County property tax collections up

Knox County property tax collections are up again this year, reaching what could possibly be an all-time high, but officials say there’s still more money to go after.

The county Trustee’s Office closed the books Feb. 29 on the current tax season, bringing in $249 million from property owners who paid before the deadline.

That amounted to a roughly 96.5 percent collection rate from taxes tied to some 206,000 parcels throughout the county.

But, Trustee Ed Shouse says there’s still about $6 million in outstanding taxes, and those who haven’t paid up now also owe an additional 18 percent penalty fee.

“Every year there’s an increase (in collections),” said Shouse, who wrapped up his first full tax season as trustee. “I can’t speak definitely whether it’s record breaking or not, but it’s a good number for us to work at every year and we’ll try to improve it every year . . . . I can’t promise you we will, but we’ll do our very best.”

Collections – mostly due to overall natural growth in the county – continue to rise.

For example, the office last year collected $247 million by the end of February deadline. Five year ago, it brought in $231 million.

“Frankly having an extra day to pay your taxes helped,” Shouse added, referring to leap year. “Every four years you’re going to get an extra day – that helped. And I think we were more aggressive in the way we sent notices out, processing and returning mail – common sense things. Using Google, KGIS and just trying to find people’s correct address.”

Full story RIGHT HERE.

Commissioners, public: Some of Clerk's claims just not adding up

Clerk Foster Arnett Jr

Some thoughts on yesterday afternoon’s Knox County Commission meeting with Knox County Clerk Foster Arnett Jr. in regards to the roughly $476,000 in estimated deadbeat hotel-motel tax debt.

First, know that there’s way more than $476K out there. It’s probably closer to $800K (we’re talking a period that dates back to 2009 and the $476K only touches a couple of years.).

Commissioners are not happy. Not overall they’re not. Poll the majority and a lot of them were not pleased with Arnett’s presentation yesterday.

Some felt like the numbers they got were not on the up and up, others felt the clerk’s office has taken a lackadaisical – at best – approach to collections, and others wondered just what is really going on.

A lot of claims, they (and people in attendance) told me after the meeting, just were not adding up.

So . . . here ya go.

During the meeting Arnett blamed – in part – his office’s inability to collect the $476K in folding paper on a short-staffed office.

Huh?

It appears that the majority of the commission isn’t buying this excuse. Seriously, this is an answer someone gives when they’ve had weeks to think about it. This is now an issue? Short staffed office? 

And the office has been short staffed for how long?

Commissioner Sam McKenzie said (I’m paraphrasing here): Spend some money to make money.

Don’t brag that you cut staff and expenses only to find out you’re not bringing in the coin.

Contradictions.

How many people actually owe this money? Arnett said he sent out two letters last week and then six are going out this week to the scofflaws. That’s eight.

When asked how many are more than 30 days behind, he said 12.

In interviews after the meeting, he told the media that it was eight.

The audit report suggests somewhere in the low 20s.

Arnett has claimed there’s nothing he can do about the deadbeats. There is. He can padlock doors. He can sell property.

He says he doesn’t want to do this and put people out of jobs.

WHAT?????

What do you think Knox County Trustee Ed Shouse is gonna say when Joe Blow tells him that he can’t pay his taxes? Is Easy Ed gonna give ol’ Joe a pass?

No, he’s not.

There’s no free passes here. Collect the money and quit making excuses.

Now, Arnett told the commission that he actually went down to padlock a door back in 2009. He said he had “chains in hand.” I wasn’t there, so we’ll just take him at his word. He said the owner came out and he promised that he’d cut him and check. Arnett said he did and that he’s been up to date since.

So, if this worked, then why aren’t we doing this every time?

Why is there $476K in coin out there?

Oddly enough, after the meeting, Arnett told reporters that he actually padlocked the door.

So which is it? Did you or didn’t you padlock a door?

OK, the local paper quotes Arnett as telling the commissioners: “If I’m not doing what needs to be done, there’s an election in three years, and someone else can take this over. We’re going by the law, by the book.”

That got a chuckle out of the back standing room. Talk about a red herring. Someone else is gonna take over his job in three years because Arnett is term-limited. (Of course he might have been talking about that long rumored run at mayor.)

There’s more.

Arnett tried an old political trick to soften the blow. Bait and switch.

He pointed out that his office during the past three years has collected more than $18 million in hotel-motel taxes and bragged about a 94 percent collection rate.

