Huntingdon Water Rates Increase Three Percent

HUNTINGDON (June 27) — The Town Council of Huntingdon held a special called meeting Thursday to conclude Fiscal Year 2024 and set fiscal policy for the coming year. On a split vote, the council approved a three-percent increase in the town’s water and sewer rate.

The meeting comes two days after the regularly-scheduled monthly meeting. On Tuesday, no quorum was reached with which to conduct official business, but a public hearing was held relating to the previous and current budgets. No citizens contributed to the hearing. Mayor Nina Smothers announced that Patrolman Malachi Arline completed the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy on June 20. The mayor also relayed that recognitions of Huntingdon High School athletes for their performances at the state level would be delayed to the next regular meeting on July 23 meeting.

Thursday’s meeting yielded a quorum, with only Councilmember Kelly Eubanks absent.

The council unanimously approved on second and final reading Ordinance No. 627, an ordinance to amend Ordinance No. 619, as amended by Ordinance No. 622 and Ordinance No. 624, the same being the General Fund, Drug Fund, Solid Waste Collection fund, DCPA Special Projects Fund, and Utility Fund Budgets of the Town of Huntingdon, Tennessee, for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY-024) (1 Jul 023 – 30 Jun 024) to provide for the routine fiscal year-end review and amendments. In essence, this moved various line items around to balance the year-end balance.

Next, the council voted 5-1 to approve on second and final reading Ordinance 628 to adopt and approve the General Fund, Drug Fund, Solid Waste Collection fund, DCPA Special Projects Fund, and Utility Fund Budgets of the Town of Huntingdon, Tennessee, for Fiscal Year 2024-2025.

Anticipated revenue is valued at $5,832,200 with appropriations budgeted at $5,808,300. The largest portion of expenditures is the Police Department at $1,706,900. Finance and Administration is set at $514,500; the Fire Department is $710,800; the Street Department is $760,700; Parks and Recreation is $544,950; General Government is $263,300; Solid Waste is $380,000; the Dixie Carter Performing Arts Center is $722,800.

The Water and Sewer has anticipated revenue valued at $3,323,000 with an operating cost of $3,286,250.

The budget goes into effect July 1, 2024. Opposing the measure was Councilmember Andrew Maddox.

Votes were further split, 4-2, on passage of the second and final reading of Ordinance No. 629, an ordinance to amend Title 18, Water & Sewers of the Huntingdon Municipal Code as outlined in Ordinance No. 620, Chapter 1, Water, Amending Section 18-113, Schedule of Rates; Title 18, Chapter 2, Wastewater Collection and Treatment Systems; Amending Section 18-209, Recovery of Cost (2) Sewer service charges; and Automatic adjust of rate to reflect cost of living.

This amended the current water and sewer rate by 3% for the annual cost of living increase. This was done at the behest of the State of Tennessee. Opposing this ordinance were councilmembers Will Atkins and Andrew Maddox.

The council briefly discussed establishing a three-minute time limit for citizens’ comments at meetings before settling on a limit of five minutes and a requirement for citizens to give 24 hours of notice that they wish to be recognized. The measure was approved unanimously.

Also approved was a request from Eastview Baptist Church for the use of Sesquicentennial Park for a God’s Day event on Saturday, July 20.

Finally, the council approved with no opposition the FY23 Audit report. Mayor Smothers said, “The [audit] had no current year financial statement findings. The report did list a Federal Award Finding that the Data Collection form was not filed by the deadline. The Town is going to work with the audit firm to ensure that the audit report and data collection form are filed timely in the future.”

She added, “Our filing was timely, theirs getting back to us was not.”

The meeting adjourned after eight minutes.