Mayor unveils proposed budget today

Mayor Burchett

Had a story today about Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett's proposed budget. You can find that bad boy, right smack here.

Just left the actual presentation. Here's the spin release and – for the most part – the mayor's speech, although the guy is actually pretty funny and sometimes leaves script, so the good stuff won't be in it.

And just cause I'm a nice guy,  right smack here, is the link to 54-pages of budget-ness. 

At this point, it doesn't look like there's going to be much of a battle this year. MPC got money, the school got funding, Beck Center got some scratch, the employees are getting some extra coin, and so an and so on.

Still, the County Commission doesn't meet until May 29 to talk about it, so we've got some time.

Heh.

Mayor says 'no' to helping two nonprofits

Last week I wrote a story about the county disqualifying two local nonprofits from its financial applications process – the Beck Center and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

By the way I not going to say “I reported it first” - which I did - because that sounds like something TV would do. And we all know that TV sucks. I mean that it's bad for you

But I digress.

Soooo, you can click right smack here for the only coverage of two nonprofits blowing it.

In the meantime, some folks and some county commissioners have wondered just how series the mayor is about not funding the two groups.

I can tell you that it's no joke. He said this morning that he's not even considering it. Everyone who wanted money had the chance to apply.

But, he said, the County Commission, which really controls the purse strings but never really flexes its muscle, could help the organizations on its own.

Based on last year's actions, however, I don't see it. There was a lot of noise but in the end, the board passed the current budget exactly as the mayor proposed it. Except that they reinstated their travel allowances.

Heh.

We need a cage fight, not a PBA audit

At some point, the county commission should just throw PBA top dog Dale Smith and local developer Sandy Loy into a steel cage and let the two go at it.

I'll get to what I'm talking about in a minute.

Earlier this week, I covered the county audit committee, but the big story that came out of it was the release of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center investigation. You can find that right smack here.

Anyhoo, I didn't get around to writing or talking about the Public Building Authority audit. Or proposed one. Or lack thereof. Or whatever.

The commission in July authorized the audit committee to authorize an audit of the PBA and the financial aspects that led to the construction of the $50 million Hardin Valley Academy. (That's a lot of authorizing.)

Sooooo, on Tuesday, the audit people talked briefly about it. The problem that chairman Joe Carcello brought up, however, is that the commission wants the internal auditor to go back six years. That's a ton of work. And a ton of dead trees to go through. I'm pretty sure the commission had no idea what six years entails. A lot of work. And work done by the county's small internal auditing department. But, again – whatever.

I'm rambling here, I know.

But Carcello knows this, too.

“The Hardin Valley one is at least more limited in scope,” he said. “The PBA? This is ambitious.”

In the end, the committee asked auditor Richard Walls to examine the Hardin Valley issue.

Carcell said “if it comes though squeaky clean then I don't know if it's the best use to use the limited resources we have to do a six year audit of the PBA. If it comes back clean, we can say: 'Do you really need an audit of the PBA?'”

Walls said by mid-November, the next time the committee meets, he should almost be done with the investigation.

In the meantime, Carcello also, albeit very, very briefly, talked about the deal between Loy and Smith.

You see, these two do not like each other. For years, Loy has beat Smith over the head in news columns about some supposed mischief that went on in the construction, bidding, building, whatever process of Hardin Valley school.

It culminated awhile back when Smith talked about the issue in front of commissioners and then Loy threatened to sue him for slander.

You can read that bad boy right smack here.

On Tuesday, Carcello asked rhetorically whether the two have ever been in the same room together to hash out the allegations. He talked about how one says one thing; then the following week, the other answers. Or how their attorneys will do the talking.

I say: Screw that!

Either get them in a public forum to debate.

Or get them in the cage.

Burchett on threats, budgets, Beck

Had a few days off this week. Then got sick and went to one of those Urgent Care walk-in places, which are about as reliable as the flight schedules at McGhee Tyson Airport. My ear is killing me. Usually that happens when I’m in a county commission meeting. Not when I’m not in a meeting.

Anyway, checked in with the big guy, county Mayor Tim Burchett, to see what’s going on in his world. Death threats, budgets, Beck Center, whatever. (By the way, his power has been out for more than 24 hours. Hey, KUB, what’s up with that? I don’t recall him cutting any money to your budget.)

