MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. – The Montgomery County Commission voted to ratify the appointment of Cassie A. Wheeler to the position of Accounts and Budgets Director at the July 8 formal county commission meeting.

Wheeler has worked as a finance and accounting consultant at the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service, Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) for the last three years providing financial consultation services to municipalities, helping with various finance and accounting topics including budgeting, purchasing, payroll, debt, capital projects, cash management, grants, internal control, year-end closing, financial reporting, and auditing training.

Her responsibilities also included training elected officials and municipal staff across Tennessee, developing municipal finance staff, and helping municipalities with budget preparation. Wheeler assisted multiple municipalities in converting budget line-item details into the budget ordinance, recommending changes to ensure budgets are balanced, and correcting budget issues identified by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office.

Wheeler also worked as an internal auditor for the City of Clarksville for four years and as a senior accountant and accountant for the Clarksville Gas and Water Department for 10 years. 

She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting and a Management Minor from Austin Peay State University in 2007 and holds certifications as 
a Government Financial Manager, a Fraud Examiner, and a Municipal Finance Officer.

"We are excited to bring Cassie on board. She is a financial professional with extensive knowledge of budgeting and financial reporting in local government," said Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden.

The Montgomery County Accounts and Budgets Director manages department services, information systems, purchasing, accounting, finance, municipal court, revenue collections, budget control, and collections. The director recommends policies, oversees the annual budget, approves fund forecasts, and authorizes expenditures and departmental expenses.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve in this capacity and look forward to working with Montgomery County officials and employees. I am ready to apply my knowledge of local government finance and accounting and learn from my new team,” Wheeler stated.

Wheeler begins her service with Montgomery County on July 15, replacing former Accounts and Budgets Director Jeff Taylor, who recently accepted the chief financial officer position with the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System.

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The Bi-County Solid Waste Management Transfer Station, located at 1230 Highway Drive, is closed until further notice for repairs. Late Sunday evening, the pit blade broke. It ran on one lane yesterday while they worked to repair the blade. Unfortunately, repairs are more extensive than expected.

In order for the contractor to make repairs and for the safety of the public, the Transfer Station will be down until it is back in full operation. Bi-County will notify the public through local media and Montgomery County social media outlets.

During the closure, all large loads must be delivered to Bi-County’s main landfill location at 3212 Dover Road between the hours of 5:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“We understand this closure is an inconvenience but it is necessary for the long-term operation of the center. We appreciate our patrons’ cooperation during this time,” stated Mark Neblett, Executive Director of Bi-County Solid Waste.

For questions, please call 931-648-5751 or visit mcgtn.org.

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What: Groundbreaking ceremony for new ballfields at Stokes Field

When: Wednesday, July 17, at 3:30 p.m.  

Where: 1580 Fort Campbell Blvd. Clarksville, TN 37042

Who: Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden, Montgomery County Commissioner Jeremiah Walker, and Montgomery County Parks and Recreation Director Sally Burchett 

Additional Details:  The road behind Hardee’s off Fort Campbell Blvd. leads to Stokes Field. 

Last Edited: July 02, 2024 @ 2:12 pm

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TENN – In a special-called public meeting on June 21, 2024, the Montgomery County Budget Committee conducted a final review of the proposed 2024-2025 budget. After additional cuts, including the almost 30 million in reductions from previous budget meetings, the Budget Committee approved a budget to present before the full County Commission on July 8 at 4:30 p.m., with a proposed county property tax rate of $2.18. A public hearing will be held at 5 p.m. on July 15 followed by a special budget voting session at 6 p.m.

When the revaluation was completed in the spring of this year, property values in Montgomery County and across Middle Tennessee realized increases between 52.8% to 72.8%, with an average 64.5% increase for Montgomery County. The current tax rate for Montgomery County is $2.99, which was established in 2019. The certified tax rate from the State of Tennessee Board of Equalization set a revenue-neutral amount of $1.83 for Montgomery County.

If a proposed tax rate of $2.18 is approved by the County Commission, the average home valued at $346,000 will pay approximately $25 more per month. Each penny added to the tax rate is valued at $894,000. 

“One of our greatest challenges is that inflation for materials has increased by 22.88% since 2019. The Budget Committee spent many hours listening to presentations from every elected office and department. Our focus remains on education, infrastructure, and public safety and that is what we’ve done with this budget,” said Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden.

The adjustments made by the Budget Committee during the budget process resulted in nearly 30 million in reductions from the proposed requests with more than 20 million in capital projects and another 10 million in personnel requests, reclassifications, and capital outlay.

“Adding any burden to our residents is not something anyone wants to do but we are not making good headway in paying down our debt at our current rate. To be good stewards of tax revenue we need to pay more than we owe, which requires making changes to the budget,” said Mayor Golden. 

It is important to note debt from the F&M Bank Arena is not funded through property taxes but through industrial pilot project funds and hotel/motel taxes.

To calculate individual county property tax amounts based on the proposed rate, plug in a property value along with the proposed rate of $2.18 using the example found at https://mcgtn.org/assessor/property-tax-and-proration-calculators on the Assessor of Property Office web page.

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. – Montgomery County Government offices are closed on Thursday, the Fourth of July Independence Day Holiday. County offices will reopen on Friday, July 5. 

For information on Montgomery County Government and services offered online, visit mcgtn.org.

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