Um, this is called “doing the job.”

You’re supposed to have a 94 percent collection rate. Actually, when it comes to property tax collections, 98 percent is the average, so maybe 94 percent is low.

I don’t know.

I do know that that the manager at Tyson McGhee doesn’t brag that the airplanes over there all land safely.

You know why?

Because they are supposed to!

Now, people are going to think I’m picking on Foster. Heck, Foster is going to think I’m picking on him, and that’s fine. Whatever.

The ol blog is an equal-opportunity picker-on.

Just ask Foster’s last political opponent. We did a whole newscast on some of his claims.

In the meantime, I hope the people who owe the money pay up. I hope Foster doesn’t have to padlock doors, but if he comes to it, then he needs to.

Call up the media, bring out the cameras and chain the business.

That should get the others to listen.

The hotels.

The commissioners.

And the public.

Trustee Shouse to undergo surgery for cancer; Could return in week or so

Ed Shouse

Knox County Trustee Ed Shouse will undergo surgery Monday to have his prostate removed and should be back to work the following week.

Shouse, a former Knox County commissioner, said the prostate was in the early stages of cancer.

He said his physician tells him there's an estimated 93 percent recovery rate, and he feels confident.

"I hope to be back within a week and I have a great staff that will be able to take care of the office while I'm out," he told 10News.

Shouse said he put off the surgery until after tax season ended.

The Trustee's Office is open Monday-Thursday next week and closed next Friday for Good Friday.

Shouse was elected last year to the office.

In an email to his employees, Shouse said: "The cancer is small and has been caught early so my prognosis is very good. I just need to get it out so that I can move on with life. I would appreciate your thoughts and, of course, your prayers for a quick recovery. Additionally, I thank you for all that you do for the Trustee’s office and the citizens of Knox County."

Tax relief plan that helps a number of seniors, veterans in jeopardy

A state property tax relief program that helps disabled veterans and low-income senior citizens in Knoxville and Knox County is in financial danger as Tennessee lawmakers face a tight budget and recovering economy.

Gov. Bill Haslam is looking to cut funding for the program from $33 million to $29 million at a time when local officials say it actually needs another $5 million to maintain the status quo.

The plan – dubbed the "Property Tax Relief Program" – provides property tax rebates statewide for more than 150,000 disabled veterans and their surviving spouses, and senior citizens who earn $28,270 or less annually.

Under the plan, low-income seniors receive tax relief for the first $25,000 of their assessed property. Veterans who were disabled while serving get relief on the first $175,000 of their assessed property.

Residents apply at the local trustee's office and city tax collections department. If approved, the county and city then bill the state for the difference.

Last year, the program served 416 Knox County veterans and about 4,500 local seniors, providing for a combined $962,000 in relief.

Knox County's seniors got up to $145 in county taxes and $170 in city taxes docked from their tax bills.

Veterans got up to $1,015 in county relief and almost $1,200 in city relief.

Rest of the story RIGHT HERE.

New Trustee Ed Shouse sets budget

Ed Shouse

Newly sworn-in Knox County Trustee Ed Shouse has put together his budget and it looks pretty much like the one his predecessor, Craig Leuthold, filed except for one thing: Shouse submitted a letter of agreement – not a salary suit.

Without getting into the details, the fee officers typically submit salary suits, an archaic form of budget-setting paperwork in which the officeholder sues the county mayor.

At this point, I think county Clerk Foster Arnett Jr. is the only other fee officer to do the letter thing, although I’ve heard that the new criminal court clerk, Mike Hammond, also will do one.

There’s really not a lot of difference. I think the salary suit probably costs $1,000 to file, so I suppose there’s some savings there. And the letter of agreement is a little easier to ready.

Anyhoo, Shouse has said at this point he doesn’t want to make too many changes, particularly with tax season right around the corner. The combined salaries in his office aren't expected to exceed $2 million.

We’ll see after that.

Here’s a look at Leuthold’s salary suit RIGHT SMACK HERE.

Shouse’s letter of agreement RIGHT SMACK HERE.

Hawkins responds to CTAS questions

Barry Hawkins (Photo by Dan Andrews)

Knox County Trustee candidate Barry Hawkins on Tuesday took exception to County Commissioner Dave Wright’s request to talk about an educational bonus he received while working in the Trustee's Office years ago, calling the discussion “a political witch hunt” and “backroom politics.”

