Oak Ridge Today

Tennessee housing agency to announce blight elimination partnership with Oak Ridge

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THDA Perrey and Gooch June 8 2016

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency awarded the City of Oak Ridge a $500,000 grant on Wednesday, June 9, 2016, that will be used to renovate more than 60 single-family homes. Pictured above are THDA Executive Director Ralph M. Perrey, left, and Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch. THDA and Perrey will be back on Monday, July 11, to announce a partnership with the City of Oak Ridge to support the implementation of THDA’s Hardest Hit Fund Blight Elimination Program, or BEP. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency will announce a partnership with the City of Oak Ridge to support the implementation of THDA’s Hardest Hit Fund Blight Elimination Program, or BEP, on Monday.

The announcement will be made by THDA Executive Director Ralph Perrey at 1:30 p.m. Monday, July 11. The announcement will be made in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom, which is located at 200 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge.

The Hardest Hit Fund Blight Elimination Program assists with the removal of blighted properties in targeted areas within Tennessee, a media advisory said. THDA works in partnership with approved program partners to strategically target residential single-family properties for demolition, site improvement, and acceptable reuse, the advisory said. [Read more…]

Letter: Thanks Council for donating city lot to Habitat

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To the Editor:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Oak Ridge City Council who voted in favor of donating a city-owned lot to Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County (HFHAC). The board of directors, staff, and volunteers of HFHAC are incredibly excited and grateful to have the opportunity to partner with the City of Oak Ridge on our next building project.

We consider this a historic opportunity for community building through a true public-private partnership. As the City of Oak Ridge takes over blighted properties, HFHAC would like to offer our assistance at returning them to a taxable status. In 2011, Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County homeowners combined paid over $115,000 in city and county property taxes, supporting crucial services. [Read more…]

Guest column: Baughn lists budget-cutting proposals to reduce tax rate

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Trina Baughn

Trina Baughn

During our May 13 and May 28 meetings, the Oak Ridge City Council will determine your property tax rate for the next year via our annual budget. Our decision will directly affect your personal finances. Of greater consequence, however, we will establish our city’s competitive position.

Currently, Oak Ridge has the third-highest property tax rate in East Tennessee at $2.39 when you add in the Anderson County rate of $2.35. Each penny of our rate equals approximately $90,000 of spending. We have a tremendous opportunity to make Oak Ridge more competitive and attractive to prospective residents and businesses without sacrificing our quality of life.

In addition to increasing our revenues (I’ve suggested converting select city-owned assets into taxable properties, eliminating tax abatements, and negotiating voluntary payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreements), we must ensure the highest and best use of each and every penny you entrust to us.

During our deliberations, I will make the following motions to immediately reduce our tax rate and/or improve our marketability to outsiders: [Read more…]

Baughn request: Sell golf course, Chamber property; request payments from tax-exempt organizations

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Trina Baughn

Trina Baughn

Note: This story was updated at 11:38 p.m.

Oak Ridge City Council member Trina Baughn has proposed that the city sell Centennial Golf Course, and terminate the lease agreement with the Chamber of Commerce and sell the property.

Those proposals would convert city-owned assets into taxable properties, Baughn said.

Baughn has also asked the seven-member Council to consider setting up a team that could negotiate voluntary payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreements with tax-exempt organizations that “are most able to afford paying for city services that are currently paid for by the taxpayer.” Those organizations could include Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Utility District, Tech 2020, Roane State Community College, and the University of Tennessee, Baughn said in a May 5 e-mail to Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson and City Clerk Diana Stanley. [Read more…]