News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter’s five year plan to catch up on the county’s capital projects proved to be successful.
The plan composed of a list of improvements for county buildings, properties and schools. Porter said within the next two years, the remaining school roof projects should be completed.
“I think we are in great shape,” Porter said. “We are working down our list that we created back five years ago when we started the five year plan. We have done a lot of capital improvements since then. I think we are in excellent shape right now.”
Porter said even though the county is entering the sixth year under the plan, capital projects will continue to be added yearly. Roof repair for the Cookeville High School and Cane Creek Elementary School are two larger projects being done this year. Porter said all of the projects have been paid by cash through sales tax.
“We have not borrowed any money for any of this,” Porter said. “This has all been done with our revenue that comes in. Sales tax have been doing real well over the past years, so we can use excess sales tax money that we do not have to use on our debt.”
The next step is completing smaller projects like replacing vehicles and department upgrades. Porter said by planning ahead, the county has saved up to 60 percent on larger projects.
“It is a living breathing document that will constantly update and try to plan out for five years,” Porter said. “I do not like surprises. I want to try to plan when we have to replace a large HVAC system or a roof, so we do not have to dip into other funds. If we plan for that, we can do it for a lot less money.”