All this of course ties into the $3,000 payments former Knox County Trustee John Duncan III gave himself and six other employees in December 2010. The payments were tied to the University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Services, or CTAS. To get the money, you must be certified as a “public administrator.” None of the employees were.

Everyone except for Hawkins paid back the money. Actually, you know what? Click right smack here for the original background post.

Back to Tuesday’s commission meeting.

Wright asked the board whether it should do something, like ask Hawkins to pay back the money.

Law Director Richard “Bud” Armstrong said he wasn’t sure the commission could do anything, noting that Hawkins no longer worked in the office when the workers were initially asked to return the payments.

He suggested that it was up to the Trustee’s Office – not the commission – to address the matter.

Hawkins spoke briefly, saying Wright was “trying to intimidate a candidate and abusing the power of the commission to help a candidate and colleague.”

Commissioner Ed Shouse, and interim Trustee Craig Leuthold (both Republicans) and Democrat James Berrier are also vying for the job.

Hawkins, who worked in the office for 17 years, said that after he received the payment he questioned Duncan but was told it was “office policy and procedure.” He said he also asked his other superiors and was told the same thing. He added that his job was eliminated before he could finish the training.

“I have done nothing wrong and don’t appreciate any accusation otherwise,” he said

You can find Hawkins’ complete speech right smack here.

Wright denied that his discussion was politically motivated. He suggested that if it was then he would have called out Hawkins on some of “his campaign promises.”

“I could say that my feelings are hurt by what he said, but then I’m the seated commissioner and I have no feelings,” he added.

Trustee candidate's CTAS payment on commission work session agenda

Well, it looks like those CTAS payments aren’t going away. Knox County Commissioner Dave Wright wants the board to talk about an educational payment given a couple years ago to Barry Hawkins, who at the time was an employee in the Trustee’s Office and is now a candidate for Trustee.

“I think that would be hypocritical, in a way, to say ‘I’m going to be able to run this office,’ when he participated in something that caused some people to lose their job,” Wright said.

Quick rehash: Former Knox County Trustee John Duncan III gave himself and six other employees each a $3,000 education bonus - most of it tied to the University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Services, or CTAS , program - in December 2010, three months after taking office. To get the money, you must be certified as a “public administrator.” None of the employees were. Almost a year later, in late October, he gave himself and another 11 people the same payments.

Duncan and several staffers eventually pleaded guilty to various crimes connected to the disbursement of the money and resigned from office.

In the meantime, everyone paid back the money, except for Hawkins. He received $3,000 in the first go-around, but left soon after. He was not certified

“All I’m doing is asking the question . . . maybe he’s paid back the money,” Wright said.

Hawkins is one of three Republicans, including Commissioner Ed Shouse and interim Trustee Craig Leuthold, running for the seat. The primary is set for May with a general election in August. James Berrier, a Democrat, also is seeking the gig.

Wright, referring to Shouse and Leuthold, said “they’re both good guys” and that he’s not necessarily supporting either one, but that he’s been asked to introduce Leuthold at an event.

“I think they both could do a good job,” he said.

I put a note out to Hawkins to see if he wants to weigh in on the item. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear back.

For another take on the matter, click right smack here for what the Rogue has to say.

The commission will talk more about the issue during its Feb. 18 work session.

Trustee stage set: Leuthold v Shouse

Two long-time local leaders on Wednesday set up the beginning stages in a fight for the county’s top tax collector seat.

Knox County Commissioner Ed Shouse announced his intentions to seek the Trustee seat, and interim Trustee Craig Leuthold turned in his paperwork to appoint a campaign treasurer.

“The main role of Trustee is collecting and investing the county’s tax dollars, hundreds of millions of dollars a year, so having someone with a business and financial background, like myself, makes sense,” said Shouse, an at-large commissioner, and former Knoxville City Council member.

Shouse, who serves on the county’s audit committee, pension board and investment committee, spent 20 years in the banking industry followed by 17 years in the shortline railroad industry.

He will face Leuthold in the May republican Primary. The general election is set for August.

Leuthold is a former a two-term commissioner, who spent 16 years in the Trustee’s Office and more than two years in the Property Assessor’s Office.

“I’ve got 19 years experience in the property tax profession and I think that when people call in and have concerns they want someone with knowledge and experience, and I can help with questions and concerns,” he said. “I think that’s invaluable.”

