August 21, 2014

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THE LEADER THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2014 ▪ VO L . 1 2 9 , N O. 3 5 ▪ T H E VO I C E O F TIPTON COUNTY S I N C E 1 8 8 6 ▪

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County passes $125.7M budget Property values go down, tax rate goes up By JEFF IRELAND jireland@covingtonleader.com

The Tipton County Commission approved a 2014-15 budget Monday night that includes a seven cent property tax increase and a three percent cost of living raise for county employees. Tipton County went through a property reappraisal from the state this year, something that is done every six years. The assessed property value in the county decreased from $981 million to $951.8 million. Because of that change, County Executive Jeff Huffman said most residents will actually pay less in property taxes even though the rate is higher.

The state set the property tax rate at $2.41, which is revenue neutral, meaning the same amount of money should be collected as last year. “After going back 30 years, I cannot see where this has ever happened in Tipton County,” Huffman said about the decreased property value in the county. "Obviously, the recession and the lingering aftermath of the recession has caused values to drop. Not just in Tennessee, but country-wide. When this happens, revenues are stagnant or slow-growing. So local government has to be very cautious

that spending is in line with revenue growth, or lack of growth. This year's budget reflects that caution with a budget reduction of about $1 million compared to last year.” This year's budget is $125.7 million, compared to $126.7 million in 2013-14. It breaks down like this: schools - $78,600,000 ($1.14 tax rate), general fund - $17,036,308 ($.84), highway - $5,763,716 ($.07) and debt service - $5,914,690 ($.36). County employees received a four percent raise last year, but were not given raises the three previous years.

Huffman said, despite the economic downturn nationwide the last few years, the county is in good financial shape. The county's per capita debt is $494, one of the lowest in the area. Madison County's is $574, Fayette's $664, Haywood's $1,053 and Crockett's $1,174. Shelby County's is $1,579. According to Huffman, the county is on track to be out of debt by 2018. “The overall financial position of the county is very strong,” Huffman said. “Tipton County’s fund balance reserves are among the highest in the state as SEE BUDGET, PAGE A3

Former editor Bill Simonton dies at 85

CROWNED

By JEFF IRELAND jireland@covingtonleader.com Bill Simonton, a former editor of The Leader who mentored many at the paper and ushered in new technology, died last Friday. He was 85. He started working at the newspaper when he was eight years old and became editor in 1957. He served in that role until his resignation in 1975. Simonton oversaw The Leader's conversion from a letter press to an offset press in 1961, making the paper the first weekly in West Tennessee to utilize the new technology. “Bill would do anything SIMONTON it took to get the paper out,” said Richard Vandergrift, who was hired by Simonton in 1972. “He didn't shun anything. He would write editorials and opinions and always took on things that he thought were wrong in the community. That wasn't really the case before he got there.” Roland Weir was hired by Simonton as a sportswriter at The Leader in the 1960s. “I was sad when he left,” said Weir. “He helped me out a lot. He was the leader of a lot of changes at the paper. He was really well-liked in the community too.” In an interview two years ago, Simonton talked about his philosophies during his time at the paper. “I was taught to write tight,” Simonton said. “I don't think people do that today. My uncle (Alison Simonton) always said

On Saturday, Grace Burgess, left, and Courtney Caton, right, were crowned Miss Tipton County and Miss Mid-South Heritage, respectively, at the TiptonRosemark Academy Performing Arts Center. The two will compete at Miss Tennessee in June 2015. Photo by Echo Day

VOLUNTEERING

Chief selects participate in annual clean-up day By FRANCE GASQUET fgasquet@covingtonleader.com The chief petty officer selectees arrived at 6:45 last Friday morning, ready for a 7 a.m. muster. Wearing long sleeves and armed with sunscreen, insect repellent and sunscreen, the sailors were prepared for a long day at the Tipton County Veteran’s Museum and Nature Center. This is the 15th year the museum has been honored with a Navy volunteer day, a day where more than 80 sailors from various commands at Naval Support Activity MidSouth perform grounds maintenance and facility upkeep. “We’re very grateful that the Navy helps to continuously improve the Tipton County facility,” said new museum

Above, chief selects clean the lawn in front of the Tipton County museum Friday as part of the 15th annual clean-up effort. Photo by France Gasquet

director Barrie Foster. “These officers are providing us with a huge assistance, not only the beautification, but the finan-

cial impact.” Based on retired director Alice Fisher’s calculations, Foster says this one day saves tax

payers more than $250,000. This community service project is one of many different undertakings the chief petty officer selectees- sailors selected for promotion to chief petty officer- perform during a six-week training process, including team building, leadership, community outreach and physical training. The training process is designed to prepare them for the increased duties and responsibilities as chiefs. “The museum means a lot to veterans and citizens," said Foster. “Veterans meet here on a regular basis for different ceremonies.” According to Jerome Uter ABEC (SEL) the program is designed to get selectees out of their comfort zone. “Normally we take charge of a group of people, we get SEE NAVY, PAGE A3

SEE SIMONTON, PAGE A3

IT'S BACK!

High school football season starts tomorrow. A19

Reader's Guide Opinion A4 Obituaries A6 Classifieds A11 Legals A12 Puzzles A10

Education Sports Community Correspondence Faith

A15 A19 A7 A17 A8

MEET THE ADMINISTRATORS Meet the six new principals and assistant principals. A15

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FOOTBALL! Best Wishes to all of our area teams!

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