Budget Committee Discusses Employee Raises, Hospital, Solid Waste, and More

The Wayne County Commission’s Budget Committee met at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 5, 2025, at the Wayne County Administration Building in the Berry-Brewer Meeting Room. Members of the Budget Committee in attendance were Commissioners Sherrie Powers, Logan Shull, Tom Mathis, Ricky Kelley, David Martin, and Colby McDonald. County Executive Jim Mangubat was in attendance as well, along with Wayne County Financial Advisor Lori Brasher and Executive Assistant Cindy Risner. Commissioner Stan Hanback was absent.

The Budget Committee is primarily tasked with creating the county budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget must be finished and approved by the full County Commission before July 1, the beginning of the next fiscal year. There is already some discussion that a continuation may have to be requested if the county budget is not ready before the deadline.

Raises for some county employees were the first item on the agenda. Wayne County Trustee Sheila Rich previously requested raises for two employees in her office. Financial Advisor Lori Brasher explained that there are two levels of pay for those employees based on how long they have worked in their positions. One employee who has worked as a Deputy Trustee since 2019 should already be making $31,200 per year according to the county’s salary schedule. The other employee in the Trustee’s office is a new employee and should be making $27,040 per year. The committee said they would explain this to Mrs. Rich and check to make sure the Deputy Trustee that has worked longest in the office is making the salary according to the schedule, and if not, her salary will be increased to match that amount.

The committee went on to discuss pay raises for all county employees. It was agreed that raises should not be given to certain employees only but should be given across the board.

Ms. Brasher explained that county employees in the Solid Waste Department, County Buildings, General Sessions, and Highway Department are already paid above the salary schedule, which was approved by the commission some time ago. Law enforcement is also excluded from the salary schedule.

Commissioner David Martin said he felt strongly that if one county employee gets a raise, all should get a raise. Commissioner Mathis agreed, and said the committee and commission should consider a cost of living raise for county employees. He stated that you have to surround yourself with good employees to be successful. He asked Ms. Brasher to come up with some numbers before the next meeting, including spreadsheets showing how both 2% and 3% pay raises for county employees would affect the budget. She will also have spreadsheets showing the cost of raises for all county employees, and for only the employees currently paid according to the salary schedule. The committee made it clear that these raises, if approved by the Budget Committee and then the full commission, would not go into effect for some time.

Highway Superintendent Chuck Moser, who was in the audience, echoed Commissioner Mathis’ and Commissioner Martin’s statements, and said that he can’t get quality drivers and equipment operators for $13 to $15 per hour, which is the amount listed for his employees on the salary schedule. He said that most people qualified to do that type of work could go almost anywhere else and make more money. Moser said that he had to fire seven employees in the last three months for failing drug tests.

Next was Chamber of Commerce Director Christine Chapman’s request for an additional $4,160 (13.3%) to be added to her budget for next year. Ms. Brasher explained that the state pays 78% of the Chamber’s salaries, and the county pays 22%. It has always been up to the state to give raises to Chamber employees.

Ms. Chapman requested that the additional amount be added to her budget to help with the salary for a part-time Chamber employee. The Chamber currently reimburses the county a set amount of $6,627 each year for payroll, and Ms. Brasher suggested that if the county approves the additional $4,160 for the Chamber, the Chamber should add that amount to what they reimburse the county every year.

County Executive Mangubat informed the committee that according to state requirements, a proposed budget must run in the June 11 edition of The Wayne County News. He and Executive Assistant Risner said they would send whatever they have ready by 12:00 noon on Monday.

A discussion regarding IT Specialist Mike Floyd was next. County Executive Mangubat said Mr. Floyd does want to remain the full-time IT Specialist for the county and they have been in salary negotiations. Mangubat said the salary they finally agreed upon was $80,000 per year. Mr. Floyd will continue to drive to Waynesboro from his home in Mississippi every day, but his drive time will not be included in his salary. He will be eligible for overtime pay when he is called in to work extra hours on weekends. Mr. Mangubat noted that the contract is year-to-year and will be re-negotiated next year. Mr. Floyd will be eligible for county benefits as he will be a county employee. Commissioner Mathis made a motion to recommend the IT Specialist’s salary of $80,000 per year contingent upon County Attorney Andy Yarbrough’s approval of the contract. Commissioner Shull seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously on roll call vote

Next was a discussion regarding Maury Regional’s contract with the county to run Wayne Medical Center. As per the contract, Maury Regional is paying the county $50,000 per year to lease the building that houses the hospital. There is also a stipulation in the contract stating that Maury Regional will pay up to $150,000 per year toward upgrades and repairs at the hospital, with the county to pay $150,000 also, if needed. Commissioner Powers asked who will be paying the monthly rent for the portable chiller the hospital is using until the HVAC system can be repaired or replaced, whether it is Maury Regional or the county. County Executive Mangubat said he did not know, but he called Dr. Martin Chaney, Maury CEO. Dr. Chaney said that he would have to speak with Wayne Medical CEO Phyllis Brown to get more information. He didn’t give Mr. Mangubat an answer during their conversation.

