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Letter: Chamber board lists spending priorities

Posted at 10:46 pm June 20, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Letters 2 Comments

Note: This is a copy of a June 8 letter from the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce and its Board of Directors to Mayor Warren Gooch and members of City Council, and Chairman Keys Fillauer and the Board of Education.

Mayor Gooch and Chairman Fillauer:

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors voted, following the recommendation of our Advocacy Committee, to request the following be given serious consideration as discussions and voting occurs for your respective Fiscal Year 2016 budgets.

Spending Priorities:

  • Development and funding of a prioritized capital improvement plan for infrastructure improvements such as city/school buildings, streets, utilities, etc.
  • Pay increase for Oak Ridge Schools teachers and staff and City of Oak Ridge staff.
  • Waterfront improvements.

While we understand that the city is faced with adjusting the tax rate to reconcile with lower property appraisals, we do feel strongly that the city needs to prioritize spending around these three areas in order to position Oak Ridge as a community of choice for new and expanding businesses and residents.

Sincerely,

Melinda Hillman

Chairman of the Board

 

Parker Hardy

President/CEO

Filed Under: Education, Government, K-12, Letters, Oak Ridge, Opinion Tagged With: Board of Education, capital improvement plan, City Council, infrastructure improvements, Keys Fillauer, Melinda Hillman, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Parker Hardy, pay increase, property appraisals, spending, tax rate, Warren Gooch, waterfront improvements

Guest column: Surprised by debate, Chamber explains Progress PAC

Posted at 2:09 pm October 7, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Guest Columns Leave a Comment

Parker Hardy

Parker Hardy

By Parker Hardy and Chris Johnson

At the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, we have been surprised by the debate that has surfaced after we established Progress PAC last month.

Why? Because political activity by this Chamber and others is nothing new. And political action committees, or PACs, are quite common tools for chambers and for other organizations that wish to exercise their rights to participate in the political process. Progress PAC was established to build transparency for the Chamber’s political engagement. It is not funded by Chamber membership investments or dues. Furthermore, city economic development marketing funds, which cannot be used for Chamber operations, certainly cannot and will not be applied to Progress PAC. Reporting requirements for all PACs will demonstrate that financial transparency.

Good chambers have been politically engaged for decades. And our chamber has been engaged in pro-business political activity since our founding in 1949—even before the City of Oak Ridge was incorporated. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns, Opinion Tagged With: business parks, Chris Johnson, City of Oak Ridge, infrastructure improvements, Keys to College and Career Readiness, land bank, legacy housing, legislative priorities, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge City Council, PAC, Parker Hardy, political action committee, political engagement, Program of Work, Progress PAC, rowing venue, school funding, shopping centers, speculative buildings, STEM school, zoning

Mall project clears critical hurdle Monday

Posted at 3:03 pm September 30, 2014
By John Huotari 13 Comments

Oak Ridge Village Area Rendering

 

Tim Sittema

Tim Sittema

Council, IDB approve TIF extension, grant, roadway work

The proposed redevelopment of the Oak Ridge mall cleared a critical hurdle on Monday when city officials agreed to extend a property tax agreement for the 59-acre project, authorize $2 million in roadway and other infrastructure work, and offer a $500,000 grant if some federal funding is not approved.

Officials described the proposed redevelopment, named Main Street Oak Ridge, as an $80 million project that could fill a “hole in the heart” of Oak Ridge, bring new retail life to the city’s downtown, and build a lasting legacy.

Monday’s moves were meant to reduce the risk for four local lenders that could combine to offer $13 million in loans to part of the redevelopment under a tax increment financing, or TIF, agreement. That incentive would use new property tax revenues generated at the mall site and 120 surrounding acres included in the TIF area to repay those loans. Officials said the loans could be repaid in 18 years, according to financial models.

David Bradshaw

David Bradshaw

But in two separate special meetings on Monday, the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board and Oak Ridge City Council agreed to extend the TIF term from 20 years to 30. That extra 10 years is meant to act as a “shock absorber” and help make sure that the banks are repaid if there is a “glitch” in the project that would push the repayment past the previously approved 20-year term, officials said.

“This is not a ‘home run’ project for us as financial institutions,” said David R. Bradshaw, Oak Ridge president of CapitalMark Bank and Trust, one of the financial institutions that could participate. But, he added, “It is the right thing to do for the community.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Commission, Anne Garcia Garland, Belk, Buzz Patrick, Charlie Hensley, Chris Johnson, Crosland Southeast, Dave Mason, David Bradshaw, David Wilson, Economic Development Administration, EDA, grant, Harold Trapp, infrastructure improvements, JCPenney, leases, leasing, Lou Dunlap, Main Street—Oak Ridge, Mark Mamantov, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, Oak Ridge Mall, ORNL Federal Credit Union, property tax, public infrastructure, retail, retail space, Richard Chinn, roadway work, tax increment financing, TIF, TIF extension, Tim Sittema, Tom Beehan, Trina Baughn

State approves city’s application for $18 million in low-interest loans for sewer repairs

Posted at 6:09 pm June 27, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

In February, the Oak Ridge City Council approved the borrowing of $18 million in low-interest state loans to help pay for a $23 million project to fix the municipal sewer system.

On Wednesday, Tennessee officials announced that the loans had been approved. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Government, Oak Ridge, State, Top Stories Tagged With: Bill Haslam, Bob Martineau, Department of Environment and Conservation, equalization basins, infrastructure improvements, low-interest state loans, Oak Ridge City Council, sewer repairs, sewer system, sewer system rehabilitation, SRF Program, State Revolving Fund Loans, traditional wastewater loan, wastewater, wastewater loan, water

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Classifieds

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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