Hospital proceeds may be used for fire trucks

Bedford County Board of Commissioners' budget and finance committee recommended Tuesday night that the interest on the proceeds from the sale of Bedford County Medical Center be used to help finance new fire trucks for Volunteer Fire Services Inc. and an expansion program for Bedford County Emergency Medical Services.

The committee's action comes after an opinion issued Tuesday by attorney John Bumpus saying that use of the hospital proceeds complies with state law and won't violate a settlement between the city and the county in a 1996 class action lawsuit.

The county hired Bumpus earlier this month to represent it in disputes with the city over taxation, because the regular city and county attorneys are members of the same law firm. The city had already hired its own outside attorney.

VFSI wants to buy seven pumper-tanker trucks and a ladder apparatus, saying the equipment is badly needed. The county was scheduled to make the last payment next year on seven trucks purchased in 1998. Those 1998 trucks are being paid for out of the county's special purpose fund, which is derived from rural-only revenues. But the new trucks would be more expensive, and the special purpose fund alone would not be enough to pay for them.

In addition, BCEMS would like to build a new hall on the northern end of Shelbyville, in the same general area as the proposed new location of Bedford County Medical Center. That hall would house both BCEMS ambulances and VFSI trucks. BCEMS would also close its station at the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy and replace it with stations in Unionville and in the Cascade School area. The old Unionville fire hall could probably be used as the Unionville station.

The total project -- VFSI trucks, the BCEMS hall and re-financing of the last payment on the 1998 trucks -- would be $4.2 million. VFSI chief and county commission member Mark Thomas had obtained a financing bid on just the trucks from Government Capital Corporation, but the finance committee is leaning toward borrowing the money through the Tennessee County Services Association loan pool.

The proposal now goes to the full commission for approval.

In other discussion Tuesday night:

Library roof: Argie Cooper Public Library officials asked the county to contribute half of the $17,500 cost of a new roof for the library. The city will be asked to pay the other half. The finance committee sent the proposal to the full commission with its recommendation.

Budget amendments: The committee recommended end-of-year budget amendments for the county highway department, BCEMS and the Assessor of Property. None of the amendments requires any new money; they simply shift money between existing accounts to cover unexpected expenses such as high fuel costs.

2006/07 budget: The committee began hearing budget requests from non-profit agencies seeking county contributions for the 2006-2007 fiscal year which begins July 1. As usual, the commission will not have a budget in place by June 30, and so a "continuing resolution" will be considered at the June 13 commission meeting to allow departments to continue to operate at 2005-2006 spending levels until a new budget has been passed.