County finances may prevent buying, leasing bank building

Thursday, August 27, 2009
By John I. Carney

Bedford County Financial Management Committee chairman Joe Tillett said Tuesday night that the county isn't in a position to either buy or lease the Regions Bank building on the square, which has been proposed as a location for new courtroom and court clerk space.

The bank has proposed selling the building but would still retain the use of the first floor and the drive-through branch behind the building. An offer earlier this year cited a figure of $700,000, and the county would likely have to spend about the same amount on renovation costs after buying the building.

A more recent proposal is that the county lease the building for 50 cents per square foot.

The county has access to some court fees and collections which can only be used for courthouse security improvements. Those could be used for renovation costs, but not for purchase or lease costs.

Committee member J.D. "Bo" Wilson said that some of the space concerns could be dealt with through better scheduling of the existing courtrooms and use of the courtroom at the city police station. But he said his main concern is security. Discussion at past meetings have said that the courthouse, with its multiple entrances, would be difficult to make completely secure.

Another recent proposal which could relieve some of the pressure on the courtroom space is the possible installation of a video system at Bedford County Jail. Such a system could allow arraignment hearings to be held by teleconference, with the defendant never leaving the jail. County Finance Director Robert Daniel said the county could piggyback on an existing school system bid for video equipment, reducing the cost of such a system.

In other discussion Tuesday night:

* The committee voted to give the bid for a re-roof of the Bedford Home Health building to Merritt and Green Roofing for $29,883 after having last month awarded it to another company for $17,524. It was discovered after last month's meeting that the low bid did not meet specifications because it did not include the proper flashing.

* The committee recommended write-offs of $142,161 in bad debts submitted by Bedford County Emergency Medical Services. The write-offs must be approved by the full county commission.

* The committee approved a proposal from Bedford County Animal Control to use a $9,500 grant from PetSmart Charities to install a concrete floor with drains in the existing carport.

* The commiteee approved a proposal from County Clerk Kathy Prater to spend $2,161 on computer equipment. The equipment will allow the clerk's office to post county commission minutes and supporting documents online at the county's web site, making them more easily accessible by the public.

* The committee heard a proposal that it switch from the state's worker's compensation insurance plan to a private plan which it appears would save the county nearly $100,000. The committee will study the proposal more closely in the coming months; if the county was to switch, it would do so next summer, at the beginning of a new fiscal year.

Comments

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so now we know where that 700,000.00 from a new trash system was going to go.

-- Posted by antitaco on Thu, Aug 27, 2009, at 9:44 AM

Response by Brian Mosely:

The $700,000 for the garbage system was a Shelbyville issue, and wouldn't have impacted Bedford County at all.

What ever happened to the $19 million dollars from the sale of the hospital? Where is that money?

-- Posted by big john on Thu, Aug 27, 2009, at 10:13 AM

Response by John Carney:

All but $6.5 million of it had to be set aside as replacement collateral and to pay back the hospital-related loans the county had taken out while it owned the hospital.

The commission decided at the time to set the $6.5 million aside, as a sort of endowment, in a special fund, with the interest from it to go into the county operating budget. I believe that is still the policy.