I was really curious about what was supposedly said to him. Threat-wise.

He wouldn’t budge, other than to say he “takes them (the threats) all serious but if you let it alter your life, then they win.” Then he added that “the guy will think he’s real tough when the deputies are dragging him out the door by his mullet.”

Heh.

Still, I don’t know. I think it’s a good excuse to employ a kick-ass, armed entourage. Kind of like the last guy did. Except for the armed part. And the kick-ass part.

Heh.

Anyhoo, I asked him what else was going on. Apparently, the administration is already working on next year’s budget.

“You don’t want to wait until the last minute,” Burchett said. “I don’t like surprises.”

That’s rich, actually. In other words, when I cut more stuff don’t come crying to me that you got bamboozled out of the blue. Nice.

He also touched on the “Employee Compensation Committee,” which the county commission on Monday will probably create. The idea is find a way to give raises to county employees next year, mostly focusing on deputies and general government workers who earn $40,000 or less a year.

Commission Chairman Mike Hammond and Vice Chairman Brad Anders, I believe, are the driving force behind the initiative, but it appears to have support from – at least –the majority of the commission.

The mayor was a somewhat cagey when I asked him his thoughts on raises, although I think he realizes something has to give between now and May 2012 when the commission approves the next budget.

“It’s fully within the county mayor’s job description that I’m supposed to be the one in charge of salaries,” he said. “They’ll make suggestions and we’ll compare (the wages) to the market based on job descriptions and duties. But, I really want an apples to apples comparison.”

Burchett, though, added that he’s worried about salary compression.

“If you just pay the lower end and don’t raise the middle and upper salaries, then people who have just started will be making the same as people who have been there almost 10 years,” he said. “But, we’ve got to come up with a plan.”

During our conversation, the mayor also addressed the potential audit of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center. The commission will again talk about this on Monday and could more than likely seek an audit of the dollars the county gave the organization during the past couple of years.

It can’t, however, force the center to turn over all its financial records, so the audit will never really provide a complete picture. So, really, what’s the point? And, even if it does come back all nice and pretty, it doesn’t matter. Does it?

Buchett says he’ll veto any attempt to restore some $138,000 that he cut this year from the program. Still, it’s worth a try, I suppose. That’s what the mayor is doing with Carter Elementary, which no-doubt will be a fun time for all when the school board meets in early July to talk about that.

Anyway, I’ve got to wrap this up before I bore you to death.

Here’s Burchett’s final words (for now) on Beck: “It never had anything to do with their inability to fill out a financial form or make a report. It had to do with what I think is appropriate on where the taxpayers’ dollars should be going. If I was after them, then I would have just zeroed them out. They got what all the other historical museums got. To say it’s unfair? They’ve received over 90 percent of their money from taxpayers. No other organization is like that, that the county gives money to.”

Proposed budget amendments

The county commission tomorrow at 3 p.m. inside the Deathstar will vote on county Mayor Tim Burchett's proposed budget.

There's been a lot of talk about this one, but there should never have been any surprises. Burchett said he was going to cut the heck out of a lot of things when he campaigned. And cut he did.

This morning the mayor and the county's Financial Minister, John Troyer, were on the radio talking about the budget. A few minutes later, Commissioner Amy Broyles and The Man with the Badge, Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones got on to talk about some of Broyles proposed changes that would give employees raises – something they haven't had in four or so years.

In the meantime, there's a number of other proposed budget amendments that commissioners have thrown around, not the least of which is Mike Brown's idea – I don't think anyone has talked about this one yet – that would give employees the summer off.

This morning, the fine folks at the county commission office/department, sent me over the “2nd Revision” proposed budget amendments. It was dated last Thursday (June 9).

So, in case you're not keeping up, here's a look at the proposals:

Chairman Mike Hammond: Reinstate each commissioner's $3,000 slush fund, I mean discretionary fund. But, they won't get to spend this coin at will. Items must be placed on the agenda for commissioners to vote. They also must be put on the commission website. And each request must define how the money will be used.