The Knox County Commission in late July appointed Leuthold to fill out the remainder former Trustee John Duncan III’s term, which ends Aug. 31. Duncan resigned and pleaded guilty to official misconduct in early July.

Leuthold and Shouse were among 26 applicants who applied for the job. But Shouse pulled out, saying he didn’t want the community to feel that he got the job because he was on the commission.

The board then selected Leuthold.

The Trustee is the county’s top tax collection. The position pays about $113,000 annually and is responsible for 30 to 45 employees depending on tax season.

Commish Shouse to seek Trustee seat

Ed Shouse

This is going to be a good one. Knox County Commissioner Ed Shouse just announced his intentions to see the county Trustee seat.

“The main role of Trustee is collecting and investing the county’s tax dollars, hundreds of millions of dollars a year, so having someone with a business and financial background, like myself, makes sense,” said Shouse, an at-large commissioner, and former Knoxville City Council member.

Shouse, who serves on the county’s audit committee, pension board and investment committee, spent 20 years in the banking industry followed by 17 years in the shortline railroad industry.

He is expected to face interim Trustee Craig Leuthold in the May republican Primary. The general election is set for August.

Shouse expressed interest in the position in July when he initially applied for the job along with 25 other applicants to replace John Duncan III, who resigned and pleaded guilty to official misconduct.

Although a frontrunner for the spot, he eventually pulled out saying he didn’t want the community to feel that he got the job because he was on the commission.

The Knox County Commission then selected Leuthold, a former commissioner, who spent years working in the trustee's office and the property assessor's office.

The Trustee is the county’s top tax collection. The position pays about $113,000 annually and is responsible for 30 to 45 employees depending on tax season.

Commish approves $3.7M in expenses

The Knox County Commission on Monday unanimously approved a $3.7 million governmental shopping list with more than half of it targeted for health care, employee raises, new patrol cars, software upgrades and service contracts.

The money will come from some $7.6 million in surplus revenues the county is expected to reap when it closes the books on the recently wrapped up fiscal year.

"It's all one-time money, so it should only be used for one-time expenses," said Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, whose office, along with the county's finance department, put together the designations. "We're not Washington where we're going to start putting this toward recurring expenses. But these are items that are good for the county."

Commissioner Ed Shouse agreed.

"As long as it's one-time money, then I'm fine with it because we can't always plan on having a big surplus," he said.

Of the overall $7.6 million in additional revenues, officials plan to allocate $2 million for the reserves and another $1.9 million for additional health insurance coverage; risk management areas, like worker's compensation; and air quality matters.

The remaining $3.7 million will pay for the designations approved Monday. Of that money, just under two-thirds was set aside for public safety and the health department.

Click right smack here for the rest of the bad a$$ story.

Not all happy with audit committee

A month after the Knox County Audit Committee recommended firing the county's longer-time internal auditor, one member resigned and another local leader publicly berated the panel's chairman.

Mary Kiser, in an often emotional speech during Tuesday's meeting, told the committee that she felt it unfairly suggested to the Knox County Commission the need to terminate Richard Walls.

Shortly after her announcement, Knox County Commissioner Mike Brown, who attended the meeting, accosted its chairman, Joe Carcello.

"I know crap when I see it and you're throwing some here, fella," said Brown, adding that he was "tired" of Carcello's "smug and smiling attitude."

The resignation and the heated discussion came a month after the committee in a 4-1 vote agreed to ask the County Commission to fire internal auditor Richard Walls. Committee members, led by Carcello, said Walls did not do anything illegal or inappropriate, but, rather, it was what he didn't do while performing his duties that made them want to replace him.

Officials called his work "limited" and said he only conducted three audits last year, a low amount for the money spent on the responsibilities. Committee members also said he should better focus on areas where the "county has the greatest risk," including the Trustee's Office, which has a recent history of wrongdoing.

The panel, which makes recommendations to the County Commission, is comprised of Carcello, a University of Tennessee accounting professor; Kiser, a manager for internal audit services at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and county commissioners Ed Shouse, Dave Wright and Amy Broyles.

Kiser, who's served on the committee since its inception five years ago, cast the dissenting vote to get rid of Walls. The County Commission, which oversees the county's internal audit department, will talk more about the recommendation during its Aug. 19 work session.

During Tuesday's meeting, Kiser said she was stepping down, but not before defending Walls and suggesting that the Audit Committee could have done more to guide his work.

