The Loudon County Commission is expected to vote Monday on a proposed budget for the upcoming year, despite open questions about the spending plan.
The overall county budget is pegged $70 million. The debate centers around less than a million of that. $916,000 was moved from reserve funds to shore up the $36 million school system budget. Loudon County commissioner Don Miller tells the Knoxville News Sentinel he isn’t sure the money transfer was legal. State law says such transfers can be spent on "any education purpose," according to the News Sentinel.
Budget approval fell behind schedule when the fiscal year ended June 30. County commissioners have asked Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper to weigh in with a legal opinion on the transfer, but that could take months. In the meantime, Miller says, he feels the commission can move forward with taking an up-or-down vote on the proposed budget next week.