Brownsville celebrates its Top Ten!
January 11, 2012

   The City of Brownsville Mayor and Board of Aldermen breezed through a forty-minute meeting in the first assembly of the calendar year at City Hall on Monday afternoon. 
   Aldermen and the mayor took care of some budget housekeeping, confirmed two board appointments and announced significant changes that will affect your utility bill.
Brownsville’s 2011 Top Ten
   As Brownsville is beginning a new calendar year, Mayor Jo Matherne expressed appreciation to the Board of Aldermen, department heads, city employees, and the citizens of Brownsville for moving the city forward with a list of ten achievements in 2011. 
Those included: 
1) Completion of the Court Square Pedestrian Improvement Project;
2) Development in cooperation with the University of Memphis the "Brownsville on the Move" strategic planning process; 
3) Over $2.4 million in new grant funding to improve sewers, acquire floodplain property, repave streets and sidewalks, equip police, spotlight historic downtown, and plant trees in public areas;
4) Assisting Marathon Heaters to transfer its manufacturing operations here;
5) Assisting Precision Coils in moving from Somerville to Brownsville;
6) Achieving the number one ranking in traffic safety by the Tennessee Lifesavers' Conference;
7) The Fire Dept. answering over 500 calls;
8) Central dispatch managing nearly 24,000 calls; 
9) The West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center hosting over 20,000 visitors and three exhibits sponsored by the Tennessee State Museum;
10) The completion of the extension of utilities across Interstate 40 at Exit 56.   
   The two new employers listed in the mayor’s report will provide an estimated 150 new jobs in Brownsville. Mayor Matherne says she wants to expand on accomplishment in 2012 and she’s called a special meeting to kick off the New Year.  There will be a strategic planning work session retreat for the Board of Aldermen on Saturday, January 28, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with focus on the  "Brownsville on the Move" plan. 
Utility bills to drop
   More good news came by way of the Brownsville Energy Authority. The city board learned that average residential electric bills should decrease by about 2 per cent as of the first of January.  Beginning February first, natural gas bills will go down by approximately 11 per cent. 
There was other business
• On behalf of the NAACP, Rev. O. G. Stewart was granted a permit for a parade planned for January 16’s Dr. Martin Luther King Day parade.
• The Board passed into law midyear budgetary amendments of approximately  $627,000, with nearly 90% of that sum relating to accounting entries and grants. 
• Bill Lea was confirmed for another four year term on the Brownsville Energy Authority Board
• Gem Bell will serve on the Elma Ross Public Library Board. 

Jail healthcare saving taxpayer dollars
January 11, 2012

   About a year in to the county’s attempt at better managing healthcare at the county jail, county commissioners are poised to look at new ideas.
   Though most, including Sheriff Melvin Bond, seem pleased with the job Conmend has been doing, they say they’ll listen to other firms interested in providing the healthcare services.
   The county’s jail committee met yesterday afternoon and discussed healthcare and the jail’s budget.
   While the sheriff has racked up overtime hours running the new jail, his overall budget isn’t badly out of whack. At mid year, the jail budget was just 2% over projections despite the larger than approved personnel cost.
   Last January county commissioners agreed to a $30,000 monthly contract with Conmed, an in-jail healthcare provider. Conmed’s health services include keeping a healthcare worker in the jail 17-hour daily and footing the bill for some out-of-jail healthcare visits. Late in the budget process last year the county added mental health services to Conmed’s responsibilities, upping the cost of the contract to about $400,000 annually.
   Most leaders believe contracting jail healthcare saves taxpayers money by keeping inmates out of more expensive treatment including hospital stays. According to a report from Conmed there hasn’t been a single hospitalization since they took over last spring.
   Still, county leaders say they want to hear from the at least three other firms, including one local, that wants to bid on the service.
   At yesterday’s meeting Mayor Franklin Smith said he’d set a late February date to meet with the prospective healthcare contractors.