She said the "overall" audits that he's conducted during the past half decade "have been satisfactory and some even more than satisfactory."

"I believe Richard, as a long-time county employee, has been treated unfairly," said Kiser, who represents the East Tennessee Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors on the committee. "He has uncovered fraud and identified controls that needed to be strengthened."

Click right smack here for the rest of the bad a$$ story.

KCSO retirement plan set for vote

A little more than nine months after voters opted to close the Knox County Sheriff's Office pension plan, officials are set to implement a newly crafted retirement program - one that still maintains attractive benefits for law enforcement personnel, but won't cost taxpayers quite as much.

If approved, the Sheriff's Total Asset Accumulation Retirement plan, or STAR, would affect law enforcement and corrections officers hired after next Jan. 1. Current officers would keep their traditional pensions.

The Knox County Commission will talk more about the proposal during its work session next Monday and vote on it later this month.

"Law enforcement is a young man's game," said Commissioner Ed Shouse, a pension board member, who served on the committee that drafted the plan. "Do you want a 60-year-old man chasing down a burglar or a couple of 26-year-old guys? The cost is almost the same, but this plan encourages people to come into (the Sheriff's Office) and work 25 years and hopefully be able to take an early retirement in their mid 50s. "

STAR, a defined contributions plan, replaces the Uniformed Officers Pension Plan, or UOPP, a defined benefit plan that gives those with 30 years of service a pension at 75 percent of their two highest years' salary, plus a yearly 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment.

Voters initially approved the UOPP in 2006 after proponents said it would benefit the lower-paid deputies and jailers who could not afford to retire under the general county plan, which works like a 401(k).

The pension program, though, was costly and critics argued that it included employees not actively fighting crime. The stock market, too, was unkind and the plan's annual contribution costs jumped. This year, the county will put in $8.5 million, three times what was first projected, although $4 million of that will cover the bonds issued to fund the plan at its inception.

Officials, led by Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, brought the pension plan before residents last year, and voters by a 3-to-1 margin agreed to close it and directed the county pension board to create a new one.

"The (pension) wasn't going to be financially feasible," the mayor said."But I think (the STAR plan) is going to be great for our law enforcement. It addresses their future needs and it's also responsible to the taxpayers. And that's what we wanted - something equitable for everybody."

The new plan requires employees to contribute 6 percent of pay and the county puts in 10 percent. In addition, the county puts another 2 percent into a medical reimbursement plan to offset medical premiums and costs for the retirees from the time they leave the job until they're eligible for Medicare.

Click right smack here to read the rest of this bad a$$ story.

Smith polls Trustee Dept on new boss

On Thursday, Knox County Commissioner Vice Chairman R. Larry Smith met with workers in the Trustee's Office and asked who they wanted to lead them.

He said he asked workers there to write down three candidate names. He also asked them to write down the person they would not want in the job.

"They were tickled to death - they were glad someone wanted their opinion," he told me, adding that he is still visiting the department's satellite offices and should finish the poll by Monday when the commission makes its pick.

Smith said that so far he hasn't peeked at the names, but he will by Monday.

(Here's the Rogue's take on the matter, right smack here.)

OK, couple things about this selection process:

Whoever is picked is going to need six votes. I'm assuming Ed Shouse will recuse himself since he's looking for the gig. Also Mike Brown will not be at the meeting. (By the way, the Mike Brown that applied for the job is not the same person as the commissioner.)

There's a good chance the board comes to an impasse, and has to redo the whole thing in August. (Right now the frontrunners are Shouse, Craig Leuthold and Bill Curtis.)

Another thing. Someone sent the local media and the commissioners a note, talking crap about Curtis, the office's former manager and a candidate for the position.

It's BS. I looked into it. That, however, doesn't stop someone from disparaging another candidate a few days before the "election." I'm not going to bother posting the letter here.

Trustee candidates begin to emerge

Expect more, but here are the resumes from the first batch of candidates for the Trustee's spot . . .  and click right smack here for them. I'm on vacation, so feel free to analyze them yourselves. There's nothing fancy about them, but a few folks in there appear qualified (at least on paper).

Previously, I blogged here and here  (and wrote a WBIR story here) about potential candidates, but so far none of them have applied. I'm sure that will change for at least a few. From what I understand, Commission Vice Chairman R. Larry Smith is out of the running. I kind of expected that as he didn't have the six votes on the commission (although he probably could have come close).

