The Waynesboro City Commission met in regular session on Monday, July 25, 2022. All commission members were present, including Mayor Chris Bevis, Vice Mayor Jeff Davis, Commissioner Jeff Howell, and Commissioner Lynn Warren. Also in attendance were City Manager John Hickman, City Recorder Paige Jackson, and City Attorney Josh Polk.
One item of importance on the agenda was the sanitation rate increase for city garbage customers. City Manager John Hickman explained that the city was finally forced to increase sanitation rates to match what the sanitation contractor charges the city. Hickman said that the city has supplemented customer payments for the last three years, but had to take action on a rate increase in order to avoid a negative fund balance.
The other main item of importance on the agenda was the property tax rate. The commission voted to set the property tax rate at 1.1958% per 100, which is the suggested rate from the State of Tennessee. The rate is actually a decrease for Waynesboro property owners.
Wayne County JECDB Executive Director Rena Purdy, along with representatives from the State of Tennessee, gave a presentation to the commission regarding the possibility of a new community center to be built at the Waynesboro Municipal Golf Course. There is state grant funding available for a project of this nature, but the project is still in the early planning stages at this time. No action was taken by the commission at this time; however, they agreed that they are very interested in pursuing this project.
The commission also unanimously voted to pass the first reading of the FY 2022-2023 budget. The second reading of the budget will be at the next meeting on August 8.
Following further discussion of various open items, the meeting was adjourned.
