City of Smithville Welcomes New Fulltime Financial Advisor

October 10, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

City leaders didn’t have far to go to find a new financial advisor.

Zachary Benton (Ben) Guffey of Baxter has officially taken over from longtime Certified Municipal Finance Officer Janice Plemmons-Jackson who stepped down last month.

Guffey actually went to work for the City of Smithville in a limited role back in June but is now on the job as a full-time city employee.

He explained how he learned of this job opportunity.

“One of (City Administrator) Hunter Hendrixson’s good friends and I were having lunch and ran into Hunter. He mentioned that the city was looking for an accountant because Janice was planning to retire and I just so happened to be available,” said Guffey.

Born and raised in Baxter, Guffey still makes his home there with his wife of three years and their six-month-old son. He is a graduate of Upperman High School where he played football and basketball and then furthered his education at Tennessee Tech University beginning in 2016. Guffey earned his finance degree in 2019.

“From there I went straight into public accounting and some investments as well. I did that for about three and a half years and found my way here,” said Guffey.

While not a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Guffey is currently working on becoming a Certified Municipal Finance Officer (CMFO).

“You can be a CPA or get your CMFO license. I am doing the CMFO side. You have to take a course for that. Its eleven exams and I am currently in the process of doing that. You get two years to do it from your hire date so I should finish out in plenty of time,” he said.

“A CMFO oversees the entire financial operations of the city including all the money coming in and all the money going out,” explained Guffey. “We make sure things are being recorded and handled accurately, give advice to the mayor and city administrator on what we think is the right or wrong calls to make about certain expenditures or how spending may be increased or decreased here and there. I work with everybody (city hall) to make sure everything is moving and operating efficiently, and things are being taken care of on time. The main goal is really oversight of the entire financial operations of the city. A third party (John Poole of Hendersonville) comes in and audits our financials once a year,” he said.

Guffey said he loves the new job and looks forward to a long association with the City of Smithville.

During his spare time, Guffey said he enjoys hanging out with family and a game of golf now and then.

“I live a pretty simple life. I am not a complex person”.

October 10, 2023
By: Bill Conger

For the second year in a row the DeKalb County High School Fighting Tiger Marching Band has received an invite to the state championship. Band Director Don Whitt says the band will be performing first at the 42nd Annual Tennessee Division II State Marching Band Championship.

“We have a tremendous team of people that we work with,” Director Whitt said. “We will have to be on our A game regardless of when we go on. We are going up against some very talented bands. I am very humbled and honored to be able to not only work with such an amazing team of students but also to represent DeKalb County and its community. We have so many things to be proud of including our band boosters, teachers, and administration.

The state championship will take place November 4th at Stewarts Creek High School.

October 10, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

County Mayor Matt Adcock was featured on WJLE this morning (Tuesday) in a “Conversation with the County Mayor”

During the program County Mayor Adcock discussed jail and school needs including problems with the existing jail, the pros and cons of building a new jail or criminal justice center, the idea of building a new elementary school, and possible funding options for construction.

View the entire program at the link below.

County Mayor Talking Points from the Program:

Jail and School Discussion
Problems with the Jail
● TCI (Tennessee Corrections Institute) came to DeKalb County and inspected the county jail and found multiple issues of concern

● There was not enough space per inmate.

● There was not enough natural light in the cells.

● Mold and mildew were found during the inspection.

● Sheriff Ray stated that the jail was cut from 102 beds to 52 beds, cutting the available room for inmates in half.

● We are currently holding inmates in many other counties

● The recurring cost of housing inmates in other counties is unofficially projected to be at a possible $500,000.

● The jail not being certified opens the door to serious liability.

● Multiple sources have said (verbally) that in the case DeKalb County does not build a new facility that passes inspection, the federal government can come in and force DeKalb County to build a facility to their standard and make DeKalb County front the bill.

● We are currently on a plan of action that was approved by TCI that has started the preparation of building a new facility.

Building a new Jail or Criminal Justice Center

● The current jail cannot be built up because of the design

● The jail cannot be built outward due to limited space

● We have examined some different lots throughout the community, nothing has been set in stone. We are only getting started, you have to start somewhere. (Hayes property, South Mountain Street, Highway 56 South, Allen’s Ferry, Industrial Development Property)

● Even if the jail or criminal justice center is built years in the future, we still have to plan for it to land somewhere.

