Due to the Memorial Day holiday, I will not be writing an article for next week. Praying that all will have a happy and safe Memorial Day Holiday weekend.
It was nice to see a few new faces (some of which could be some of your next County Commissioners!) at the last Chester County Budget Committee meeting. Citizens need to stay informed and know what is going on with the money being spent, especially when the main source of revenue is from our property taxes and vehicle registrations. We will be having several newly elected commissioners that will have a lot to learn about how the county operates, and all 12 Commissioners will make up the Budget Committee starting in September 2026. Things can get interesting in a hurry.
Montezuma sends out Happy Birthday wishes to Felicia Hathcock on May 22, Heather Wells on May 23, Anthony Hornbeak on May 25, Ayden Sanford on May 27, Tosha Griggs on May 29 and Mendi Moore, Celia Murley and Maleah Griggs on June 1.
Our local governmental meetings need more community support. If you care about Chester County, please pay attention to what is taking place in our county, come out to budget meetings and commission meetings and show your interest or concerns. Meetings are currently regarding budget plans toward the 2026-27 year. The budget committee along with the finance department will be doing their best to put together a budget that county residents can live with and have it turned into the state for approval by June 30 to be on time. If you have any questions or concerns about what is going on in our county, please contact your commissioners before the next meeting which will be a Special Called meeting to pass a County Budget. Watch for the date to be in the Independent or posted on the County website. Our county finances have been overtaken by inflation and no tax increase, and this will be a year for some tough decisions to maintain the necessary services required in our county and meet the state mandated raises to elected and appointed officials. The county is working to bring in any new revenue possible, and everything will be under review. Know that your input can matter. Everyone should be mindful of what is going on in our county and care enough to help make a difference.
We appreciate all our members at the center and would love more of our community to get involved. With more help, we could plan more events for our community. Membership dues are $25 after your first initial year of joining. Membership dues are due for the Sept. 2025 through Sept. 2026 year and they can be mailed to Edith Sills, 4475 Sunshine Rd., Henderson, TN 38340. Please make it a point to get this taken care of if you are current members. We welcome new members at any time. The community center can be rented by contacting Betty Cooper at 879-9078. We ask those renting our facility to please follow our rules and show respect for the building. We try to keep it in the best order possible, and it takes everyone cooperating to make that happen. If you care about this community, please get involved in what is taking place to continue to grow our county and make it a better place to live and raise a family. Get to know what is changing in our local government, schools, churches and communities through the news, friends, your church, teachers, etc., and if it matters to you, there are ways to help make things better.
There is much spiritual warfare with society accepting things that go against who God is and what HIS laws are that we are to follow. Every day of life has its challenges, but if we look to God for the right path, it can be a good one. Please be in prayer for our local and federal government, law enforcement, school staff, teachers and the listed individuals of Teresa Crouse and her family, Braylin Robinson, Lynn Cook, David Cox, Mike Cooper, Kenneth Burkhead, Carolyn Thomas, Carolyn Beecham Higgins, Dale Colbert, Marilyn Webb, Pam Priddy, Reba Croom, Peggy Lard, Randy Cooper, Marcia Moore, Judy Bernard, Donna Doyle, Mike Lott, Donnie Brooks, Mike Tedford, Sandra Lott, Faye Crouse, Janice Morris, Jeanette Walker, Paul Schilling and others that are sick or healing. Please be in prayer for the families of Wilma Kitchen, Gerald “Bigger Boy” Edward Lucas and other families that have recently lost loved ones.
As always, I am wishing everyone a blessed week. Please call (608-2857) or email me (gaylescox1977@gmail.com) if you have anything to be added to our weekly article.