Commissioner Sam McKenzie: Add $138,000 to the Beck Cultural Center; reinstate $50,0000 to KAT Seniors Ride Free Program; reinstate $66,000 to the slush fund; add $25,000 back to commissioner's travel to reinstate the $300 a month in coin they used to get until the mayor cut it and suggested they fill out mileage reimbursement forms. He also wants to cut $364,000 in additional money to the engineering department that was supposed to pave roads – none of which will be in his district, since it's city-inclusive. And, he wants to suspend the $2.8 million Outlet Drive project. He says the net savings will be $85,000.

Vice Chairman Brad Anders: Eliminate the Great Schools Partnership Budget ($2.6 million) to use for a 2 percent employee pay increase. He also wants to reinstate the commission travel allowance.

Commissioner Amy Broyles: She wants to add a 3 percent step increase for county workers, increase the Ijams budget, revisit the Legacy Parks budget, revisit employee layoffs; eliminate HOPE Resource Center budget and reinstate $75,000 to the KAT program. Broyles' plan would take about $3.5 million from the additional $5 million the mayor's budget proposes to pay down the debt.

Commissioner Mike Brown: He wants to cut payroll expense by letting workers leave at 2:30 p.m. and/or by letting them take off for the summer. (There are so many things wrong with this plan if you're a county worker, I couldn't even begin to describe them. If you're a resident, then be happy because it would actually save a whole lot more money than Brown anticipates, since the employees won't be getting insurance, either. Ever.) He also wants to add a 2 percent increase for county workers by taking money out of the rainy day fund.

Trading roads for the Beck Center

In yesterday's earth-shattering, trailblazing, groundbreaking interview with the Knox County Mayor Tim “Mag Dog” Burchett (inside joke), we talked briefly about a proposal some commissioners (mostly Sam McKenzie) have about using at least some of the additional $364,000 that went to the engineering and public works department under the administration's proposed budget and sending to the Beck Center, the KAT and commissioner slush funds.

Yeah. The mayor isn't on board with that one.

So, I got some engineering records, the to-do list, the whatever.

Here's the deal (according to interim public works director Dwight Van de Vate):

The county has about 2,000 miles of roads. About 10 percent of them need immediate resurfacing. In 2000, the department resurfaced 95 miles worth. Between 2000 and 2004, the county resurfaced about 86 miles annually. In 2005, that number dropped to 65 miles and has declined ever since. Last year, the department resurfaced about 12 miles. The proposed budget for this year calls for 17 miles of resurfacing.

Nice. No wonder the roads around here suck.

You can read Dwight's memo to the mayor and Dean “The Emperor” Rice right smack here. It also includes another 10-12 pages of street names, dollars, coin, whatever, where work needs to be done. It's actually pretty detailed. I put it up here because I know you want to read it. So, again, click right smack here.

Now, here's where we get into the interesting stuff. Dwight wrote out (hope you can read his writing) a list of streets/roads/drives that are at the top of the to-do sheet. There's 11 of them, totaling a little more than $2 million. Now, the county isn't going to do all of them. But, if ANY additional funding is sliced from the engineering department, two roads - Amberset, located the 5th District and Coppock, in the 8th District - get cut first. They cost $117,000 and $218,000, respectively.

I don't know why those two get the hangman's noose. I didn't ask. Dwight probably has some good reason.

Now if you look at that list, which you can find by clicking right here, you'll notice something else: There are no roads slated for resurfacing in the 2nd District, which Amy Broyles represents, nor in the 1st District, which Sam McKenzie represents.

Well then, apparently McKenzie has nothing to lose by cutting the engineering department's street resurfacing coin. It's not like he's getting any help.

Heh.

I'm curious, though, about what Dave Wright (8th District) and Richard “The Good Doctor” Briggs (5th District) think about the proposal. They've been usually quiet so far.

And they're the ones who could end up riding on those never-to-be-resurfaced bumpy, broke roads. Forever. Along with their constituents.

Something to chew on, I suppose.

UPDATE: Commission Vice Chairman Brad Anders pointed out to me that the reason there are no road projects in the 1st and 2nd Districts is because they are all in the city. Makes sense.

Burchett weighs in on proposals

OK, so I'm checking out today's story - “Amendment would aid Beck” - that details a number of commission proposals that would rearrange money in the administration's proposed budget to fund a number of things like the Beck Cultural Exchange Center and pay raises for employees.