Privately, some commissioners want former Trustee Fred Sisk in the office, but aren't sure if they want him at top. Still, officials say his experience in the department will be crucial as it transitions into whatever.

Also, word is that Commissioner Ed Shouse will run for the office, regardless of whether he is selected for the interim role (and remember, Ed hasn't applied for it yet).

Walls days more than likely numbered

Richard Walls

I've always gotten along with Knox County internal auditor Richard Walls, but he's certainly rubbed people the wrong way. And it's always been the wrong people, too.

Mayors, top commissioners and, not the least, audit committee chairman Joe Carcello, who led this morning's revolt against the (let's call him "embattled") auditor.

Only Mary Kiser voted to keep him. Carcello and Knox County Commissioners Ed Shouse, Dave Wright and Amy Broyles voted to fire him. The audit committee only makes recommendations, so the full commission will talk more about it on Monday.

Heh, what a coincidence: The same day they talk about firing their auditor (the position reports directly to the commission), they'll also talk about replacing the trustee, too.

Anyhoo, I somewhat expected this move.
Walls' office in the past couple of months has overseen two audits - one that looked into the county's purchasing cards practices and the other into its ethics policy - that have raised eyebrows.

And not about what he looked into, but rather some of what officials say are unfounded accusations.

Afterward, he and Carcello got into a somewhat heated/sarcastic debate about each of them. Walls backed off somewhat, but not all the way.

I'm not going to go into the details of the audit. I wrote about them awhile back, but essentially it's about "risk versus reward," and Walls felt the county should take a more conservative approach and the mayor's office feels that by using them more often, the county gets back larger rebates (and no, these aren't those Pilot rebates).

It certainly makes sense and if that's the position you take - and Carcello agrees with the position - then there's not point dying on the hill over it. Walls didn't agree, though, and I can respect that.

So, we'll see what happens in two weeks, but if Shouse, Broyles and Wright don't change their minds, I don't think he'll make it. I know that at least three other commissioners have privately said that they will not vote to support him.

Plus, a number of commissioners think that outsourcing the office, something they've discussed number times, will save the county money. It won't, but whatever.

That's another issue.

Also, another matter is whether Walls will sue if fired.

My guess is yes. A whole bunch of folks. 

Expect this to turn into a mess.

Potential picks to replace Duncan

With John Duncan III out as trustee, you know folks are going to come from all around the woodwork, looking for that good $110K-a-year (or so) job. Heh.

Anyhoo, at this point it looks like the county commission will meet some time in the upcoming weeks to hash out the rules and then start taking resumes.

I know board Chairman Tony Norman would like to appoint a caretaker to the post rather than someone who intends to run for the seat. From what I’ve heard, though, not everyone is on board with the plan, so we’ll see.

So far, I’ve heard six names getting kicked around.

Sooooo, in alphabetical order: 

• Ann Acuff: Former longtime Knox County finance worker and high up on the bean counting team's totem pole before retiring about a year or so ago.
• Mike Hammond, a Knox County commissioner, former board chairman and someone who’s been rumored as a candidate for the criminal court clerk post.
• Craig Leuthold, a former Knox County commissioner, former trustee office employee, currently with the property assessor’s office.
• Ed Shouse, a Knox County commissioner, member of the pension board, chairman of the county’s investment committee and all-around sharp guy.
• Fred Sisk, former Trustee and all-around nice dude. 
• R. Larry Smith, a Knox County commissioner, the board’s current vice chairman and someone who’s been rumored as a candidate for a number of seats.

Now, I’m also hearing that of these potential picks, only Sisk  is interested in seeking the spot in the caretaker capacity. (I've heard the same also about Acuff although I haven't talked to her and I'm not absolutely sure she wants the job or if folks are just floating her name.)

“Whoever wants to run, can run and start fresh,” Sisk told me. “I don’t want to use the appointment as a leg up.”

Fred said he’d be able to start immediately and “that there are a number of things that need to be done.”

He noted that the county just wrapped up its fiscal year, so that means the annual audit is right around the corner. After that? Tax season. 

Sisk also said he’d be willing to stay on board to help mentor a new trustee through the transitional process. (This in fact should have been done under Duncan, but he opted not to keep Sisk.)

Say what you will, but the idea makes a lot of sense.

Duncan’s term expires Aug. 31, 2014.

