April 3 - 6, 2023
The major development at the General Assembly this week was the presentation of the administration’s final proposed budget on Tuesday to the Senate and House Finance Committees. Much of the discussion in the Finance Committees focused on new school security proposals that were quickly developed over the weekend.
Finance and Administration Commissioner Jim Bryson noted that this budget was still designed to weather potential economic weakness in the coming year by spending significant recurring dollars on non-recurring expenses. He reported that the state now had about $520 million additional funds in both recurring ($470 million) and non-recurring revenue ($43 million) to spend. The bulk of these funds come from around $180 million in agency under-spending and $260 million in higher than anticipated interest earnings.
School Security Funding
In the wake of the Covenant School shooting in Nashville, the final budget proposal from the administration now also includes significant new investments in school safety. Bryson noted that the earlier proposed budget already included $20 million for school facility upgrades and nearly $30 million for additional homeland security agents to assist with monitoring and investigating potential threats of violence. He commented that these additional positions will increase the amount of security assessments those agents can assist with. Currently Homeland Security can only assist with about 130 security assessments each year. The additional positions will allow them to work with all schools, including private.
As far as new spending proposed in this updated budget, it includes:
$7 million non-recurring for grants for private schools for facilities improvements;
$140 million recurring to fund an SRO in every public school
$8 million in additional funding to expand the K-12 behavioral health liaison program
The funds for SRO and the expansion of behavioral health would be outside of TISA. The SRO grants would not require a local match. They would be approximately $75,000...
Read This Week's Full Capitol Update from TCSA
Join TCSA + TCHOA for April's Third Thursday on April 20th
This month's Third Thursday webinar will focus on the Transportation Modernization Act and how the legislation affects county road funding. Join TCSA Director David Connor and TCHOA Director Brett Howell to discuss the details of the TMA's impact on county infrastructure and state aid road funding.
When: Thursday, April 20, 2023; 1:30 PM CDT / 2:30 PM EDT
Where: via webinar; RSVP for the webinar by clicking the button below!
Register for the April 2023 Third Thursday Webinar
TCSA Offices Closed Friday, April 7, 2023
TCSA Offices in Nashville will be closed Friday, April 7, 2023, in observance of Easter holiday. Our offices will be open Monday, April 10, for regular business. We hope everyone has a safe and lovely holiday weekend!
TN Dept. of Finance Releases Amended FY '24 State Budget
Earlier this week, the Tennessee Department of Finance released an amended state budget for fiscal year 2024. Click below to view the presentation shared with the state Legislative body. The final budget has yet to be voted on, but it's one of the final pieces of business before the Leglisature is slated to end session later in April or early May. Check back with TCSA's Capitol Updates to know the final legislation passed and the effects it will have on county governments statewide!
View the Amended FY 2024 Budget from TNDOFA
TN State Data Center Releases New County Population Estimates
Record levels of net domestic migration pushed Tennessee’s population up by 83,000 people in 2022. New county-level data shows that resulted in widespread gains across the state. Click below to view the full report from Tenneessee State Data Center!
View the Full Report on Latest Population Estimates
Resources, Events & Training for County Leaders
Upcoming NACo Webinar:
Influence, Engage, and Network: Why Should You Join a NACo Committee?
April 20, 2023; 2:00 - 3:00 P.M. EDT
Ongoing: CTAS Cybersecurity Certification
Ethics (CORE); CTAS 50th Anniversary Celebration!
June 14, 2023; 10:00 AM. - 2:00 P.M. EDT; Knoxville, TN
TCSA Post-Legislative Conference
May 23 - 25, 2023; Gatlinburg, TN
GRANT ANNOUNCEMENT: