Oak Ridge Today

City’s proposed budget would leave property tax rate unchanged

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Mark Watson

Mark Watson

Note: This story was last updated at 10:30 a.m.

The proposed city budget presented to Oak Ridge City Council members on Tuesday would leave the property tax rate unchanged, but it could include rate increases for water, sewer, and trash collection.

If approved by Council, the budget would not increase the property tax rate for the ninth year in a row. After five-year reappraisals last year, the rate is now set at $2.52 per $100 of assessed value.

The proposed budget includes a 3 percent pay adjustment that would move employees along their pay scales, helping to separate those who have worked for the city for a while from those who have just started.

The trash fee would increase by $3.50 per month, raising it from $10.50 to $14 per month starting in October. The fee was raised to $10.50 last year. At $14 per month, the city would no longer subsidize part of the trash fee, as it has previously done. The city used to pay half of the $14 fee, meaning residents paid $7 per month and the city paid $7. [Read more…]

Tonight: City manager to present proposed budget to City Council

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Mark Watson

Mark Watson

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson will present the proposed budget for the next fiscal year during a special meeting this evening (Tuesday, May 31).

Watson will present the budget to the Oak Ridge City Council in a meeting that starts at 7 p.m. today in the Municipal Building Courtroom.

Council is expected to consider approving the budget in two meetings in June. [Read more…]

‘State of EMS’ briefing for county commissioners on June 15

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Anderson County Emergency Medical Services will host a “State of EMS” briefing for county commissioners on June 15, beginning at 4:30 p.m.

This briefing will cover the current operations of Anderson County EMS, potential upcoming changes in EMS nationally, and current reimbursement issues.

The briefing, which is open to the general public, will be held at EMS headquarters, 314 Public Safety Lane in Clinton.

College Fair at Oak Ridge Public Library on Wednesday

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You can learn how accessible a college degree has become on Wednesday afternoon at the Oak Ridge Public Library.

The College Fair is scheduled from 12:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 25.

The East Tennessee College Alliance, or ETCA, can help new high school graduates and busy working adults alike arrange flexible class schedules and financial options that make earning a college degree more achievable than ever, a press release said. [Read more…]

Friends of Clinton Public Library has book sale June 1-4

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Clinton Public Library

Friends of Clinton Public Library has its annual book sale June 1-4.

Here is a schedule:

  • Wednesday, June 1—members only or join at the door for $5 from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, June 2—open to all from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
  • Friday, June 3—10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, June 4—10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

[Read more…]

Crowley’s legal bills to be considered

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David Crowley

David Crowley

From WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Commission’s Operations Committee will consider Public Works Director David Crowley’s request that his legal bill be paid after he was acquitted of criminal charges last month. Crowley had been charged with illegally inspecting five buildings without the proper certification, but he was acquitted on those charges in April.

In fighting the charges, Crowley’s legal bill came to $59,258.62. In the past, the County Commission has approved the payment of legal fees for county employees charged with crimes connected to their positions when they are cleared out of the county law director’s budget. The request was considered earlier this month and approved by the county’s budget committee. [Read more…]

Clinton budget passes on first reading

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Clinton City Hall

From WYSH Radio

On Monday, the Clinton City Council approved its budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 on first reading.

The budget leaves the property tax rate at its current level of 94 cents per $100 of assessed value while providing 2 percent pay raises for city workers.

The second and final reading for the Fiscal Year 2016-2017 budget will be held on June 27.

Clinton splash pad to open Saturday

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Clinton Splash Pad I May 19 2016

A Clinton Public Works crew working on the new Lakefront Park Splash Pad. (Photo by City of Clinton)

 

From WYSH Radio

Clinton city leaders are excited to announce that the long-awaited splash pad at Lakefront Park is about to be open for business.

The splash pad, paid for with donations from the community and being constructed by city crews, will celebrate its grand opening this Saturday, May 28. at 11 a.m.

The splash pad will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., except when special events are going on, like softball tournaments. That’s for safety reasons. [Read more…]

Robertsville students have ultimate review panel for year-long project: NASA engineers

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Robertsville Middle School students meet with NASA engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, on Thursday, May 19, 2016. The small cube satellites that the students created were 1U (1 cube unit). This is an actual 6U (the size of 2x3 of the 1Us) cube satellite that is used to carry payloads in space. (Submitted photo via Oak Ridge Schools)

Robertsville Middle School students meet with NASA engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, on Thursday, May 19, 2016. The small cube satellites that the students created were 1U (1 cube unit). This is an actual 6U (the size of 2×3 of the 1Us) cube satellite that is used to carry payloads in space. (Submitted photo via Oak Ridge Schools)

 

Most middle school students, when planning a trip to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, are thinking of IMAX theater screenings, artifacts, and experiencing the physics of astronaut training in simulators such as the Space Shot and G-Force.

But what if these learners were given a real-life challenge that NASA engineers face on a daily basis, and asked to solve problems generally relegated to the top minds in the industry? What if those same young scholars were given the opportunity to then present their thought processes and design challenges to NASA engineers for a critical review?

This is the incredible experience Robertsville Middle School Ram Time participants were given in Todd Livesay’s enrichment course, a press release said. It is a part of the Response to Instruction and Intervention, or RTI2, model introduced this year in Oak Ridge middle schools, which provides rich opportunities for students who are exceeding grade level expectations in their core courses. [Read more…]

TVC Summit to focus on entrepreneurism in five-state region

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Howard Baker at Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit in 1995

Former Tennessee Senator Howard Baker addresses the first Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit held in Oak Ridge in 1995. (Submitted photo)

 

The registration deadline is quickly approaching for the annual Tennessee Valley Corridor National Summit, which will make its first visit to Cookeville on June 1-2. The Summit, themed “Where Entrepreneurs and Technology Meet,” will be held on the campus of Tennessee Tech University , and it is hosted by TTU President Phil Oldham in cooperation with Tennessee Congressman Diane Black.

Leaders from throughout the region will be at the event to focus attention on the vital role entrepreneurs provide in turning the brain power and technologies from the region’s universities and federal programs into new business start-ups and the expansion of existing businesses.

Main speakers scheduled for the event include: [Read more…]

Gloria Johnson to speak Monday at Democratic Women’s Club

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Gloria Johnson

Gloria Johnson

Gloria Johnson, Democratic candidate for the Tennessee House of Representatives in District 13 in Knoxville, will be the guest speaker at the Monday, May 23, meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club.

The club will meet at 6 p.m. at the Pizza Inn, 1501 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge.

Johnson is a retired Knox County school teacher with 27 years’ experience educating special needs children, a press release said. Her advocacy work during the past year with health care and education has inspired her new consulting business, Tennessee Alliance for Learning and Leadership, or TALL. [Read more…]

Splash pad work under way in Clinton

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Information from WYSH Radio

Clinton Public Works Department employees are working to get the new Lakefront Park Splash Pad ready for this summer.

The fun should begin soon. [Read more…]