Oak Ridge Today

City, schools to present budgets to Council today

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Mark Watson

Mark Watson

Note: This story was updated at 9:23 a.m.

The municipal and school budgets will be presented to the Oak Ridge City Council during a meeting this evening (Monday, June 1).

The municipal budget will be presented by Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson. The schools budget will be presented by Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. today in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom at 200 South Tulane Avenue. See the agenda here.

City officials have been striving to present a budget that does not include a property tax rate increase. But it wasn’t clear as of last week if that would be possible because of a dramatic drop in sales tax revenues from the Roane County portion of the city. [Read more…]

Drug Awareness Day at Oak Ridge Pool on Saturday, June 6

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Drug Awareness Day at the Oak Ridge Pool

The Third Annual Drug Awareness Day is at the Oak Ridge Municipal Pool on Saturday, June 6.

It’s hosted by the Oak Ridge Chapter of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks. The pool is located at 172 Providence Road, near Oak Ridge High School.

Drug Awareness demonstrations will be held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. June 6 inside the pool area. Hundreds of prizes will be given away to those participating in a drug awareness activity, a press release said. Some of the prizes include T-shirts, coloring books, and Frisbees.

This event is a partnership with Anderson County Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Oak Ridge City Recreation and Parks Department, Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition, and the Tennessee Meth and Pharmaceutical Task Force. [Read more…]

Public hearing on Anderson County budget today

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The Anderson County Budget Committee has a public hearing on the budget proposed for the next year at 6 p.m. today (Thursday, May 28). The public hearing starts at 6 p.m. in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

The budget will be presented to the Anderson County Commission for its consideration on Monday, June 15.

The next fiscal year starts July 1.

AC BOE revises budget proposal, 22-cent tax hike would be needed

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Board of Education on Tuesday voted to approve a revised budget that, if approved as is, would require the equivalent of a 22-cent property tax increase.

The amended proposal adopted during a special-called meeting Tuesday still asks for 4 percent pay raises for school employees—who have not seen significant salary increases in the past six years—as well as $178,000 to pay for needed school roof repairs and state-mandated upgrades to physical education facilities and $178,000 to start a new program under which students would receive an electronic tablet.

The revised budget proposal includes several cuts to the original proposal, which would have necessitated the equivalent of a 56-cent tax increase. [Read more…]

Rep. Armstrong to discuss state legislative session on Thursday

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Joe Armstrong

Joe Armstrong

Tennessee Representative Joe Armstrong will discuss the recently ended state legislative session at the Thursday, May 28, dinner meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club. The club will meet at 6 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Power Squadron at 343 Emory Valley Road in Oak Ridge.

Armstrong, who represents the 15th House District in Knox County, began his political career in 1982 as a Knox County commissioner. He was elected vice chairman of the Knox County Commission in 1986. In 1988, he sought and won election to the Tennessee General Assembly.

Now serving in his 11th legislative term, Armstrong has served as chair of the House Consumer and Employee Affairs Committee and the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators. Currently, he is chair of the Tennessee Black Health Care Commission, which he helped establish in 1995. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Football Boosters have pancake breakfast on June 6

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Oak Ridge Football Boosters will have a pancake breakfast at Aubrey’s in Oak Ridge on June 6 from 8-10 a.m.

The cost per person is $5.

“Please come out and support our 2015 Oak Ridge football team!” organizers said. “Go Cats!”

ORUUC free community meal is Friday

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The Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church is inviting everyone to a free community meal on Friday, May 29.

The Stone Soup Ministry team will be serving a homemade meal of meatball and spaghetti soup, garlic bread, lemon bars, and fruit. Dine-in or take-out will be available in the ORUUC Social Hall from 5 to 6 p.m. The church is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

Some nonperishable family friendly groceries will be available for free to anyone in need, a press release said. [Read more…]

Anderson County school board to discuss compromise on raises

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Board of Education will meet in a special-called session at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night (May 26) in the boardroom on the fifth floor of the Jolley Building in downtown Clinton.

The board is expected to discuss a compromise put forward by its Budget Committee to seek 2 percent raises for county teachers instead of the 4 percent raises they initially called for in budget negotiations. Funding just those raises at 4 percent would require the equivalent of a 23.5-cent property tax increase, which is highly unlikely to be approved by the Anderson County Commission.

Budget deliberations are continuing, and adjustments are still being made to the system’s proposal for the new fiscal year that begins July 1, including a reported $800,000 in cuts made last week by school officials.

Following this evening’s special-called meeting, BOE members are expected to meet with county commissioners to continue working on the fiscal blueprint for 2015-2016.

NAACP in Oak Ridge, Anderson County meets tonight

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The May meeting of the NAACP in Oak Ridge and Anderson County is at 6 p.m. today (Tuesday, May 26) at the Scarboro Community Center.

Organizers said past events and upcoming projects will be discussed.

“The political action committee has been working on developing a law enforcement summit and will provide an update,” a meeting notice said.

See Oak Ridge Schools proposed budget here

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Oak Ridge Schools has posted its proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 on its website.

The May 13 budget proposal had a starting deficit of $807,890. That deficit was due to revenues not keeping up with expenditures, officials said.

There was an additional investment of $1.9 million requested. The biggest part of that, about $1 million, was for a proposed 3 percent cost of living adjustment with benefits. An extra $484,000 was requested for experience step increases with benefits.

There were also additional staff requests that were part of the $1.9 million “additional investment.” The staff requests would total about $363,000, including for a communications director and four technology-related positions. [Read more…]

School board to discuss renaming Alternative Program as Secret City Academy

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Oak Ridge school officials will discuss renaming the Oak Ridge Alternative Program as the Secret City Academy during a meeting tonight (Tuesday, May 26).

Here’s the rationale, according to the meeting agenda for the Oak Ridge Board of Education: [Read more…]

School board to consider budget, balanced calendar tonight

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The Oak Ridge Board of Education will consider the proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 during a meeting tonight (Tuesday, May 26). It’s the first of two readings of the budget, and tonight’s meeting will include a public hearing.

Also tonight, the school board will consider balanced calendar options for the 2016-2017 school year. Three options have been presented. See the three options here: Oak Ridge Schools 2016-2017 Balanced Calendar, Oak Ridge Schools 2016-2017 Balanced Calendar B, and Oak Ridge Schools 2016-2017 Balanced Calendar B V2.

In other business tonight, the Board of Education will consider: [Read more…]