OUR GROWING COMMUNITY – GOOD CHANGES
by Teresa Reed, VP Advocacy
John Orr, President of our POA Board of Directors, offered a powerful and insightful overview of our growing community during the recorded budget presentation on November 13, 2025.
John first became involved in Tellico Village budgeting in 2021 while serving on the Finance Advisory Committee. During this first experience, he approached a director with questions about that director’s departmental budget. To his surprise, the director knew nothing about it—and had never even seen the budget. Later, when the same director was asked to clarify numbers on his financial statement, he again was unable to offer any explanation.
Tellico Village has grown by leaps and bounds since its establishment in 1986—not only in population, but in operational complexity. John emphasized the tremendous progress that has taken place in recent years. Today, our POA directors and managers take full ownership of their budgets and financial responsibilities for their departments. While this work is ongoing, the Village has made significant strides as leaders develop detailed business plans and more accurate, transparent budgets. As John stated:
“In the past three years, we have made an exponential increase in quality and effort into the budget.”
This year, select Board members, the Finance Advisory Committee, the General Manager, and POA managers and directors worked together over several months to develop the annual budget. The timeline for this process is outlined below:
Budget Development Timeline
- 7/29/25 – Initial meeting to establish high-level targets
- • 9/30/25 – First complete draft of the budget
- • 10/13/25 – 10/31/25 – Review and discussion of the budget
- • 11/11/25 – Proposed 2026 Departmental Budget Videos (Nov. 11th Tell-E-Gram / TVN)
- • 11/13/25 – Budget and business plan presentation
- • 11/19/25 – TVPOA Board Mtg. – Most Departmental Budgets Approved unanimously (Note: Expense Budget & Capital Plan approved with votes – 4 Yes / 2 No)
Tellico Village is a remarkable community, and our leaders are working diligently to ensure a strong and sustainable future. For more details regarding the budget and business plan, please view the November 13, 2025 “Draft Budget Review” on TVN.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season!