Cheryl Walker, budget committee chairperson, explained the actions of the budget committee meetings at the May Union County Commission meeting. The budget committee had taken several votes on several parts of the budget: Development (Planning Commission), County Clerk, Sheriff, Special Patrols, Jail (current facility), Fire Protection, Rescue Squad, Libraries, EMS, Debt Service and General Capital Projects; the budget committee did recommend several cuts to the General Fund 101 Budget, but after several tie votes was bringing no recommendations for the other parts.

The called Union County Budget committee meeting on June 7 yielded a balanced budget to recommend to the Union County Commission on June 14.
Commissioner Larry Lay chairs the committee with Jody Smith, Kenny Hill, Earl Cox, Janet Holloway, Dawn Flatford and Becky Munsey as members.
Mayor Jason Bailey informed the committee that after the May Union County Commission meeting, he received notice that all elected officials were to receive a two percent raise. This increase pushed the shortfall to a little over $359,000 instead of the approximately $330,000 gap at the end of May.

Fourteen of 16 county commissioners attended the called Union County Commission meeting on June 14 to approve a budget for FY 22.
Following the lead of the Budget Committee, Commissioner Jody Smith offered a motion to accept the FY22 Budget as recommended by the Budget Committee, and Larry Lay provided a second.
Several commissioners commented on various aspects of the budget. Debra Keck, Janet Holloway, Earl Cox, Bill Cox, Sidney Jessee Jr. and Kenny Hill voiced concerns about cutting the funding for the Union County Historical Society as well as some fire protection.

County Mayor Jason Bailey has prided himself on promoting transparency in government. His background in education probably directed his schooling of the county commission at the regular May meeting.

The Tennessee Department of Education Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund 3.0 (ESSER) money (which comes from federal emergency funds to combat the negative effects from the pandemic) may help Union County jump start its new middle school planning

Mayor Jason Bailey presented the FY 22 County Budget for all departments to the Budget & Finance Committee of Union County Commission on April 20.
The current proposal is out of balance by some $331,000.

Dr. Jimmy Carter, Director of Schools, remarked that his staff was preparing a rubric (rules for evaluation) for teacher incentive pay.
He further explained that the plan would not be ready for the Union County Board of Education September meeting and would need to be placed on the October agenda.

The Union County Commission approved the FY 21 Budget and set a tax rate of 2.13999 with no tax increase at its regular meeting on June 22. However, the raise for commissioners will not be included. Mayor Jason Bailey informed the commission that Governor Bill Lee prohibited any commissioner raises for FY21 in an executive order in March due to the high rate of unemployment and the impact of the coronavirus.

At its May meeting, the Union County Board of Education passed a balanced budget with increased funding. Teacher salaries will increase due to a raise in beginning teacher pay from $36,000 to $37,000. This raise causes an increase throughout the scale. There will be no longevity pay for seniority since all educators will get an increase in pay.

Passing a budget and setting a tax rate in June has now become best practice in Union County. For two consecutive years, Ann Dyer, County Finance Director, and County Mayor Mike Williams have diligently worked with County Commission led by Chairman Gary England and the Budget and Finance Committee to complete the budget process before the beginning of the new fiscal year on July 1. Their combined efforts have solidified the budget process into a transparent, accountable, and responsible fiscal practice that has set Union County on a course toward improvement and maybe even prosperity.