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Neal angry at state about Driver Center
Alderman says our lawmakers not effective
NealMikeWEB
Aldermen Mike Neal urged against the move, but was unable to sway one vote.

The Drivers Testing Center will remain open for one more year.
McMinnville’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted 4-3 to enter into an agreement with the state, agreeing to pay $4,000 a month in rent for the next 12 months.
Mayor Jimmy Haley, Vice Mayor Ben Newman, and Aldermen Kate Alsbrook and Ryle Chastain voted for the agreement. Aldermen Everett Brock, Mike Neal and Steve Harvey voted against it.
Neal urged against the move, but was unable to sway one vote.
“It’s a matter of principle," said Neal. "When the state of Tennessee has a $37 billion budget this year and they cannot find a way to pay the rent of $48,000 for our local Driver’s Center, this is not acceptable to me. The predicament that we find ourselves in lies solely on the backs of Gov. Haslam, Sen. Janice Bowling, Rep. Judd Matheny, and Rep. Paul Sherrell. All Republicans.”
Warren County’s elected individuals were unable to restore funding to the center in the state’s 2017-18 fiscal year budget. Neal said that is ineffective representation. 
“This situation begs us to look at the effectiveness of our state elected officials,” said Neal. “We have three in Nashville supposedly looking out for the best interest of Warren County. Yet, they cannot secure what can be considered as pocket change in a budget of this size. I believe we have ineffective representation.”
Despite it not being included, the state’s budget drew support.
“While the effort was made on the Senate side of the legislature to include this in the budget, no effort was made in the House,” said Neal. “Yet, it appears our entire delegation voted in favor of the governor’s budget, even though it excluded this request. It appears this measure is important political fodder, but it is not important enough to vote against a budget which did not include it.”
Neal took issue with the presence of both Bowling and Sherrell at prior board meetings.
“I found it hard to digest that our state elected officials have come here endorsing our spending of local tax dollars on state services to which they cannot deliver,” he said. “I think the reason they have come here and endorsed this measure is maybe it helps their other constituents as much, if not more, for us to bare the financial burden for all. If we pass this measure tonight we will be allowing them to put a feather in their hats among their other constituents for their own ineffectiveness in their representation of the residents of Warren County.”
Paying the rent also sends a message to Gov. Haslam, said Neal, that McMinnville will tolerate this type of governing. Neal expressed “a lot of disappointment” at the situation and urged the residents of Warren County to hold state officials accountable during the next election cycle.
When it comes to funding, Warren County has approved a measure to reimburse the city half its expense. Also, city officials contacted government leaders in surrounding communities that would have been affected by the closure of the Driver Center and inquired about financial support that would be used to reimburse both local governments equally.
None of those communities contacted, said Haley on Tuesday night, have offered assistance in retaining the Driver Center for their citizens.

Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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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