News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Jackson County will finally be able to take steps on its long-awaited fairgrounds project.
Mayor Randy Heady said this project is officially in the new fiscal year budget, which received unanimous approval from the county commission.
“It’s been going on quite honestly for I feel like forever but it’s only been two years, and we haven’t done anything,” Heady said. “But sometimes that happens when you’re looking for grant funding. That’s a 50 percent match grant. We took money that the General Assembly and Governor had given us a couple of years ago.”
Heady said they matched that funding with a grant from the Department of Agriculture.
Heady said other capital projects include using TDEC funding to start extending water lines in the county and Jackson County Utility District tank rehab. He said the remaining funding will be used to help fund a Gainesboro Water Plant project. In addition, the hope is to open the new county services building sometime next year. He said they’re hoping to bid out architectural design and engineering work soon.
“We felt really good about the budget and we just had so many things we had been working on that we were able to put in the budget because of ARP funds and that we finally got the ‘go’ on,” Heady said. “Quite a bit in there and a lot of exciting stuff so we’re excited about the coming year.”
Heady said they were able to achieve all of this without increasing property tax rates.
