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County budget passes with no tax increase
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Lisa Hobbs
Updated: Jul 21, 2015, 11:04 PM
Published: Jul 22, 2015, 12:04 AM

County commissioners have set the budget for fiscal year 2015-16. It includes no tax increase, a $2 raise for judicial commissioners, a 50-cent raise for employees, $196,720 to nonprofits, $150,000 to the Industrial Development Board, and $336,998 for Warren County Memorial Airport.
Without discussion, the county’s budget was passed unanimously 24-0 during Monday night’s full Warren County Commission meeting making this 13 years without a tax increase.
The county’s current tax rate is $1.9661, which is the certified rate the state calculated after a recent property reappraisal. While the tax rate was lowered from $1.995, it is not considered a tax reduction due to it generating the same amount of revenue.
Judicial commissioners will get a boost in the salary to the tune of $2 an hour in an effort by the county to stem the high turnover rate. Four left within a two-and-a-half-month period. The raise was a recommendation by the county’s Policy and Personnel Committee.
An across-the-board raise of 50 cents an hour will be given to county employees. The raise was a recommendation by the county’s Financial Management Committee and Budget and Finance Committee. Judicial commissioner are not be eligible for the raise due to the $2 adjustment.
Donations totaled $196,720:
Citizens for Progress $2,000; Governor’s Books from Birth $3,000; Heritage Alliance $1,000; Chamber of Commerce $5,000; Food Bank $2,470; Warren County A&L Fair $10,000; Main Street McMinnville $1,250; American Red Cross $7,500; CHEER Mental Health $5,000; Families in Crisis $1,000; Senior Center $7,500; Pacesetters $2,000; Sister City Program $5,000; RSVP $500; Volunteer Fire Departments $21,000; Meals on Wheels $2,500; and Young Men United $4,000; Magness Library $116,000.
Donations of $150,000 were given to the Industrial Development Board and $336,998 for Warren County Memorial Airport. IDB originally requested $250,000, while the airport originally requested $661,000.
Budget Funds:
General fund: $15 million
Solid Waste/Sanitation: $1.2 million
Ambulance Service: $3.1 million
Drug Control: $120,531
Highway/Public Works: $4.2 million
Schools: $49.7 million
Central Cafeteria: $3.8 million
General Debt Service: $3.2 million
Requiring only one passing read before the full Warren County Commission, the budget is set for the 2015-16 fiscal year.
Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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Published: Apr 2, 2025, 11:31 PM

Warren County Schools has beefed up lunch menus this school year through a new community partnership. Thanks to a collaboration between the district’s School Nutrition Department and Barton Creek Farms, students at Warren County High School, Warren County Middle School, West Elementary, Eastside Elementary, and Dibrell Elementary are enjoying locally sourced, farm-fresh beef in their lunches as part of a pilot program.

The initiative, spearheaded by Terri Mullican, Director of School Nutrition, has already shown great promise in its first few months. The partnership with Barton Creek Farms, located in Rock Island, Tennessee, ensures that the beef served is not only local to Warren County but of the highest quality. Barton Creek Farms specializes in farm-to-fork beef, with grass-fed and grain-finished cattle. Each calf is born and raised in Rock Island and goes through USDA-inspected processing, ensuring it meets the strictest safety and quality standards.

“When the opportunity arose to provide fresh, local beef, we knew it was a no-brainer,” Mullican said. “The fact that it’s a product from right here in our community makes it even more special. We can’t wait to implement it district-wide.”

Barton Creek Farms delivers fresh ground beef to the district monthly, and the nutrition

department incorporates it into homemade recipes such as lasagna, meatloaf, chili, and tacos.

As of now, the beef is being served at five schools, but the ultimate goal is to expand the program to all ten lunch-serving schools in the district.

The pilot program originated from a conversation between Mary Roller of Barton Creek Farms and Mullican. Roller, recognizing the farm’s potential to support local schools, reached out to gauge the district’s interest in serving local beef to students. Around the same time, a Warren County school board member contacted Mullican to share information about a similar partnership in neighboring Dekalb County, which helped push the initiative forward.

The timing worked in the district’s favor, as the nutrition department was able to fund the purchase of the beef using existing resources, eliminating the need for additional funding. Now that the pilot program is enjoying a successful run, the department has budgeted to extend the partnership district-wide for the 2025-26 school year.

Dr. Grant Swallows, Director of Schools, praised the program’s economic approach to student nutrition.

“This pilot is a perfect example of how we can use local resources to continue providing nutritious, healthy meals for our students,” he said. “We are grateful for partnerships like this one that benefit both our students and our local community. We always strive to support our local businesses when we can because our community is so good to us.”

In addition to working with Warren County Schools, Barton Creek Farms also partners with local restaurants to offer farm-fresh beef on their menus. The farm’s offerings include ground beef, steaks, roasts, and custom cuts by the quarter, half, or whole cow, meeting diverse consumer needs.

As the program continues to grow, the district hopes to expand its focus on farm-to-school meals, benefiting students’ health and connecting them to the agricultural roots of the community