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Last seven days have been great for Oak Ridge, mayor says; read presentation here

Posted at 2:23 pm September 9, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 3 Comments

warren-gooch-2016

Warren Gooch (2016 file photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This is a lightly edited version of a presentation that Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch gave to the East Tennessee Economic Council on Friday, September 9.

It is a pleasure for me to be here this morning as I begin my 22nd month as mayor and to share my thoughts about the positive direction of our city, and why that is important to you and your companies. First, I want to thank you for supporting Oak Ridge and investing your time and your money here.

My family and I have lived in Oak Ridge for 23 years. But my law firm, Kramer Rayson, has been involved in one way or another with Oak Ridge from its earliest days when our founding partner, Russell Kramer, received a call from an old friend in Washington. (Gooch tells a story about a telephone call with President Roosevelt.)

By any standard, the last seven days have been great for Oak Ridge and have increased the excitement that is being expressed about the momentum of our city.

First, demolition has accelerated at the old mall as construction for Main Street Oak Ridge ushers in a new and exciting era for our community. The tax increment financing (TIF) loan for Main Street had closed, and so has the loan for the new Marriott hotel that is being built. The importance of Main Street Oak Ridge to the image and self-confidence of our city and the economic vitality of Oak Ridge, Anderson, and Roane counties cannot be overstated. The success of Main Street and the continued redevelopment of our center city’s retail, residential, and commercial properties is my number one priority. We must work hard to maintain this momentum and take full advantage of it in the coming months. If we are successful, it will help you recruit the new workers you require for your businesses.

Second, LeMond Composites announced its licensing agreement with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and that the company is coming to Oak Ridge to manufacture innovative, high-volume, low-cost, carbon fiber in the Horizon Center Industrial Park.

Third, the National Park Service named Kris Kirby as the superintendent of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Calhoun's, East Tennessee Economic Council, eighth lane, EMDF, Environmental Management Disposal Facility, Hall Income Tax, Hobby Lobby, home, Horizon Center, housing, K-27 demolition, Kris Kirby, Lamar Alexander, land bank, LeMond Composites, Main Street—Oak Ridge, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, MORE2, National Park Service, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Community Band, Oak Ridge Corridor, Oak Ridge Farmers Market, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge rowing course, Oak Ridge Schools, Oak Ridge Wildcats, population growth, Rick Chinn, Sears Home Store, Tennessee Housing Development Agency, Tennessee Valley Authority, U.S. Department of Energy, UPF, uranium processing facility, Warren Gooch, Y-12 National Security Complex

Guest column: Do our competitors ‘hammer us’ on property tax rates?

Posted at 1:50 pm May 28, 2013
By Myron Iwanski 39 Comments

Myron Iwanski

Myron Iwanski

I agree with Martin McBride that Oak Ridge is a great place to live. However, I do not agree with his statement in recent columns that high property taxes are the reason Anderson County’s and Oak Ridge’s populations are not growing as fast as those in some area counties.

The following information from county and city audit reports and websites, the University of Tennessee County Technical Advisory Service, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website help make my point. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Commission, Consumer Price Index, CPI, full-service city, growth, homeowner, Martin McBride, Myron Iwanski, Oak Ridge, population growth, property tax rates, property taxes, services, tax rate increases, taxes, wheel taxes

Guest column: Changing the economic development game in Oak Ridge

Posted at 8:32 pm February 5, 2013
By Trina Baughn 14 Comments

There’s no nice way to spin it: The results of our city’s bad decisions for the past decade are catching up with us.

In addition to having high debt and property taxes, our sales tax revenues continue to decline, we are exporting more than $727 million per year in U.S. Department of Energy payroll (1), and we have a comparatively stagnant population growth. Even with all the new restaurants opening, these projects won’t fully replace the revenue we’ve lost from the countless businesses that have closed up shop or left town for greener pastures.

Continuing down this path is not an option. Thankfully, our city manager understands this and wants to strategize a more competitive position for Oak Ridge. He is proposing that we change our approach to economic development (2) by finding other uses for the $1-2 million we’ve been spending annually on nearly 20 different external organizations like the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns Tagged With: budget, business tax burden, business-friendly, community allure, competition, debt, economic development, Economic Diversification Fund, economic vitality, Farragut, marketing, Oak Ridge, payroll, population growth, property taxes, revenue, sales tax revenues, services, The Beacon Center of Tennessee, Trina Baughn, U.S. Department of Energy

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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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