2016

The State of Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury Department of Audit has released the Annual Financial Report of Cannon County for the year ending June 30th 2015.
The audit resulted in only four findings and recommendations which have been reviewed with Cannon County Executive Mike Gannon.  
The General and REACH program funds had deficits in unassigned fund balance of $197,239.00 and $12,903.00 respectively.  These deficits resulted from a lack of oversite which allowed expenditures to exceed available funds.  The State recommends Officials should liquidate the deficits in unassigned fund balance. Steps should be taken to ensure that expenditures are held within available funding.
2nd finding was that Expenditures exceeded appropriations for the second year in a row.  The State simply recommended again that expenditures should be held within appropriations approved by the County Commission
Third finding was that Cannon County has not properly complied with local legislation regarding wheel tax collections.  The State findings state that Cannon County collects a wheel tax from its citizens based on a private act originally adopted in 1975 that enacted a tax of $10 per vehicles.  The County Commission, by resolution, set an additional $40 per vehicle in 1999.  Both pieces of legislation required the funds collected from the wheel tax to be used for school related construction, renovation or related debt incurred for such activities.
The state finds that proceeds from the wheel tax are deposited in the county’s General Debt Service Fund and constitute the primary revenue source for that fund.  The examination revealed that the funds are being used to retire school debt; however, for several years, these funds have also been used to retire general county debt.  This practice appears to have resulted in the county not restricting the use of the wheel tax funds according to the legislation that established the tax.  The State says again this is as a result of a lack of management oversight.    Their recommendation is to consult with legal counsel to confirm the intent of the private act and commission resolution regarding the collection and use of wheel tax funds and should compare annual wheel tax collections with allowable expenditures to ensure compliance with the provisions of the legislation.  If any errors are discovered, a plan should be developed and implemented immediately to correct the issue
The last audit finding was of the Office of Road Supervisor.  The Highway/Public Works Fund required material audit adjustments for proper financial statement presentation.  The state says that at June 30, 2015, certain general ledger account balances in the Highway/Public Works Fund were not materially correct, and a audit adjustment totaling $369,328 were required for the financial statements to be materially correct at the year end. Generally accepted accounting principles require  the Highway Department to have adequate controls over the maintenance of its accounting records. Material audit adjustments were required because the department’s financial reporting system did not prevent, detect, or correct potential  misstatements in the accounting records. It is a strong indicator of a material weakness in internal controls if the department has ineffective controls over the maintenance of its accounting records, which are used to prepare the financial statements, including the related  notes to the financial statements. These deficiencies are the result of a lack of management oversight.  State Recommendation was that Cannon County should have appropriate processes in place to ensure that its general ledgers are materially correct.
These four audit findings will be addressed in detail by the Cannon County Audit Committee to correct these errors and continue moving forward.

The Arts Center of Cannon County presents a local production of Year With Frog and Toad
Waking from hibernation in the Spring, Frog and Toad plant gardens, swim, rake leaves, go sledding, and learn life lessons along the way. The two best friends celebrate and rejoice in their differences that make them unique and special. Part vaudeville, part make believe, all charm, A Year With Frog And Toad tells the story of a friendship that endures, weathering all seasons.
This production is directed by Lindsey Mapes and produced by Scarlett Turney
The jazzy, upbeat score of A Year With Frog And Toad bubbles with melody and wit, making it an inventive, exuberant, and enchanting musical for the whole family.
Public Performances will be this Saturday at 2:00 in the afternoon and will also take place next Saturday February 20th
Adult tickets are $10, students $7.00 and can be purchased at the Arts Center Box Office at 615-563-2787
 

Middle Tennessee Electric is nearing the halfway point in its Brighter Future campaign, which is now installing meters in Rutherford County. Launched in July 2015, the program is aimed at improving the reliability and efficiency of the electrical infrastructure by installing advanced meters across the service territory.
Early in the February, the cooperative installed its 100,000th meter, and has moved primarily out of Williamson and into Rutherford County. The campaign will continue on in Cannon and Wilson Counties this spring and into the summer, respectively. The cooperative expects to have the infrastructure completely deployed by fall of this year.
The installers are completing between 700 and 900 meter exchanges per day,” said Josh Clendenen, MTEMC communications coordinator. “The successes we’ve seen in Williamson County have been great, and we are excited to roll out these services to the rest of our membership in the coming months.”
This new infrastructure provides MTEMC precise outage information by identifying where an outage occurred, so crews can be dispatched more accurately, which will help reduce the length of time that members are without power.
In addition to improved reliability and outage communication, some of the other benefits include:

– Improved Member Service: MTEMC member service representatives will be better equipped to handle bill related questions or concerns.

