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Clinton Council OKs budget, 15.5-cent tax increase

Posted at 12:14 pm May 19, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Clinton City Hall

Information from WYSH Radio

Note: This story was updated at 10:52 a.m. May 20.

The Clinton City Council voted on Monday to approve its budget for the fiscal year that begins on July 1 on first reading, and it includes a 15.5-cent property tax increase.

Last week, WYSH reported that a three- or four-cent tax increase would be necessary to pay for an increase in insurance costs and to pay for the salaries and benefits of four full-time firefighters. The costs associated with those firefighters were paid for by a FEMA grant for the past two years, but they became the responsibility of the city this year.

Following a late-week budget workshop, another seven cents was added to the proposed tax increase to pay for the city taking over all of the costs associated with school resource officers at the city’s three schools ($62,000), hiring a codes enforcement/police officer ($50,000), and to set aside $100,000 to start a street-paving fund aimed at preventing the city from having to borrow money for street improvement projects in the future. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Clinton, Front Page News, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: budget, Clinton, Clinton City Council, FEMA grant, fire protection rating, firefighters, ISO, police officers, property tax rate, Roger Houck, salaries, school resource officers, Scott Burton, street-paving fund, tax increase, WYSH Radio

Letter: Sheriff vows to continue crime-fighting, make county safer place

Posted at 2:00 am July 19, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Letters Leave a Comment

Paul White

Paul White

To the Editor:

Since I was first elected in 2006, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department has implemented many changes and programs to better serve the citizens of Anderson County.

The Sheriff’s Department was reorganized to be more efficient and more effective. Emphasis has been placed on enforcement for the prevention, detection, and investigation of crimes. This reorganization has placed more deputies on patrol and investigating crimes, resulting in more arrests and crimes solved.

We have focused the efforts of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department on drug enforcement and in reducing property crimes such as burglary and theft. These efforts have paid off as overall crime numbers have fallen and are continuing to decrease.

Crime prevention programs such as Neighborhood Watch were reinstated and a dedicated crime prevention officer works hand-in-hand with the community to help in reducing crime. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Letters, Opinion Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Board of Education, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, arrests, burglary, Clinton, crime, crime analysis, crime mapping, crime prevention, crime prevention officer, crime-fighting, crimes solved, DARE, deputies, District Attorney's Office, drug enforcement, enforcement, illegal drug activity, Neighborhood Watch, Oak Ridge, Paul White, property crimes, school resource officers, SROs, theft

Clinton to receive Municipal League award for police service

Posted at 9:27 am June 20, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Clinton Police Department Badge

Clinton will receive a Tennessee Municipal League award for police service during a conference in Chattanooga on Tuesday, a press release said.

The 2014 Tennessee Municipal League Achievement Award for Excellence in Police Service will be presented at 8 a.m. Tuesday during TML’s 75th Annual Conference at the Chattanooga Convention Center in Chattanooga.

The award is being presented in recognition of the city’s efforts to provide a model police department to the community, the release said.

“A culture of planning, caring and excellence; it’s what takes a municipal Police Department from ordinary to outstanding,” the release said. “And the Clinton Police Department is all that. A model of efficiency and outreach, officers—several with advanced specialty degrees—strive to provide the utmost in community service and training to area schools and other agencies, while being good stewards of the community resources. An extraordinary focus on communication among the department’s command staff is reflected in the city’s reduction in crime rate.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Clinton, Clinton, Government, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: annual conference, Clinton, crime rate, Dave Clark, Joyce Klee, K-9, National Forensic Academy, police service, Relay For Life, Rex Barton, school resource officers, Tennessee Municipal League, Tennessee Municipal League Achievement Award for Excellence in Police Service, TML

Teen confesses to starting Linden car fire, police say

Posted at 6:16 pm March 31, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Linden Elementary School Car Fire

An Oak Ridge teenager has confessed to starting a car fire at Linden Elementary School on March 8, and police are investigating other fires near the school that could be linked to the vehicle arson, authorities said Monday. (Photos by Tom Scott)

Note: This story was updated at 7:35 p.m.

An Oak Ridge teenager has confessed to starting a car fire at Linden Elementary School on March 8, and police are investigating other fires near the school that could be linked to the vehicle arson, authorities said Monday.