Benefits of Buildings a Criminal Justice Center

●The Criminal Justice Center provides better security for the public, inmates, and staff.

●The Criminal Justice Center has one public entrance with metal detectors.

● The inmates would not walk across the street to the courthouse any longer.

● If just a jail was built, we would have to have buses or vans transporting inmates from jail to courthouse, resulting in more liability, fuel cost, increased staff, and more vehicle costs.

● The old courthouse is outdated for court proceedings, the courtrooms are very small, and the lower courtroom has no judge chambers or rooms for attorneys to converse with their clients.

● If built, we would want enough land to build and expand in the future to prevent this problem from resurfacing in the future. The plan is to be able to build on to the jail facility as well as another courtroom in the future if needed.

The idea of building a school is not abandoned

● The DeKalb County School Board approached the DeKalb County Commission approximately one year ago with a plan put together by Upland Design for a new Smithville Elementary School in the amount of 46 million dollars.

● The Commission has not mentioned which project would be funded first between a school and a jail, but it should be noted that the county has no solid plans on building the jail or CJC (Criminal Justice Center). The school board has already purchased property for an elementary school behind the family medical center, beside the Northside Elementary school. They have already hired an architect (upland design) that designed the estimated 46-million-dollar project. However, the County has no architect, and no land ready for their project. The county must prepare for their project just as the school board did for their school.

● The school board has already told the County Commission that they will be building a pre-k through 2nd grade elementary school.

● The County Commission and myself (the county mayor) do not choose inmates over children. It is obvious that every person would choose to build a school over a jail but we are being forced to make hard decisions. The truth is we want to build a better school for our children and keep criminals off the street and away from our children and families. That is why myself (the county mayor) and the County Commission are doing our due diligence of researching every avenue so that way we all can make an educated decision that is most beneficial for every citizen and taxpayer.

Funding Sources that have been explored

● We have many challenges to face all at once but of course nothing is free, so we must work diligently on finding the best funding source to help us grow into progress for our needs without breaking the taxpayer.

● No true confirmed funding source has been identified yet.

● According to the debt study done by CTAS, a $50 wheel tax with the amount of DeKalb County registered vehicles would accumulate approximately 1.1 million dollars.

● Although the study was conducted the County Commission has never made action on the subject of a wheel tax. It was only observed as part of the funding research. In the case that it was to be implemented, the subject would most likely go to the ballot box to be voted on by the citizens of DeKalb County.

● Property tax has also been a part of the research. This fluctuates depending on the cost of the project. Again, once spoken earlier, the county has not chosen an architect to plan a design for such a structure. Therefore, there is no confirmed price on the jail project. First the County Commission will have to determine whether they want a jail, CJC, or school. The county did get a rough estimate, ballpark figure from a construction management service that a Criminal justice Center with 225-250 beds and 3-4 courtrooms would be roughly 50 million. However, this has been examined as too much for our current need and too much for our fiscal ability. Research is being continued for a smaller facility that would include a 165-175 bed facility with three courtrooms. Again, the county has had nothing solid but only verbal estimates. The County has submitted RFQs (requests for qualifications) for construction management services and architect services that can help guide the County Commission to making a better educated decision and identify costs more accurately.

● The total project cost has not been set in stone with any project, not even the school because the estimate of 46 million was set one year ago. We cannot identify the number for an adequate amount of revenue because we do not yet have the total cost of the project.

● Emphasis on the idea that no project takes precedence over another should be established.

Final Thoughts

● Rest assured that the County Commission and myself (County Mayor) are striving to do as much research as possible for the situations that have been presented to our attention.

● A school would be an obvious choice over a facility for inmates naturally, but the state and federal government could overrule the county, putting us in an even harder position.

● No project has been designated a primary project to be constructed first.

● No land has been chosen for the jail or CJC.

● No revenue source has been identified as the financial plan for any project.

● The county commission is in the very preliminary stages of all these projects, and nothing is set in stone.

●The DeKalb County Government has been placed in a hard situation, but thankfully we have a strong group of leaders at the table and I don’t think God did that by accident. I am confident that this County Commission will make a more than suitable decision that will impact this community in a positive way for generations to come. DeKalb County is growing and I believe even though this Commission was behind the eight ball as soon as they were elected, I believe they will be the ones not afraid to make hard decisions, produce strong leadership and finally fix our crumbling state of stability.