I decided to look for some reaction and gave county Mayor Tim Burchett, at left, a call. He weighed in on each of the proposals.

So . . . .

Me: Commissioner Sam McKenzie wants to use at least some of the additional $364,000 that went to the county's engineering and public works department to help out the Beck Center and restore $75,000 to the Knox Area Transit's senior rider program. Your thoughts?

Burchett: That's where we've been taking money from the past (the engineering department) and that's supposed to repair out roads. When we talk about infrastructure and what we're doing for jobs, I think that is a vital role of government. It doesn't make headlines, but filling in the potholes and patching the streets – that's important. And right now our roads are showing it because of the freeze we had this fall. We haven't made those repairs in the past and now they're catching up to us.

Me: It looks like commission Vice Chairman Brad Anders proposed cutting $2.6 million from the Great Schools Partnership to give employees a 2 percent raise.

Burchett: That's our (Teacher Advancement Program) money - and although it's one area where we do have control over the school system - from all indications, it's been very successful, so I would hate to see us lose that program. I don't think it's a wise move right now. With the money from the Great Schools – that goes with paying teachers on their performance and that's what people have demanded. That we reward the teachers.

Me: Commissioner Amy Broyles is looking at restoring the $100,000 cut to Ijams Nature Center.

Burchett: Yes, we took that money out and they're talking about putting it back in. Well, we've got to make cuts and that's an area where we think we should. It's better than cutting people.

Me: What about dipping into the reserves?

Burchett: Ah, no. That's just bad news. We need to be very careful about that. We have to have at least $26 million that we can't touch to balance out against our debt, which is a best practice procedure – what the bonding agencies told us. So that means we have $10 million. If there is an emergency, a tornado, then we'll need that. We need it for real emergencies. We did that once before with the sheriff's automobiles over my protest. Members said that was one-time deal, but how many one-time deals are we going to have.

Beck Center, emails and race cards

Apparently if you criticize the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, then you’re a bigot.

Whatever.

I guess some people can’t get past race. They forgot to get on that plane. You know, the one that flew (most of) the rest of us into a place called the 21st Century.

I figured it would come to this. I hoped it wouldn’t. But it did.

Last week, Sentinel reporter Rebecca Ferrar wrote a story that said county commission Chairman Mike Hammond will ask his fellow dais mates to consider auditing the Beck Center. Because the organization's accounting just isn’t adding up. That and folks have a heck of a lot of questions about how some county money the center got was spent. Or reported.

Anyhoo, in the story, Rebecca cited an email from Mrs. Terry Caruthers – a library worker who was assigned to the center when it operated under the auspices of the county library system – to the county commission.

Caruthers, who is white, had some fairly damning accusations about the center.

(The story is right smack here. And yeah, I know this is last week’s news, but I’m going somewhere. Hold on a second.)

Rebecca asked Beck Center Executive Director Avon Rollins, who is black, about his thoughts on Caruthers’ claims.

His response? Let’s say it was really classy.

“Blah, blah, blah,” said Rollins. “Ms. Caruthers is non-African American. I don’t know what her ulterior motives are. She might have a bias.”

Really?

Heh.

Hahahahahahaha.

Apparently Rollins’ ability to understand Caruthers is about as spot-on as the center’s ability to correctly file an IRS 990 tax form.

Cause, er, well, Mr. Caruthers happens to be black.

Here’s Mrs. Caruthers response to Rollins’ remarks in another email she sent to the county commission. (By the way, in the beginning of the email, she wonders how Rebecca got her first email. I gave it to her. And it's public record.)

Anyway, click right smack here for the new email.

And by the way, I have nothing against Rollings. But seriously, the whole race card - or even insinuations of it - is starting to get a little old.

Random thoughts on county stuff

So, did you miss me? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Been pretty busy lately. Hate that I didn’t update here, but I mostly do this stuff at home, and really – quite frankly – just didn’t feel like it.

No, what happened was Blogger, the platform or website or whatever this is that I use, went down. It deleted some posts, etc., so I didn’t want to put up anything else until the kinks got worked out.