Jovon Brooks, 18, was identified through a combination of video surveillance tapes from Linden, independent information that the suspect could be an Oak Ridge High School student, and the work of Oak Ridge Police Department school resource officers and the Criminal Investigations Division, a press release said.

ORPD school resource officers reviewed video surveillance tapes from Linden Elementary School, and they showed a young man walking toward the car with a brick in his hand, the press release said.

“The Criminal Investigations Division then developed independent information the suspect was possibly an Oak Ridge High School student, which allowed school resource officers to positively identify the suspect as Jovon Brooks, 18 years of age,” the release said. “(He) resides in the neighborhood surrounding Linden school. Detectives interviewed Mr. Brooks, who confessed to starting the fire.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: arson, car fire, Criminal Investigations Division, Jovon Brooks, Linden Elementary School, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Police Department, school resource officers

Clinton receives $112,000 hiring grant for community policing

Posted at 2:54 pm September 27, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Clinton has received a hiring grant valued at about $112,000 for community policing.

It was one of three awards announced Friday in the Eastern District of Tennessee by U.S. Attorney William C. Killian in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Clinton, Federal, Government, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Attorney General, City of Clinton, Clinton, community policing, COPS, COPS Hiring Program, COPS Office, Eric Holder, Joshua Ederheimer, law enforcement, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, school resource officers, U.S. Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, William C. Killian

Guest column: Former superintendent rebuts Baughn’s school safety allegations

Posted at 4:13 pm July 12, 2013
By Bob Smallridge 39 Comments

Bob Smallridge

Bob Smallridge

The following is in response to a recent letter from Ms. Trina Baughn, which was published in The Oak Ridger on July 3 and subsequently reported in part by other area media.

I recently completed a six-month stint as interim superintendent of the Oak Ridge Schools, covering the period Jan. 1 through June 30. I will not attempt to speak to what might or might not have occurred prior to this time, but will comment only on events where I had some direct involvement during my period of service.

In assuming my role as interim superintendent, one of the things I felt was most important was for me to get out to the schools as frequently as possible. I was in the schools, on  average, twice a week, especially the secondary schools, because they are larger and it takes more time to visit all parts of the buildings. For the most part, my visits came at random times and were unannounced. I visited many classrooms and talked with both teachers and students individually. I saw students moving through the hallways and congregating in the larger assembly spaces in a causal, but controlled manner, enjoying a few minutes to converse with each other. Overall, I observed a very orderly environment based on caring and mutual respect between teachers, administrators, and students.

This is not to say that there are never problems that occur among students. Anytime you bring 700 students together as in the case of the middle schools or almost 1,400 at the high school you can expect instances of inappropriate behavior by a few students. Although most discipline situations are handled at the building level, there were times when it was necessary for me to get involved in reviewing a specific incident. For the most part, I was very comfortable that these situations were handled appropriately and consistently by school staff. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns Tagged With: behavior, Bob Smallridge, cooperation, discipline, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, FERPA, interim superintendent, Jim Akagi, memorandum of understanding, MOU, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Retired Teachers Association, Oak Ridge Schools, police chief, risk assessment, school administrators, school resource officers, schools, security, SRO, superintendent, Tennessee Public Records Act, Trina Baughn

Clinton OKs no-tax-increase budget

Posted at 2:44 pm June 25, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

On Monday, the Clinton City Council approved the city’s budget for Fiscal Year 2013-2014.

The budget is balanced with no property tax increase for city residents, leaving the tax rate at 76 cents per $100 of assessed value while providing 2 percent pay raises for city workers and taking into account projected increases of between 5 and 20 percent in employee-related and liability insurance. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Clinton, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: budget, Clinton City Council, COPS grant, FEMA Firefighter grant, insurance, pay raises, school resource officers, tax increase, tax rate

Council passes no-tax-increase budget

Posted at 9:48 pm May 28, 2013
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Oak Ridge City Council Budget Meeting

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider the municipal budget, which is not expected to raise property taxes, during a second and final reading Tuesday evening.

The Oak Ridge City Council has approved a budget that does not raise the property tax rate in the fiscal year that starts July 1.

