In a previous post there were 4 items that were placed on the work session for discussion and possible forwarding to the full commission meeting.

• Status on the Children's Home - The County Mayor reported that he felt that a resolution was near, it was stated that it had been 90 days since the commission had postponed action on this item.  I stated that a resolution should be accomplishable within 30 more days, otherwise the commission should take the necessary actions to clear this item from its plate.
• Status on road access to the Sheriff's Firing range and training area - Sheriff Berrong stated that a verbal agreement had been reached and written confirmation was being waited upon.  This resolution should remove nearly all traffic going to and from the Training facility.
• The Blount County Ethics Policy - The ethics policy will be amended to describe those actions which are reviewable under the newly passed ethics legislation which deals with acceptance of gifts and possible conflicts of interest.
• Budget - Impact on tax rate, employee insurance, and debt service - It was reported that there would be "NO" tax rate increase for the upcoming year.  There will be no change in employee insurance and the annual increase that is experienced will be cover for the 2008-2009 budget year by the savings that is realized through changing to the new program through Cariten.  It was also noted that "if no new bonds were to be issued, the current outstanding debt could be retired in 15 years at the current tax rate that is designated for debt service."  It was also stated that the next new school could be built without increasing the contribution to debt service but it would stretch the complete payoff of all debt out to 25-30 years.

Other items that were discussed at the work session was the possibility of disbanding the ethics committee since there is no requirement under state law, this could mean that these type of complaints would then be heard by the full commission.  The commission will also receive its first overview of the upcoming budget containing both expenses and income.

Feel free to drop a comment.

        

Blount County is approaching the time for the May work session of the full commission.  The new system now a couple of months and everything seems to be flowing fairly well.  There hasn't been too many complaints from either commissioners or constituents, so one would assume that everything is going well as far as the work sessions go.

In May there will be a request that the following items be addressed by the appropriate parties:
There will be others who have items as well, there always seem to be request for new items to be on the agenda especially as budget deadlines draw near. 

Feel free to drop a comment.

        

Good Evening!

I would like to thank everyone for the many emails that have been received of the least 6+ years during my serving on the County Commission.  I would also like to say that we are all aware of the economic state that our Nation, State and County are currently experiencing and this bring to mind the following.

I would like to hear from you!

What is the top 5 areas that are in need when it comes to budgets, money and taxes in our county?

What are the top 5 areas that should be decreased or ended?

Just list them 1-5 needs and 1-5 decreases.

Let's hear it!

mike@commissionerwalker.com

        

I have had an opportunity to find out some new information related to the area of Ethics, Ethics Policy and how they should be handled in Blount County.

Under the Ethics legislation in the State of Tennessee there are only 2 areas that can be addressed in a counties Ethics Policy and those are:

A complaint in one of these areas should be for an alleged action that has occurred in the past.  According to the County Technical Advisory Services legal ...

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Good Evening!

On the work session agenda next week is a item I have had placed there related to commission appointments, the ethics policy and requirements.

Since the commission now has in place a ethics policy which covers all boards and committees that the County commission appoints to, it brings to light a new question.  Should a disclosure be filed as a requirement before attending or taking part in a meeting of the committee or board?

Another way to look at it maybe, if someone fails or refuses a ethics disclosure, should it be grounds for removal or refusal to appoint this individual?

What do you think?

mike@commissionerwalker.com

        

I have received some comments related to the recent article in The Daily Times related to the resurfacing of the question of a Wheel Tax.  The reason for this post is there is some confusion as to how and where this idea arose from.  In the contacts I received it was asked "Why is the commission going against the wishes of the county by voting on the wheel tax?" The simple truth is the commission, at the current time, is not considering a wheel tax.  The reason I say at this time is because the budget committee, where the discussion took place in a budget work session, has not forwarded their reccommendations related to the budget and funding for 2008-2009.

I will go on the record now and state:

The only way I will vote on the matter of a wheel tax is to place it back on a ballot for the voters of Blount County.  I will further state that the only way I will do this is if the motion and question to be placed on the ballot includes that the tax will not be increase or the designated fund changed except by another referrendum.

I believe this is the only way those who pay the tax will believe that is will not increase or be spent in ways other than originally intended.

mike@commissionerwalker.com

        

Capitol Update:

"The House State & Local Government Committee recommended passage of SB3086/HB2750.  This bill would create a pilot program to allow a governing body, specifically Knox County only, to set up an electronic communication system for its members that could be monitored by the public.  Since the communications through the internet chat room style interface would be available for the public to read and review, the bill would make such communications exempt from the provisions of the sunshine law."

Would this be a good thing or a bad thing?  If it is a good thing, should Blount County seek to be included in the pilot program?

What do you think?

mike@commissionerwalker.com

        

March 31st at 10:00 am there will be the ground breaking for the new highway department located over next to the Alcoa duck pond.  The new facility comes at no new expense to the Tax payers of Blount County and will provide new and much needed facilities to the Blount County Highway Department and employees. 

mike@commissionerwalker.com

        

    According to Merriam-Websters On-line Dictionary one of the meanings given for ethics is "the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group".  

    To date there have been 3 official complaints filed under the newly formed Blount County Ethics Policy which now have been posted on TheDailyTimes.com, and it has now been rumored that there will be more to follow.  

    These 3 complaints are scheduled to be heard on Tuesday, April 1st at 6:00 pm (April Fools Day), by the Blount County Ethics committee.  How the ethics committee handles these complaints may dictate how the committee is viewed not only by the community but also by the members of boards, committees and commissions they are charged to investigate.

The questions that have come to my mind are listed below:

1. Is the new ethics legislative requirements fixing problems or creating them?
• It directed local legislative bodies to pass ethics resolutions and rules, this is good, however if they are passed and not understood and not considered after passage...
• Should the commission have someone from CTAS, UT, or another party come to discuss ethics, ethics legislation and how to handle complaints in the most effective way?
• Should it be a requirement for disclosures be required to be filed before appointments are made?
• Should members of boards and committees who may refuse to file such required disclosures be removed from their respective boards and committee?
2. Where should complaints be initially filed?
• Attorney General
• District Attorney
• Human Resources
• Ethics Committee
• Full County Commission
3. How should information related to any investigation that is performed be handled?
• Is this information a matter of public record
• Should it be restricted to members of the Ethics Committee and/or the appropriate legal authority
4. If a complaint should be filed against the Ethics Committee as a whole, how should this be handled?
• Have a neighboring County's Ethics committee hear the matter
• Have the local Attorney's Bar Association Board hear the matter
• Have a ad-hoc committee formed to hear such a complaint
5. Is there the possibility of repercussions for filing a false or unsupported complaint

These are just a few questions that have come to mind throughout today, I am sure there will be many more before Tuesday. 

What do you think?

mike@commissionerwalker.com

        

Up Coming Meetings for Blount County Government.

Blount County Government Calendar - Blount County Commission

Watch here for key issues of interest to be discussed, request for input from the community and other nik-naks.

mike@commissionerwalker.com