Superintendent McIntyre resigning

Jim McIntyre

A little more than a month after agreeing to a two-year contract extension and pay raise, Knox County Schools Superintendent Jim McIntyre has agreed to step down in July in exchange for a one-year severance - something board members are expected to approve.

“The current political environment has become increasingly dysfunctional,” said McIntyre, who was hired in the spring of 2008. “At times overtly antagonistic, and seemingly untenable. At recent months the focus of the conversation has all too often become about me, or the school board or other elected officials, rather than around the effective education of our children.”

WATCH: Full video of McIntyre's press conference

The school board in the coming weeks will talk about the proposed buyout, which would amount to at least his $227,000 annual salary.

Once approved, McIntyre said his last day would be July 8. He said that he doesn't plan to leave Knox County and wants his children to graduate here.

"It has truly been a great honor and privilege for me to serve as the leader of this school system for eight years," McIntyre said.

ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEW: Jim McIntyre speaks with 10News after news conference

The school board will more than likely conduct a national search to find his replacement. The board also will appoint an interim superintendent if one is not hired before McIntyre leaves.

“There is a new school board essentially coming in on Sept. 1. There will be several new members,” McIntyre said. “The new school board deserves to choose the leader that they want to have in place.”

As superintendent, McIntyre oversees a $438 million budget, 90 schools and a 7,500-person workforce that includes almost 5,000 teachers.

“I think it’s the toughest job in any county,” said school board Chairman Doug Harris said. “The respect that I’ve got for this man, it exceeds anything that I can describe.”
School board Vice Chairwoman Tracie Sanger agreed.

"I'm sad to see him go and I think he's done great work for the district, and in the long run, I think it'll be a great loss for our students."

REST OF STORY: Right Here

Phase I of Cumberland Avenue project finished; celebration now planned

The city will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of Phase I of the reconstruction of Cumberland Avenue at 4 p.m. Jan. 6.

The event, which will be hosted by Mayor Madeline Rogero, City Councilman Nick Pavlis and other Council members, will take place in the grassy area just north of the Three Rivers Rambler depot, 2560 University Commons Way; parking available in the lot south of the depot.

Phase I of the reconstruction of Cumberland Avenue, between the Alcoa Highway ramps and 22nd Street, has ended – on time and under budget. Improving traffic flow was a key objective of the Phase I work. Synchronized traffic flow at Metron Center Way and a dedicated turn lane onto northbound Alcoa Highway have lessened decades-long issues with congestion.

Phase II work is underway in the section of Cumberland Avenue between 22nd and 17th streets. Scheduled to be completed in August 2017, the reconstruction will change the existing four-lane street on the eastern end of the corridor to a three-lane cross section with a raised median and left-turn lanes at intersections.

In both the Phase I and Phase II work, Cumberland Avenue sidewalks are being widened, and utility infrastructure relocated and upgraded, to create a more attractive, safer, pedestrian-friendly corridor.

County, state, clerk split account

Remember that $2.6 million unknown account that Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond found when he took office and the ol' blog broke the story?

You can read about it RIGHT SMACK HERE.

Well, a little update.

The state, of course, wanted a cut.

So, after almost a year of discussion, the state agreed to take $451K for what's called litigation taxes and some interest, and the county gets $1.2 million. The clerk's office will get the rest to cover salary.

Siler out of Knox Co. Commish race

Siler

Cheri Siler, who jumped into the local political arena not too long ago when she unsuccessfully challenged Richard Briggs for a state Senate seat, has "suspended" her campaign, for the Knox County Commission 2nd District seat, according to an email she sent yesterday.

She said:

To the citizens of the second district of Knox County:

It has been a dream and goal of mine to serve you as a county commissioner for Knox County.
After careful consideration, however, I am suspending my campaign for county commission effective immediately. 

My family comes first, and right now I need to focus on my role as wife, mother, and daughter to those who come first in my life.

Thank you for your understanding and your support.

Cheri Siler

With Siler out of the running that pretty much paves the way for her opponent, Democrat Laura Kildare to face the winner of the March 1 Republican Primary - either Michele Carringer or John Fugate in the early August General Election.

Note, however, that because Siler has withdrawn after the official deadline to withdraw her name will still appear on the ballot.

Commish rezones land for Midway

The Knox County Commission approved changes Monday night to property off Midway Road, clearing the way for a proposed business park site.

The commission voted to change the sector plan and zoning for the property, which has been owned by the Development Corporation of Knox County since 2006.

The Development Corporation previously tried to introduce a business park to this area several years ago, but the plan did not have enough support.

At the meeting Monday night, residents of the area surrounding the proposed site voiced their opposition to the plans.

“I was disappointed, and I'll tell you the reason is because they've asked for community input,” said Ed Reid, a resident of the area. “Every time, including tonight, lots of people show up opposed to it, and it means nothing to them."

Those opposed to the business park idea cited concerns that the land has sinkholes and runoff issues, and it would bring unwanted traffic to a rural residential neighborhood.

Representatives from the Development Corporation spoke at the meeting, and said the land fits the criteria for a business park. The representatives also said a new business park would help bring more businesses to Knox County and expand existing ones.