As for Kristin Phillips, who is serving as the interim trustee, I don’t expect her to run. She’s served in a manager capacity for quite some time, however, she also lives in Anderson County. Or Blount County. Or whatever county that isn’t Knox County.

Local leaders turn out for bocce ball

County Mayor Burchett

As noted, Knox County Mayor Tim “one day I'm gonna catch you, Bigfoot” Burchett and a number of other elected officials participated in an in inaugural game of bocce ball (whatever that is) this morning at Strickland Park off Asheville Highway.

It's apparently the first public bocce ball (whatever that is) court in Knox County, and is officially opening just in time for the long Memorial Day weekend.

The event also included CEMEX representatives who adopted the park and members of the community.

Michael “Big Sexy” Grider's assistant, Jennifer “Lightning” Linginfelter, took some pics and sent them my way, so I figured I'd share.

Knoxville Councilman and former Mayor Dan Brown

Knox County Commissioner Ed Shouse

Knoxville Councilman Nick Della Volpe

Former county Commissioner Tank Strickland

Mayor Burchett hosts another luncheon

Buchett mingling with the crowd

Knox County Mayor Tim Buchett on Friday continued his "lunch with mayor" series, this time at Central Flats & Taps in the Happy Holler community. Here's a couple of photos (on left) from the event taken by county IT guru Jon Gustin.

Also, Georgiana Vines wrote a story about it. Find that right smack here.

She notes that the "purpose of the Dutch-treat lunch was to focus on locally-owned restaurants and attract people throughout the community who might not otherwise know about the establishments. It's similar to the 'cash mob' events at locally-owned businesses."

Some guy eating some good food

I've taken in a few of the cash mobs, and if you haven't checked one out, then you should. They're actually pretty cool, and while they're not going to turn the economy around, the businesses are sure thankful for whatever extra coin they can get.

It's too bad other county and city leaders don't host their own. If anything, it gives the public a chance to interact with them on a more personal level.

That said, there were a few local leaders who turned out for Friday's event, including a number of department heads, as well, as Knox County Commissioner Dave Wright and Ed Shouse, School Board Commissioner Indya Kincannon and Election Commission Chairman Chris Heagerty.

Knox Mayor Burchett still in hospital

Mayor Burchett

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett is still in the hospital where he's being treated for pneumonia (no, I don't believe any of the dumb a$$ conspiracy theories going around - it's pneumonia). It also doesn't look like he's going to be getting out any time soon.

I'm thinking at least another four or five days minimum. I have no inside info on this, it's just my guess from talking to people who have been treated for pneumonia.

Don't forget, back in early April, Commissioner Ed Shouse checked into Parkwest Medical Center for 16 days for the same thing. Doctors initially thought he'd be in there for five at the most. Then they moved him to ICU.

The dude has had a rough year: motorcycle accident (probably sabotage); divorce, mom passing away,  etc.

The silver lining, I suppose, is that pneumonia does go away. So, figure in another month, Burchett will be back on the Bigfoot hunting trail.

Was that pension meeting sunshined?

The county pension board's documents committee met yesterday to talk about the new retirement plan for the Knox County Sheriff's Office. Story right smack here.

One item of note that wasn't in the article: I'm pretty sure this was not a sunshined meeting. I'm not 100 percent positive, but I certainly didn't get anything from the pension board office, nor did I see anything in the legal section.

If true, this is the same thing that happened back in 2006 when the first plan was put together: The media and the public for that matter were not informed about the committee meeting dates. Subsequently, they got no coverage and no one knew just what the heck kind of plan we were going to get. (Pension board officials said they put up a notice on a wall in the Deathstar. That wall, by the way, was down a long, narrow hallway that folks in the public – not counting county retirees and employees – rarely visit.

Anyhoo, I found out about the meeting on Tuesday while talking to Commissioner Ed Shouse. He mentioned it. I was pretty surprised. (Ed sits on the pension board and I should add that it's not his job to sunshine document committee meetings, but he does a good job of letting people know about this kind of stuff.)

I later get a copy of the letter that was sent to the five members of the document committee and a handful of others. You can find that bad boy, by clicking right smack here.

Now, if you're looking at it (you did click, right?), you'll notice that the memo actually states that Thursday's meeting is actually a rescheduled meeting from one that was supposed to happen on Tuesday. Yeah, I don't think the one on Tuesday was sunshined, either.

Further, you might also see that Thursday's meeting was set for 2 a.m. Thursday. Good thing that was a typo.

I think.