Thursday Herald-Citizen The Daily Newspaper of the Upper Cumberland 113th Year — No. 296 Cookeville, Tennessee, December 17, 2015 18 Pages — 2 Sections • 50¢ Weather County to consider increasing hotel motel tax Tonight Tomorrow By LINDSAY mcReYNOLDS other counties are at seven percent.” tween tourism and parks and recreation. higher than six percent.” HERALD-CITIZEN Staff Putnam County Executive Randy Increasing the local tax on staying in a Porter noted several surrounding coun- Porter said an additional percent on the hotel or motel requires the county com- ties who have a higher hotel motel tax PUTNAM COUNTY — Putnam hotel motel tax could generate about mission to request a private act from the than Putnam, including Cumberland County commissioners may look at in- $200,000 in revenue. state legislature. County at 7.5 percent and Bradley, Mar- 26º 42º creasing the local tax for staying in Put- The majority of the funds generated “The first was in 1979,” Porter said. shall and Van Buren, all at 7 percent. nam County hotels and motels as a way from the hotel motel tax, 80 percent, “Then it was amended in 2003. It sets Savage said, “I would like to see it as a Complete forecast, Page 2 to generate additional revenue. goes to the county’s debt service fund, how the hotel motel tax is distributed. benefit to the property tax owner.” “We’re at six percent,” Commissioner which pays debt incurred from school You (the commission) capped it at six Events like the high school football Chris Savage told members of the fiscal and county building projects. The re- percent. You have to send a request to review committee Monday night. “Most mainder, 20 percent, is split evenly be- the state legislature if you want to go See TAX, Page 2 Sports Rash of Holiday Specials IRS scams reported here Tourney time By TRACeY HACKeTT Cookeville High basket- HERALD-CITIZEN Staff ball teams hosting Christ- mas tournament /B1 COOKEVILLE — Cookeville Police De- partment representatives say they responded yesterday to an unusually high number of re- ported telephone scams in which a caller im- Living personated an Internal Revenue Service agent and demanded money from residents here. And when a dispatcher called one of the scam numbers, they say an actual person an- swered, apologized for scamming residents and then hung up on the law enforcement rep- resentative. “An unusually high number of Cookeville residents have received telephone calls Wednesday morning from persons identifying themselves as representatives of the IRS,” Capt. Carl Sells of the department’s criminal investigation division confirmed. And he says the calls follow a pattern that’s Breakfast typical of such telephone scams — the caller notifies their target that they owe money, de- Drucilla serves up a mand immediate payment or threaten the tar- casserole for breakfast get with possible jail time. Christmas Day /A9 The scam is so prevalent across the country, according to reports on the IRS website, the Ty Kernea | Herald-Citizen agency has deemed it one of the “dirty dozen” Kylie Colter, staff member at the Putnam County Animal Shelter, holds one of the dogs up for adop- tax scams. tion this weekend: “Boogie Woogie Beagle Boy of Company B” or “Beagle Boy” for short. In a statement on the website, IRS Commis- Nation sioner John Koskinen issued a warning about the scam to consumers. “If someone calls unexpectedly claiming to Shelter to celebrate Woofer Winterland be from the IRS with aggressive threats if you don’t pay immediately, it’s a scam artist call- By meGAN TROTTeR dogs on Saturday,” Darrell Webb, an- malshelter.com/. The shelter is lo- ing. The first IRS contact with taxpayers is HERALD-CITIZEN Staff imal shelter director, said. “All fees cated at 2650 Gainesboro Grade in usually through the mail. Taxpayers have are going to be paid for except for a Cookeville and will be open Saturday rights, and this is not how we do business,” PUTNAM COUNTY — The Put- $50 visit to Copeland Veterinary Hos- from noon-6 p.m. Koskinen said. nam County Animal Shelter is hoping pital for the rabies shot and all the “One thing is we do discourage peo- Scammers, in a practice called spoofing, are to help a few more dogs find their health checks. We’re going to be cov- ple from adopting animals as Christ- able to alter caller ID numbers to impersonate forever homes this holiday season ering the costs of adoption and the mas surprises,” Webb said. “It’s the IRS calling and to disguise the actual lo- with a Christmas special they are spay-neuter surgery.” always a better idea for whoever is cation from which the phone call originates, calling “Woofer Winterland Week- The special applies to all adult dogs going to care for the animal to be in- which is often in