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

Posted at 11:33 am May 12, 2013
By John Huotari 18 Comments

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…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: blighted properties, Centennial Golf Course, city-owned assets, debt, Mark Watson, Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, Oak Ridge Utility District, payment in lieu of taxes, PILT, Roane State Community College, tax-exempt organizations, taxable properties, Tech 20/20, Trina Baughn, University of Tennessee

Guest column: Strategizing a path to prosperity

Posted at 9:34 am May 6, 2013
By Trina Baughn 25 Comments

Trina Baughn

Trina Baughn

The problem

This month, the Oak Ridge City Council will establish your property tax rate for 2014 via the approval of our annual city budget. And though it appears that taxes will remain flat, our excessive spending levels are unsustainable and continue to hinder our ability to compete with surrounding communities.

In spite of all the new developments happening as of late, if council approves the budget as proposed, residents and businesses will continue to feel the financial crunch for quite some time. Not only will we retain one of the highest property tax rates in the state, but we’ll also retain one of the largest per capita debt levels in the region. (At nearly $7,000 per person, we have more than four times that of Knox County residents and more than seven times that of Knoxville residents). A dozen more chicken places and grocery store relocations won’t make a dent in the average Oak Ridger’s bills.

If we are to make any kind of progress, we need a strategy that aims to increase revenue while reducing expenditures. This column will focus on increasing our revenue base. I will address budgetary inefficiencies and waste in a follow-up piece next week. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns Tagged With: blight acquisition, city-owned assets, debt, exempt property, expenditures, golf course, nonprofits, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, payment in lieu of taxes, PILT, property tax rate, property taxes, real estate, residential properties, revenue, spending, tax abatements, taxable properties, Trina Baughn

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Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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