By Tabitha Evans Moore
Editor & Publisher

LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — After failing its first reading last month when four absent council members left the body one vote short of the required two-thirds majority, the Metro Moore County FY2026-27 General Budget passed first reading Monday night, 13-2, with all fifteen council members present. A second reading and public hearing has been scheduled for a special-called meeting Monday, June 29, at 6:30 p.m. with a public hearing taking place beforehand at 6:20 p.m.

The budget carries a two-cent tax levy increase over the prior year — the same increase that divided the council in May. Budget Committee Chair Gerald Burnett clarified Monday that the two cents has been restructured since last month’s vote: rather than flowing into capital projects, the increase has been moved into debt service to cover the amortization schedule for the upcoming jail renovation. The practical effect, Burnett told the council, is that the cost of the project will be absorbed gradually rather than absorbed in a single budget year.

Council Chair Amy Cashion and Burnett kept discussion tightly focused on the budget document before them. When questions arose about specific line items — including the cost of the sheriff’s search-and-rescue dogs and the allocation of increased TISA funds to the school system — Cashion and Burnett redirected members to the appropriate venues. Cashion noted that the school board manages its own budget and that council members, like any citizen, are welcome to attend school board meetings and ask questions there during budget discussions. Burnett was direct on the council’s role: its job is to appropriate funds, not interrogate department heads on the floor of a council meeting.

The first 13-2 vote was followed by a procedural challenge that produced a second identical vote. Council member Robert Bracewell raised the county’s Code of Ethics, noting that members with a personal interest in a budget matter are required to disclose that interest before voting. The move prompted council members Shane Taylor and Douglas Carson — both employees of the Moore County Sheriff’s Office — to address the council before the re-vote. Taylor stated on the record that the sheriff’s department budget included no raises for his position and that, from his perspective, he had no conflict of interest.

“I choose to vote in my own conscience, and what I feel is best for my constituents in this matter. I feel I have no conflict of interest and I’ll vote yes,” Taylor said prior to the vote.

Doug Carson, who also works for he Moore County Sherriff’s Department (MCSD) stated similarly.

“Because I’m an employee of the Metro Moore County Sheriff’s Office, I may have a conflict of interest with respect to this matter. With respect to the Sheriff’s Department, which is included in the proposal about to be voted on, I declare that my argument and my vote are only influenced by conscience, and the obligations I have to constituents and citizens of this body or council. Accordingly, I will abstain from voting on appropriation for Sheriff’s Department as per Resolution 12023-04. For all other appropriations, I’ll vote yes.”

Chair Cashion noted that the conflict-of-interest disclosures made last year by some members involved the county’s pension expansion — a benefit that would have directly affected those employees. There were no MCSD raises included in the 2026-27 budget. County Attorney Bill Reider stated on the record that Taylor and Carson were eligible to vote. The re-vote was 13-2, with the same result as the first.

Robert Bracewell and Peggy Sue Blackburn cast the two dissenting votes on the budget. Blackburn stated her reason for opposing: she believed the council should have required a second bid on the jail renovation before the budget moved forward.

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HATFIELD WALKS COUNCIL THROUGH BID PROCESS

Sheriff Tyler Hatfield addressed the council directly on the jail renovation bid process, providing a detailed account of how the project was solicited and why only one bid was received. Hatfield said the county contracted with OLG Engineering to draw the plans; as part of that engagement, OLG managed the bid process and bid opening. The bid ran for a minimum of two weeks and was published in the Moore County News and across multiple construction websites to solicit bids from a broad pool of contractors.

A mandatory pre-bid inspection meeting was held. Two contractors attended: Sabre and Lee Adcock Construction. Saber did not submit a bid. Lee Adcock submitted the sole bid. Hatfield noted that under the county’s purchasing policy, any project projected to exceed $25,000 must go through an open bid process — meaning the county publishes the opportunity and accepts whatever bids are received.

“We have no control over that,” Hatfield told the council. “Whatever bids we receive is what you receive.”

Hatfield also noted a practical barrier to contractor participation: anyone performing work on the jail facility must pass a background check, a requirement that narrows the field of willing bidders.

“I wish we could have gotten multiple bids, but that was not the case,” he said.

As a reminder the jail renovation that the project centers on code compliance and safety — not expansion. Renovations are tied to state compliance and required for facilities to maintain certification with the Tennessee Corrections Institute. Without certification, counties can face operational restrictions, increased liability exposure and pressure to house inmates elsewhere — an option that can result in higher long-term costs.

The council voted on second reading to approve the jail renovation, with the total project amount set at $983,498 — comprising the base bid of $833,498 plus a $150,000 appliance allowance. Bracewell and Blackburn voted no.

BUDGET AMENDMENTS PASS 14-1

The council also approved a package of budget amendments, including a revised debt service amendment distributed at the meeting. The amendments passed 14-1, with Blackburn casting the lone dissenting vote.

The budget must pass a second reading before taking effect July 1. The special-called meeting is open to the public. A public hearing will be held at 6:20 p.m., followed by the council vote at 6:30 p.m., at the regular meeting location. That meeting will take place at the American Legion located off Highway 129 near the Lynchburg Pool. •

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