– Future Member Tools & Services: The new technology will also enable MTEMC to roll out new services, with an emphasis on tools to help members better manage and control energy use (including new online tools, mobile applications, and energy saving programs).

– Environmental Benefits: The new infrastructure will provide for better interconnectivity of renewable energy sources, demand response and energy efficiency.

More information on the Brighter Future Program can be found at www.mtemc.com/BrighterFuture.

Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative providing electricity to more than 210,000 residential and business members in Williamson, Wilson, Rutherford and Cannon counties.

Cannon County Schools are closed today

Cannon County Libraries (Adams Memorial Library) are closed today
Other closings in the WBRY listening area
Bedford County Schools
Coffee County Schools
Dekalb County Schools
Warren County Schools
Wilson County Schools
Temple School of Manchester

Rutherford County Schools are open two hours late
Covenant Academy of McMinnville open two hours late
MTSU will open at 8:00A
Tennessee College Applied Technology will open two hours late
This report a service of Goff’s Tree Experts
The USDA Commodity Distribution that was to take place on Thursday at the Community Center will now be Friday at the Community Center from 9A-11A.

The Cannon County Board Of Education meets Thursday for their regular monthly meeting.  On the agenda will be the opportunity to approve the Safe Harbor Resolution for the Affordable Healthcare Act.  Approve Copier lease for the Woodland School and to look at a revision concerning Board policy 5.201.  The meeting starts tonight at 6:30 at the Woodbury Grammar School Cafeteria.

If the weather cooperates, Robert A Harris Gym will be the site of tonight’s final district home game which will pit the Cannon County Lions and Lionettes against their rival Dekalb County.  In the previous meeting in January the Lionettes grabbed a win in overtime against the Lady Tigers while the Lions lost to the Tigers.  Tipoff is slated for 6:00  at Robert A Harris Gymnasium.  You can also hear the games live on AM-1540/FM107.9WBRY and streaming live on our website at wbry.com.
Another note to pass along.  Friday night’s non district contests against Page will serve as Senior Night at Robert A Harris Gymnasium the games against Livingston originally scheduled earlier this week will be made up Saturday in Livingston with tipoff at 2:00.
 

The rush to find the perfect gift ahead of Valentine’s Day (Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016) is in full swing, and gift certificates are a quick and easy way to make your loved one’s day. The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance’s Division of Consumer Affairs offers a few helpful tips for consumers who are considering purchasing gift certificates or discounted services for Valentine’s Day.
When you are sold a gift certificate in the State of Tennessee, remember:
In general, the expiration date must be at least two years after the date it was issued to you.
You should not be charged a fee for the gift certificate to be issued to you.
Within two years of purchasing the gift certificate, you should not be charged service fees (including dormancy fees, latency fees, or administrative fees) that reduce the total value of the gift certificate.
A gift certificate does not include prepaid cards.
As always with shopping, be aware of return policies which are typically displayed in the store, on the receipts or on the businesses website.
Be sure to ask about the locations where the gift certificate(s) can be redeemed.
Inquire about the terms and conditions associated with purchasing and redeeming the gift certificate(s).
Websites like Groupon or Living Social are commonly used to purchase discounted services as gifts. Those services might include a free or discounted hair-styling, manicure, or pedicure. Before purchasing a discounted service, call the company or individual offering the discount to ensure the offer is legitimate.
Remember these tips when you visit a hair salon or nail salon to redeem your gift certificate or discount for services:
A manager or managing owner must be on site when the shop is open for business.
Everyone providing a service must have an active license at all times.
 Instruments must be sanitized after every use.
Footbaths must be cleaned and disinfected after every use.
In every shop, a current Tennessee license and graded inspection sheet should be posted for the public to view.
The Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners has more than 67,000 licensees in the State of Tennessee. For more information about the Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners, visit www.tn.gov/regboards.
Also, visit www.verify.tn.gov to ensure the individual or company is properly licensed to operate in the State of Tennessee. For more consumer tips, or to file a complaint, visit www.tn.gov/consumer.