another country, law enforce- Walking end.” at the animal shelter. A listing of volved in its adoption process.” ment authorities say. VA set to provide “It’s going to be a Christmas pres- available dogs can be seen at For more information, call the ani- robotic legs to ent to the first 15 people to adopt http://cookevilleputnamcountyani- mal shelter at 931-526-3647. See IRS, Page 2 paralyzed veterans /A6 Index Cornerstone and Santa at Dogwood Abby............................A9 Calendar......................A6 Baxter schools a step Crossword .................A11 Living ..........................A9 Obituaries ...................A5 closer to new names Virginia Dodson Varney Williams By AmY DAVIS address both schools,” Director of HERALD-CITIZEN Staff Schools Jerry Boyd said of the cur- Charles Mott rent Baxter Elementary and Corner- Trena Farmer BAXTER — Two Baxter school stone Middle School buildings. Tony Rounds facilities that are being reconfig- “Tuesday night’s conversations Daniel Desserich ured to serve elementary students in were on what will be potentially Robert Jones the next school year are a step recommended as they come online closer to having new names. with different grade configurations Opinion.......................A4 In a public forum Tuesday for the 2016-17 school year.” Sports ..........................B1 evening, community members were Proposed names for the Corner- Sudoku ......................A11 given an opportunity to present stone facility — which has been va- Weather ......................A2 ideas for names to be considered by cant since the opening of the new Anderson Sheets tells her Christmas wishes to Santa and his helpers, in a 13-member committee assigned Upperman Middle School this front from left, Ryan Julian and Hayden White; and in back: Britin Julian and by the school board to present a school year and will serve as an mayce Walker. Santa will be inviting good little girls and boys to visit him in recommendation during the Jan. 7 upper-elementary school for grades his cottage in Dogwood Park from 1-4 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday, and meeting. also from 3-6 p.m. monday, Dec. 21. Stop by for an opportunity to visit and “This committee was chosen to See NAmeS, Page 2 bring a camera to take pictures at no charge. A-2 — HERALD-CITIZEN, Cookeville, Tenn. — www.herald-citizen.com — Thursday, December 17, 2015 LOCAL READER UCDD board continues discussion on loan request SERVICES By LAURA MILITANA and standards to judge these loans are looking at,” he asked. “That way it’s uni- “We all want the jobs, we just want to HERALD-CITIZEN Staff presented,” Wallace Austin, director of form from loan to loan to loan. Then you make sure it’s done (right),” Shelton said. the Cumberland Area Investment Corpo- can understand if the company is viable “We have a loan review committee for a Contact us: COOKEVILLE — The third time ration, said. “At the last meeting...we for this loan or not. We want to make sure reason. All we’re saying is get through Address: turned out to not be the charm for one were probably going to be using the land that moving forward, we present every- the loan review committee, come back to loan request as the Upper Cumberland as collateral instead of the equipment and thing to this board in such a manner that us with the proper recommendation...100 1300 Neal St. Development District board met Tuesday inventory.” you have complete confidence.” percent we all want the jobs.” Cookeville, Tenn. afternoon. Austin went into detail about the build- Fixtur World asked for the loan to help Porter explained his decision, empha- The loan request, in the amount of ing and land the company has in Baxter, expand the operations in Baxter, which sizing that he is for job creation, but does Mailing Address: $300,000 from Fixtur World, did not which has been appraised at a little more includes adding jobs. not agree with the way this was pre- come as a recommendation from the loan than $1 million as it sits. “This development district is here to sented. P.O. Box 2729 committee and was not on the agenda, The request is for $300,000 has a 15- help people,” Celina Mayor Willie Kerr “The reason I’m going to vote no Cookeville TN 38502 but instead was brought up under old year term at five percent, but was sent said. “If they say they can employ 100 against this is because of the way we’re business. back to the loan committee for review more jobs, we need those 100 more jobs. doing this,” he said. “If we need to send “I make a motion to approve the request during that same meeting because the If the (committee) recommended the it back to the loan committee and we Phone: 931-526-9715 since they came in under the old plan,” terms had changed.