Commissioner Powers stated, and reiterated several times, that County Executive Mangubat should have collected all the information to make a plan for Maury Regional funding by December 31st, 2024. Commissioner Mathis expressed his agreement with what Commissioner Powers said.

Ms. Brasher said that $150,000 for things needed at the hospital would put the Capital Projects fund in the hole. That fund receives very little revenue, including $50,000 from Maury Regional for the hospital lease and some revenue from TVA. Ms. Brasher went on to say that the county would need to look into a loan to pay for repairs and upgrades at the hospital. Commissioner Shull asked if the loan would need to include the amount for the small oil truck being purchased by the Highway Department, and she said it would. Any money provided by a loan would be applied to the Capital Projects fund and would be paid back from the Debt Service fund.

Following further discussion, Ms. Brasher recommended that the county establish a line of credit loan in an amount up to $2.5 million, as that is the number Maury has given the county for needed repairs and upgrades at the hospital over the next three years. The committee agreed that this number was unreasonable and would not or could not be paid by the county. Ms. Brasher recommended they shop around with at least three banks and/or other loan institutions to get the best interest rate on a line of credit loan up to $2.5 million. She explained that a line of credit would allow the county to only draw from the loan for needs as they arise. She said if they established a limit of $2.5 million, that wouldn’t mean they would have to draw that much if they couldn’t afford it, but it would be available if they needed it. There was no vote at this time from the committee on Maury Regional or a loan.

A discussion of the Solid Waste Department was next. County Executive Mangubat said he had been trying to get a meeting scheduled with Tommy Legins, Vice President of Operations at RaeKar, but they had not been able to get a meeting date set. This meeting will be held to discuss RaeKar’s plans for garbage pickup rates if changes are implemented at the solid waste facility, and RaeKar will go on to make a presentation to the full county commission regarding their plans.

Commissioner Kelley stated that if the resolution passed by the Solid Waste Committee were to be approved by the full commission, the solid waste problems would be solved. In part, the resolution states that Wayne County wishes to operate its solid waste program in a cost-efficient manner while complying with Tennessee Code Annotated, and all residents are to be treated equally and fairly.

Section 1 of the resolution states, “Pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated 68-211-835 and 5-1-118(a)(1), 5 (five) cents per pound shall be applied to all municipal solid waste unloaded that exceeds three (3) 40-gallon disposal bags per load or day, or its equivalent, received at county solid waste transfer station.”

Commissioner Powers asked if the county is still out of compliance with state code regarding solid waste. County Executive Mangubat said that he was unsure about why exactly the county had been out of compliance in the first place and was unable to get a straight answer from CTAS. Mrs. Powers said that the resolution currently on the table stated it would put the county in compliance, but that is in question as well. Commissioner Kelley said the reason the county is out of compliance is because they use property taxpayer money to fund the Solid Waste Department. That is in question as well, and Commissioner Shull agreed that no one had been able to show the exact Tennessee code that made that statement.

Commissioner Martin asked if anyone knew a definite dollar amount it would take to get the county in compliance with state code in order to run the solid waste facility. Ms. Brasher said that it would take $938,000 in property tax funds, or $1,067,000 if no property tax funds were used. The larger amount would balance the budget without using property tax funds. She went on to say that it passed, the solid waste resolution currently on the table would only increase revenue enough to be a “drop in the bucket” compared to what the county actually needs to maintain the Solid Waste Department.

The committee went on to discuss the solid waste financial issue, with Ms. Brasher stating that Decatur County, where she lives, fully funds their Solid Waste Department with interest income and no property tax dollars. She also stated that the Decatur County solid waste facility doesn’t charge a tipping fee, but they do not take any commercial garbage, only household garbage. That makes a big difference between the Decatur County and Wayne County solid waste budgets.

Ms. Brasher’s final question was, why does Wayne County subsidize private businesses? That is certainly something to think about.

With no further business, the Budget Committee meeting was adjourned.

Editor’s Note: Following the Budget Committee meeting, Emma McWilliams, writer for The Wayne County News, asked County Executive Mangubat about the certified property tax rate. After the recent re-assessments of property values under the state-issued guidelines, property values across the county rose considerably, with some double (or even more) what property owners paid for their properties to begin with. Wayne Countians have all been concerned that this would raise property tax rates. Wayne County Property Assessor Dustin White explained at the three town hall meetings he held that the county did not necessarily have to set the new property tax rate at what the state recommended, and they would most likely set a rate that would keep taxpayers from paying much, if any, more in property taxes as they did last year. County Executive Mangubat confirmed that the new property tax rate would not be set until the budget for fiscal year 2025-26 is completed at the end of June/beginning of July, but he does not expect a large increase. He reiterated what Mr. White said, that Wayne County taxpayers will be paying close to the same or only slightly more in property taxes as they did last year.