Sewer Meeting Last Night at Carter (My old community)

I attended The Development Corporation meeting about sewer options for the Midway Business Park and Southeast Knox County. Here's the deal. The Midway Business Park could invest $4.0 million dollars and construct an on site treatment facility. Or they can take that $4.0 million dollars and give it to KUB (Knoxville Utilities Board) and KUB could construct a Waste Water Treatment Facility for all of Southeast Knox County that would include the Midway Business Park for $9.5 - $13.0 million dollars.

I believe it is tax dollars better spent to construct a Waste Water Treatment Plant. Because if they only spend the $4.0 million dollars on an on site treatment facility and then in 10 years they have to build a Waste Water Treatment Facility it will be $4.0 million dollars wasted.

It is better to plan and be forward thinking about the greater community, then with only being concerned with the here and now. Decisions need to be made for our future generations, not the instant gratification here and now crowd.

BTW, one man that served the role of political opportunist got up and made his typical gotcha comments/questions. Mike Edwards gets the award for the best one liner last night in response to a question from Bob Wolfenbarger. He said "Bob, one day you may get your Perry Mason moment. But, NO." Wolfenbarger was trying to connect the President of the Chamber / Development Corporation to the allegations that have plagued Cynthia Finch.

The most interesting thing about Bob Wolfenbarger is that he isn't from Midway or even Southeast Knox County. He resides in the City of Knoxville, in the Alice Bell community. It is a reasonable assumption that residing in the Alice Bell community, he has KUB sewer service. Why wouldn't he want the same thing for the Midway / Southeast Knox County citizens that he enjoys?

Knoxville Reporter Contributes to a Commissioner Breaching the County's Ethics?

Larry Van Guilder of E.W. Scripps weekly owned paper has an interesting story this week about how he wanted some Commissioner's input on the County Mayor's proposed budget. So, he was granted an interview with Commissioner Sharon Cawood and Commissioner Lumpy Lambert.

In the story the reporter says "Before the meeting with Cawood and Lambert could take place, we received a fax at the office notifying us that the "media is invited" to Sharon Cawood's office." Now one would assume that means the County Commission office or maybe a home office of Sharon Cawood's where she would perform her duties as Commissisoner. But no the reporter continues at the conclusion of his story "And I almost forgot to mention that Lambert who always goes armed was packing heat when he showed up at the juvenile justice center for our interview." The Juvenile Justice Center? Commissioner Sharon Cawood during the day works as a Supervisor in the Juvenile Court Clerk's office. Certainly, she can take comp time and off the clock time for Commission duties during the day but Commission duties during the day on the clock for the citizens in the Juvenile Court Clerk's operation.

Is it a violation of County's personnel policy and the County's Ethics policy to use the Juvenile Court Clerk's office for Commission duties? Brian's Blog will certainly be looking into the issue. Surely the reporter did not demand a meeting during work hours. Which would have allowed Commissioner Cawood to arrange a meeting at an off site location after 4:30 P.M.

As for this comment that the reporter made in the story. "(On my word of honor, I swear that no "deliberations" took place at the meeting.)" What the reporter does not understand is that one of his subsidiaries (News-Sentinel) of his parent company E.W. Scripps has sued the County Commission. So, why he doesn't believe they deliberated had one Commissioner said something that convinced the other and that impacts a vote on the budget. Then that would be a violation of the Sunshine Law.

As for Commission Chairman Scott Moore not meeting with the reporter. If something is printed in his article attributed to Chairman Moore and his colleagues read the article and that influences their position than they have all violated the Sunshine Law.

PEFA - Is It Only In and For Knox County? It is Your Tax Dollars Part II

The first Brian's Blog post about PEFA was about a week ago. It is here. Since that time (this week has been busy) I have talked with Mark Donaldson the Executive Director of the MPC. (Metropolitan Planning Commission)

In the individual PEFA studies for Knox County and Loudon County. The recommendations of new school construction or the recommendations of no or limited additional school construction are recommendations of the PBA (Public Building Authority) not PEFA as the reports would indicate.

The PEFA reports really appear to be a marketing tool for the Knoxville/Knox County PBA.

I asked Mr. Donaldson if the rumor were accurate about PEFA getting ready to conduct a study in Sullivan County, TN. He said there had been some discussion but no commitment to date, due to travel considerations to Sullivan County as it is a couple of hours away from Knoxville/Knox County.

Mr. Donaldson really appears to be a knowledgeable, transparent leader of the MPC organization. In a world filled with government bureaucrats that are not transparent. It is refreshing to see one.

PEFA - Is It Only In and For Knox County? It is Your Tax Dollars

Brian's Blog has obtained a copy of a PEFA study that was performed for the Loudon County Mayor and County Commission.

The numbers that PEFA projects about the Loudon County/Lenior City School Systems are as in question as the numbers for Knox County.

Brian's Blog will be going through this report which is nearly twice the size of the Knox County study to see how the two reports compare and contrast.

The question is this. Should PEFA, which is made up of Knox County taxpayer funded employees be doing assessments and projections on school districts outside Knox County?

Brian's Blog has heard that this Loudon project is in fact NOT a PEFA project as it did not involve Knox County School employee members of PEFA. We will confirm that next week.

The cost of this assessment in Loudon was in the neighborhood of $55,000.00 Loudon County Schools were required to pay for half of the cost of the study they didn't request and a study they say where the information is flawed.

Stay Tuned.