Or whatever it is the greed-heads over at Google do when they’re not in a spitting match with Facebook.

Anyhoo, so I had a bunch of stuff, but I didn’t put anything on paper or monitor, so what you’re about to get is, ah, just some random shots, I suppose, while I wait for my pizza and put in the first season of Nurse Jackie. Is the show any good?

In other words, you get the quick ramblings instead of the long ones. Or whatever.

First up: I noticed the other day that county Law Director Joe Jarret started a Facebook page “Joe Jarret for Law Director.” Jarret, a Republican who was appointed last year by the county commission to replace Bill Lockett (man that was a disaster, wasn’t it), hasn’t filed an appointment of political treasurer form with the election office yet. And, petitions to run in next March’s election won’t be available until September. As it stands, though, he’s the first to – while not technically official – throw his hat in the proverbial political ring. I’m sure others will step up. I remember during interviews for the job I heard a lot of “he’s not from around here” BS from the other applicants. That attitude alone will bring out candidates.

Next up - and this one is to Laura Braden, who sends emails on behalf of Knoxville mayoral candidate Mark Padgett. I think she’s running his campaign or something. Laura, if Mark is too cheap to buy me those beers, then just say so. And that means actually picking up the phone and calling – not sending emails, cancelling his lunch appointments every time you/him/whoever run into “scheduling conflicts,” which oddly enough happens every time I pick on one of Padgett’s silly “news” releases. Oh well.

Third - and this is an old one, but I’ve wanted to say it forever. A few folks in the Deathstar forgot the Golden Rule: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Fourth - and this one goes to county Mayor Tim Burchett. The next time you propose full-time job cuts – and actual bodies get laid off – try to make sure they’re not all minorities and seniors. It just doesn’t look good when they are. Or when most of them are. (I imagine once this one gets posted I’ll get a call from communications manager Michael Grider refuting it. Update to follow. Heh.)

Fifth (and I’ll probably get slammed for this one but I don’t care): I was at the county commission meeting briefly today. Sentinel reporter Rebecca Ferrar was filling in for me, but I had to stop by to interview some folks. Apparently 20 people attended the budget hearing to speak out against the proposed funding cuts – about 92 percent – to the Beck Cultural Exchange Center.

The mayor has proposed a reduction from $150,000 to $12,000. Wow, that’s some major coin. Now, I know people are going to turn this into a West vs. East (where the center resides) issue or a black vs. white issue, or a whatever issue.

It’s not.

Look, Burchett is a Republican. And that’s not to disparage the guy, but – and I’m stereotyping here, I know – Republicans cut this kind of stuff. (At least more so than Democrats.) The administration is slashing prices throughout the Deathstar’s parking lot. (Except for schools because it really can’t, and in public safety because it doesn’t want to deal with The Man with the Badge).

And yeah, cultural centers, non-profits, whatever enhance the makeup of communities. But, they’re also the first things axed when looking for savings. Burchett campaigned on smaller government. He’s doing it (or attempting to) right now.

That’s a fact. He didn’t hide it. He said he was going to make some cuts people wouldn’t like. And he said he was going to lay off folks.

But I digress.

Anyway, the Beck Center and the county – under the Mayor Mike Ragsdale administration – had a deal where the county would help fund it, if Beck officials turned over the property (and go through the process like other non-profits). That never happened. In the meantime, the Beck Center received a ton of money. The county eventually backed out when Center officials didn’t hold up their end of the deal.

To Burchett – I’m assuming here, I admit – the Center is now a private, non-profit entity. And I think it’s an important center that serves the black community, but it’s not a county-funded operation, like – for example - a senior center.

Also – and I don’t know the answer to this – but I think you have to keep in mind just how much money the Center brings in. What is its economic impact (which is actually a silly way to measure things because most people just juice the numbers anyway)? If it doesn’t bring in the scratch, then It’s not going to get the coin.

I know it’s easy to be an armchair quarterback. And people aren’t going to agree. (Hey, we all know where to cut the budget, right?) But, whatever. We’ll know more shortly.

The commission next week will continue picking through Burchett’s proposed budget, and I’m sure – no, I know – the issue will be revisited.

I had a few more items to ramble about, but it’s getting late.

And I want to see if that show is any good.