work with builders to construct
more single-family affordable homes
- Work with the study group to
determine the feasibility of a metro government
- Strengthen Haywood Park Community
Hospital’s operation to insure its continuation of
service in this community
City joins SWTDA
Tuesday night, January 8,
Brownsville’s Board of Mayor and Alderman authorized
Mayor Webb Banks to sign an Interlocal Agreement that
paves the way for a high-powered industrial recruiting
effort.
The action is the final step in
formation of the Southwest Tennessee Development
Authority, a joint industrial recruiting operation
funded by Brownsville, Haywood and Tipton County,
Covington’s city government and three utilities,
including Brownsville Utility and Southwest.
Mayor Banks said the other entities
have already signed the agreement. Next the group will
be hiring an executive who will spearhead the drive
for new industry. In focus is the megasite, which is
positioned near the Haywood/Tipton and Fayette County
Lines.
“Governor Bredesen and Matt Kisber
are tickled to death with this plan,” Mayor Webb Banks
said. Banks said the Authority might be the first of
its type in the state.
Development begins on new
industrial park
Aldermen also completed the
annexation and rezoning of tracts that will become the
community’s new industrial park. The 500-acre tract is
located at Windrow Road and the bypass.
Mayor Banks said planners will now
begin the process of developing the park which
includes widening Windrow Road, building roads within
the park and laying off 25-acre blocks.
Codes adoption ensures low fire
insurance rates
Moving to preserve the city’s low
fire insurance rates, aldermen adopted the 2006
International Building Codes. The adoption, city
officials say, comes at the insistence of the
Insurance Services Offices. ISO regulates insurance
rates in Tennessee.
Other business
In other business, Aldermen passed
final reading of an ordinance that significantly hikes
sewer and water rates. The rate increase is needed,
according to utility managers, because of capital
expenditures for planned infrastructure improvement.
Utility department executives say the rate increase
won’t be seriously felt because of the lowering of
rates on electricity.
Aldermen and the mayor avoided
hot-button issues related to proposed new ordinances
regulating vicious dogs and the number of pets
Brownsvillians may own but the mayor said he is
nearing completion of new language that he’s likely to
introduce next month.