Another manufacturer to locate in Brownsville — more jobs!
January 10, 2012

   Brownsville is about to get even more jobs.
   This week’s announcement that Precision Coils will move what likely will be about 100 jobs to Brownsville is the community’s second business success inside of a year.      
   Mayor Franklin Smith, during a budget committee meeting Tuesday, confirmed that Precision Coils, currently located in Somerville, will be moving its operation to the industrial park in Brownsville.
   Marathon Heaters moved here last year. Marathon bought some of the shuttered Haywood Element assets and moved jobs here from the northeast. 
   Many of the existing Precision Coil employees are expected to commute to Brownsville to work, but the company anticipates employing about 26 new people here, bringing its total workforce to about 80 people, according to the mayor.
   Precision Coils manufactures coils for the heating and cooling industry.
   Last year Marathon Heathers moved into the industrial park.
   Both manufacturers said there were many benefits in Brownsville. A main attraction may have been business incentives offered by our two governments.
   Marathon, and now Precision Coils, received a promise of $50,000 in cash from local governments. The money ponied up equally by Brownsville and Haywood County governments and is earmarked to help the businesses with their moves.
   Marathon was apparently attracted to the Haywood Element facility. Haywood Element was in a similar business. And a fairly new building, insiders say, in the industrial park was a big attractor

Haywood Farmers may qualify for disaster benefits
January 4, 2012

   Haywood and Crockett County farmers are among farmers in 43 Tennessee counties who may qualify for emergency help from the government.
   The USDA has declared Haywood County a “primary natural disaster area” thanks to last year’s drought and excessive heat.
   Haywood and Fayette Counties are in the designated area. Contiguous counties — under the USDA rules — also qualify for the benefit, meaning all of the counties surrounding Fayette and Haywood County are included.
   The declaration means qualifying farmers may be eligible for low interest loans from USDA.
   See additional information here apfo.usda.gov

Redrawing the districts — Haywood County changing?
January 4, 2012

   Will Haywood County’s representation in the state house change this year? That’s a big question right now and we may start to get the answers pretty quickly.
   House Republicans are unveiling their plan for redrawing districts in the 99-member lower chamber of the Tennessee General Assembly. The Tennessee Senate hasn’t made public their suggestions.
   Members of the house plan to talk about their new plan today.
   Because candidates seeking election must meet an April 5 deadline, Republican leaders say they want the redistricting settled quickly.
   Some political observers think there may be substantive changes made to legislative lines that include Haywood County.

Photo id to vote — really?
January 4, 2012

   Will you, really, be required to have a photo id when you vote this year? The new law has been big news around Tennessee — and affects every Haywood Countian who wants to visit the polls this year.
   A Nashville lawyer is now saying that the photo ID law could be challenged in a lawsuit.
   Legislative changes in the upcoming session appear to be unlikely despite protests. So a lawsuit challenging the law seems the only way it could be overturned. The law became effective January 1.
   Nashville attorney Gerard Stranch said the law has a disparate effect on minorities. Stranch has suggested a lawsuit is a possibility.

Haywood Farmer Richard Jameson elected to statewide board
January 3, 2012

   Haywood County farmer Richard Jameson has been elected to the Tennessee Farmer’s Co-op Board of Directors. He is featured on the cover of the current issue of the Co-op’s newspaper.
   Jameson, who has served on the Haywood County Commission for 22 years, was elected to the co-op board late last year.
   Farming 2350 acres, Jameson has served on the board of Haywood Farmer’s Co-op and Mid-South Farmer’s Co-op. He was elected to a five-year term.

Unemployment rates continues to decrease in Haywood County
December 30, 2011

   Tennessee county non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for November 2011, released Thursday, show that the rate decreased in 79 counties, increased in 12 counties, and four counties remained the same.
   Tennessee’s unemployment rate for November fell to 9.1 percent, down from the October revised rate of 9.5.
   Haywood County’s jobless rate ticked down again as it has in recent months. The number of Haywood Countians seeking unemployment help has been decreasing steadily this year.
   The state reports Haywood County’s November rate at 12.2% down from October’s 12.7%. A year ago in November 14.2% of us were without work.
   Our neighbors had good months, too.

• Madison 9%
• Tipton 9.3%
• Crockett 10%
• Fayette 10.2% (down from 14%)
• Lauderdale 12.7%