The budget provides $50,000 more for the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce than Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson had requested, and it gives city employees a 1 percent pay raise.

Council members deferred a request from the Oak Ridge Board of Education to match $50,000 in spending for one of two new school resource officers at Jefferson and Robertsville middle schools. City officials estimated the cost per SRO is about double the school system’s request, or more than $100,000 per year per officer, when the cost of a police car is included. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Government, K-12, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: budget, general fund, Mark Watson, municipal expenditures, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Schools, pay raise, property tax rate, school resource officers, SRO

Federal spending cuts affect special education program in Oak Ridge

Posted at 8:48 pm May 23, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Federal funds to Oak Ridge Schools could be cut five percent starting July 1 under the so-called sequester, and that’s led to staff reductions in the special education program.

Four positions would be cut at Oak Ridge High School and three elementary schools—Glenwood, Linden, and Willow Brook—under a budget approved by school board members on second and final reading Thursday. Two of the reductions would result in job losses. One is a teaching assistant position at Linden, and the other is a teaching assistant job at Oak Ridge High School.

Parents with children in the program have said they are concerned about how the students might struggle if they don’t continue to get the one-on-one help they need. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, K-12, Top Stories Tagged With: Bob Eby, Bob Smallridge, bonus, budget, federal funds, funding, Hal Jernigan, Linden, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Schools, revenues, school resource officers, sequester, special education, spending cuts, SRO, technological needs

School board approves one-time bonus, SRO funding, hears pleas to save jobs

Posted at 12:14 am May 22, 2013
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Oak Ridge Board of Education Budget

Oak Ridge High School students Miranda Lands, left, Michele Lands, and Matthew Stansberry present a student petition asking the Oak Ridge Board of Education to spare physics teacher Katherine Goepfert from budget-cutting layoffs.

The teaching jobs should be saved, students and parents told the Oak Ridge Board of Education during a special budget meeting Tuesday.

One of the teachers who could lose her job, Oak Ridge High School physics teacher Katherine Goepfert, or “Ms. G.,” has motivated students who have been in danger of dropping out, they said, and 109 students have signed a petition asking for her position to be saved.

“She’s just a good teacher,” ORHS senior Miranda Lands said. “She’s ‘busting her butt’ every day for our education.”

A few parents pleaded for the board to preserve a special education teaching assistant position at Linden Elementary School. They said their children require one-on-one attention, and they are concerned the students might struggle without that help. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, K-12, Top Stories Tagged With: Angi Agle, Bob Eby, bonus, budget, computers, fund balance, job cuts, jobs, Katherine Goepfert, Keys Fillauer, Linden Elementary School, Miranda Lands, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge High School, school board, school resource officers, spending, SRO, teachers, teaching assistant, Tim Southern, Ya Li

Clinton budget: no tax hike

Posted at 11:54 pm May 9, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

The Clinton City Council held its budget workshop on Monday, and as presented, the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2013-2014 is balanced with no property tax increase for city residents.

The budget leaves the property tax rate at 76 cents per $100 of assessed value while providing 2 percent pay raises for city workers and taking into account projected increases of between 5 and 20 percent in employee-related and liability insurance. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Clinton, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: budget, Clinton, Clinton City Council, firefighter grant, insurance, pay raises, property tax rate, school resource officers

Anderson County school security good, improving

Posted at 11:40 am February 8, 2013
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

During a joint workshop between the Anderson County Commission and the Anderson County School Board on Thursday, schools’ security director Joe Fogerty outlined security measures already in place across the system and discussed future plans for school security.

Fogerty told a large crowd in the Clinton Middle School auditorium that there are currently eight uniformed, armed school resource officers and a DARE officer patrolling the county’s two high schools, four middle schools and alternative school, and those officers are available to answer calls at the nearby elementary schools. Fogerty also said that there are currently 259 surveillance cameras in nine of the county schools and that similar cameras are being installed on school buses.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Education, Government, K-12, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Commission, Anderson County School Board, emergency response plans, Joe Fogerty, Newtown, photo identification, school resource officers, school security, school security task force, school shooting, surveillance cameras

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

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

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