Cannon County Schools Are Closed Today.
Other closings in the WBRY listening area include:
Bedford County Schools, Coffee County Schools, Dekalb County Schools, Rutherford County Schools, Wilson County Schools and Warren County Schools
Franklin Road Christian School of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee Christian School Murfreesboro, Temple Baptist of Manchester, Victory Baptist of Shelbyville
Murfreesboro City Schools, Manchester City Schools and Tullahoma City Schools
All Motlow State Community Campus Locations are closed today and no evening classes tonight
Middle Tennessee State University is closed today
TN C.A.T (Tennessee College of Applied Technology) opening two hours late, also Covenant Academy of McMinnville opening two hours late

Early voting begins  Wednesday in the March 1st Presidential Preference Republican Primary.  While the voting ballot is dominated by voting for Candidates of the Republican Party and Democratic Party  for President of the United States and Committed and uncommitted delegates at large and 6th Congressional District, a couple of local issues are also on the ballots will allow the local voters whether or not to help the county government bring in revenue in the form of taxes.  One referendum is the sales tax referendum.  At the current rate, Cannon County residents pay 1.75% on anything they purchase within the county itself.  If Cannon County residents go purchase anything from all surrounding counties, those counties have a 2.75% sales tax which is about a penny more than what residents pay in the County.  All the sales tax referendum is doing is raising the 1.75 percent sales tax to the 2.75 percent sales tax rate that all surrounding counties have in place.  This will bring added significantly added revenue to the county in a tax that many residents are paying already outside the county giving those particular counties extra revenue.  The other referendum is for the Wheel Tax Rate to increase by $20.00.  This would raise the costs of vehicle tags in Cannon County from $74.25 to $94.25 with the extra revenue going into the County General Fund Balance.  The State of Tennessee has sent their county budget guidelines to each county in the State.  One of those guidelines is for each county to build and maintain a healthy general fund balance.  For many years Cannon County has been forced to deplete their once healthy general fund balance while revenues were not increasing to meet the necessary demands of the county expenditures.  In the same time frame, there were no tax increases to help bring in the extra revenue.  The depleting of the fund balance is dangerous to the the county’s operations and effects everyone. Instead of gradual increases of property taxes during that time period, Commissioners were forced to make significant increases later on in order to keep operations funded.  This additional revenue will help the county meet the state requirements for a healthy fund balance and a successful fiscal year budget without having to have significant increases in property taxes in order to get the budget to State of Tennessee Expectations .   Early voting will take place at the Election Office at 301 West Main St. Suite #244 February 10th thru February 23rd Except Sundays and President’s Day (Feb.15th)  
Hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8A-1P, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4P-7P and Saturday 10A-1P.

The American Legion Post 279 in Woodbury is selling flags, and accessories.  The monies raised from the sale of the flags goes back into Cannon County, the youth and veterans in Cannon County.  This is an on-going project.  There is a large assortment of all sizes and types of United States, Military Service flags and all sizes of flag poles
The most popular selling flag is the  The United States Flag 3’x 5′ nylon is $25.00         
The United States Flag 4″x 6″ is .50 @ or $5.00 dozen. For special occasions
The military services/branches flags are  $30.00  For that special display.
Any state flag is also available as well as indoor flag sets.
The American Legion Post will be glad to take your order and even deliver the order to you. There is also a catalog available for special orders.
You can contact a member of the American Legion Post 279 for information or call Charlie Harrell at 615-542-1289 or Col. Jim Stone at 615-563-6111, Brent Bush at 615-563-2691, Britt Knox at 615-904-5644, or Penny Daniels at 615-563-6729