Mayor Calls Financial Round Table
Jefferson County Mayor Palmieri held a public meeting with Jefferson County Finance Director Potts, Budget Committee Chairman Scarlett and Finance Committee Chairman McGraw to discuss Jefferson County’s current financial situation going into budget season and alternatives that could be viable to quell the financial crunch. Potts stated that debt payments represent around 8% of the […]
School Board Meets at DOE
The Jefferson County Board of School Commissioners were called to meeting Monday, March 9, at 4:00 pm at the Jefferson County Department of Education. First on the agenda were General Purpose Budget Amendment #9 and Federal Purpose Budget Amendment #9, both of which were accepted. These amendments cover the movement of funds, but do not […]
One Penny Worth $114,300
The Jefferson County Budget Committee met on Monday, March 9, 2015 in the Historic Jefferson County Courthouse. Committee Chair Scarlett called the meeting to order. All members were present for roll call. With a Motion from Solomon and 2nd from Turner, the minutes from the January 12th meeting were Approved. Property Assessor Susan Gass informed […]
County Commission Work Session Brings As Many Questions As Answers
In a week of multiple County Commission and Committee meetings, the Jefferson County Commission held their second work session of 2015 on Monday, March 9th in the Historic Jefferson County Courthouse. Following Roll Call that found all Commissioners present, Commission Chairman Carmichael excused the audience in attendance to have a closed session with the County […]
Interviews Are Done But No Consensus on Hire
Though it conducted a round of interviews on Monday, March 9, 2015, the Quality Control Oversight Committee, which is charged with hiring an Advisor for the Building 8 project, could not come to a consensus. Three candidates were interviewed for the position, which is anticipated to continue until the end of the year. Of those […]
Violations Land Rush Strong School On Federal EPA List – State Moving Forward With Enforcement
Rush Strong School has been listed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as having compliance issues regarding the Clean Water Act. This compliance issue is in addition to compliance and enforcement issues with the State of Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, as well. In letters dating back to March of 2011, TDEC officials […]
What Was the Cost?
Two weeks of hard winter weather have taken a financial toll on some areas of Jefferson County, as municipalities and individual county departments struggle to deal with the costs associated with multiple winter storms. Beyond the impact in the private sector, where many businesses were unable to open their doors or had very little consumer […]
Schools Could Receive Waiver for Snow Days
Jefferson County Schools have exhausted their reserve of snow days, according to Jefferson County Director of Schools, Dr. Charles Edmonds. As of Friday, February 27, 2015 students had missed a total of 12 days for inclement weather, mainly due to back to back storms that rocked the area during the last two weeks in February. […]
And Again!
After more than a week of freezing temperatures, incapacitating ice and a snow/slush mix, locals awoke Thursday morning to a blanket of fresh snow. Though early predictions were sketchy, the February 25th accumulations exceeded the five inch mark in some areas. While February’s wintry blast last week resulted in several power outages due to downed […]
Urgent request to AEC members to conserve energy during extreme cold
With the coldest temperatures in more than a year expected to reach the Co-op’s service area over the next couple of nights, Appalachian Electric Cooperative is taking steps to ensure a reliable supply of power for everyone. “It’s been a challenging week,” says AEC Member Services Director Mitch Cain. “With the ice storm bringing down […]
Nearly 1 Billion To Celebrate Ash Wednesday
On February 18, 2015, many Christians began the 40 day period preceding Easter known as lent. Ash Wednesday will begin the season of Lent, which is expected to be observed by more than one billion people world wide. A day of reflection, many observe Ash Wednesday with services that include placing ash on the forehead […]
East Tennessee Braces For Near Zero Temperatures
Persistent inclement weather has put a damper on to day to day business across Jefferson County. While County offices reopened on Wednesday, following closure on Monday for President’s Day and Tuesday for unpassable road conditions, many were working on with a skeletal crew. County meetings of the newly formed Building Oversight Committee, as well as […]
Line Crews Battle Frozen Conditions
Ice has proven to be seriously problematic for Appalachian Electric Cooperative crews that have been working around the clock to keep the lights on in Jefferson County homes since the onset of the powerful storm Monday morning, February 16, 2015. Mitch Cain, Director of Member Services for Appalachian Electric, said that the crews have been […]
Ice Storm Causes Outages And Closings
Winter weather conditions have caused problems across Tennessee. In Jefferson County, ice has been the main culprit for slippery roads and downed trees. The local area was doused with sleet, light snow and freezing rain for the better part of 24 hours, beginning on Monday morning, February 16, 2015. Though initially it appeared that the […]
Dandridge Police Department Installs “Drug Take Back Box”
On Feb 10, 2015 the Dandridge Police Department began utilizing a new strategy to fight the growing prescription pill abuse epidemic in East Tennessee: a “Drug Take Back” program. Citizens are encouraged to bring in excess medications and prescriptions that are no longer needed, or left behind by family members who have passed away, depositing […]
