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County may change rules regarding bid process
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Lisa Hobbs
Updated: Sep 10, 2016, 7:09 PM
Published: Sep 10, 2016, 8:09 PM

Warren County is considering a measure to double its competitive bid limit requirement.
The limit is a financial threshold that requires a project, or purchase, to undergo a competitive bidding process if the estimated cost exceeds a specific amount. By law, this process is required for every government agency in an effort to prevent wasteful spending and create a transparent environment that is open and fair.
Currently, the county’s competitive bid limit is $5,000 for the Warren County Board of Education and most of its departments. Under consideration is a measure to increase the limit to $10,000.
“Currently, the limit is at $10,000 for the Highway Department,” said Finance Department director Linda Hillis. “We’ve had some interest from the other departments to raise that for them. This will get everyone on the same bid limit. All the county departments, the school departments, and the Highway Department will all be at $10,000.”
Hillis said the increase will save the county money in that each competitive bidding process costs approximately $300 to advertise.
The county Financial Management Committee met Thursday evening and voted 5-1 in favor of increasing the financial threshold. County Executive Herschel Wells, Commissioners Terry Bell, Linda Hillis and David Rhea, and Road Superintendent Levie Glenn voted in favor of it, while Commissioner Tommy Savage voted against it.
Savage says the increase will allow department directors to arbitrarily pick a contractor if the project is under $10,000, or a business if the purchase is under $10,000, and could open the door to wasteful spending.
“I think bids should be advertised to keep the playing field level,” said Savage. “I’ve always been in a business where you have to watch people like a hawk. I guess that just makes me very cautious, especially when spending the people’s money.”
Budget and Finance Committee members Terry Bell, Carl E. Bouldin, Ken Martin and Diane Starkey met later that same evening and unanimously approved the increase.
The measure will be sent to the full Warren County Commission for its consideration Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m.
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