Rest of story RIGHT HERE.

Commission declines to waste time opposing Supreme Court ruling

More than a dozen people dressed in red showed up in support of same-sex marriage during the Knox County Commission meeting.

All this after a Knoxville man who identified himself to the board as Mark Rivera thought it would be a great idea to introduce a last minute resolution opposing same-sex marriage.

It went over like a lead balloon.

Because - oh, I don't know - maybe because the commission's opinion has no bearing on the United State Supreme Court's ruling in June that says same-sex spouses have a constitutional right to wed.

But, hey, if you got nothing to do . . . 

Commish rejects superintendent's contract, but it doesn't matter

Jim McIntyre

Knox County commissioners voted at their regular Monday meeting to reject the contract of Knox County Schools superintendent Jim McIntyre.

That vote, however, was only symbolic.

Nine of 11 Knox County commissioners voted not to approve the contract. Commissioners Sam

McKenzie and Amy Broyles voted to approve it.

"We're kind of making the rules up as we go along, unfortunately," McKenzie said after the vote.

In fact, the item never should've come to a vote, McKenzie said.

A long-standing agreement -- called a consent decree -- between Knox County Commission and the

Board of Education says commissioners can't tell the school board how to spend its appropriated money.

School board members voted last month to approve McIntyre's contract, so all the commission legally could do was pass it.

"That vote just came up two for, nine against. What does that mean? It means absolutely nothing," McKenzie said. "I think we are - in spirit - disregarding the consent decree, and I don't think this last process was correct."

The "no" vote Monday, therefore, was symbolic.

The move came after county law director Bud Armstrong last week declared the contract unenforceable.

RELATED: Law Director: Superintendent's contract 'unenforceable' 

State law limits superintendents' contracts to four years, and Armstrong said this new contract effectively adds two years to McIntyre's existing four-year contract.

RELATED: Sanger blasts Armstrong over contract notation; law director counters

Armstrong cited a 2001 opinion from the Tennessee attorney general on a nearly identical case. In it, the AG's office said, a school board may not extend beyond four years the term of its contract with the director of schools. To do so, the opinion says, ties the hands of future board members.

The law does, however, allow school boards to renew a superintendent's four-year contract. The opinion then goes on to differentiate between extending and renewing.

"Black’s Law Dictionary defines renewal as '(T)he re-creation of a legal relationship or the replacement of an old contract with a new contract, as opposed to a mere extension of a previous relationship or contract,'" the opinion says.

Read that full opinion HERE.

For now, McIntyre's board-approved, commission-rejected contract is set to go into effect the first of the new year.

McIntyre was at Monday's meeting but declined to comment on the results of the vote.

No one withdrew from 2016 primaries

The March elections are officially set, since no one officially withdrew.

The deadline for a candidate to have his or her name removed from the ballot for next year's local primaries was noon Thursday.

None of the almost three dozens who qualified to run for the open 13 seats did.

Arnett: $345K collected in taxes

Foster Arnett

Knox County Clerk Foster Arnett Jr. told the county’s Audit Committee on Thursday that his office has collected $345,815 in outstanding hotel and motel taxes that had gone uncollected during the past two years.

He said he has about $130,000 left to go after.

The discussion comes more than six months after an internal audit report said at least a dozen local hotels and motels owed the county an estimated $476,000 from the past two years alone, and that four hotels alone could owe an additional $255,000 "for periods outside the audit scope."

County lodgings are expected to charge a 5 percent occupancy tax that is used to fund tourism-related operations and programs in Knox County.

Arnett’s office is charged with collecting the money.

The county clerk took heavy criticism from other elected leaders, including many on the Knox County Commission, after the audit report was made public. Since then he’s sent letters to hotel and motel owners and also met with them to collect the outstanding taxes.

“There’s just a few left,” he said. “There is one that is fairly huge, but there’s a little here and there (from other motels).”

Arnett said he spoke with one hotel owner on Wednesday and “we made it very clear what their deadlines are.”

“We are following the law and working very closely with the law department to send out notifications,” he said. “We’re on the right track, I think.”

State law prevents the county from releasing the names of those who owe money, although state leaders are looking into changing that.

KCS Superintendent's contract not enforceable, law director says

Jim McIntyre

Knox County Schools Superintendent Jim McIntyre’s recently approved contract is not enforceable because it was an “extension” of an existing four-year contract – something not permissible under state law, according to the county’s top attorney.

Citing a Dec. 10 letter from the Office of the Attorney General, Knox County Law Director Richard “Bud” Armstrong said the school board cannot “extend” a contract for a school system’s superintendent beyond four years until it concludes.

In addition, Armstrong said, the school board cannot even “renew” McIntyre’s contract until it expires, which isn’t until Dec. 2017.

“Everything has to remain stable until it’s time to renew,” he told WBIR 10News.

Bud Armstrong

Armstrong’s opinion comes in the wake of the Knox County Board of Education agreeing on Nov. 30 to extend the McIntyre’s contract another two years from 2017 to December 2019. The extension also included a 2 percent raise, bumping his salary to $227,256.

The contract was sent to the Knox County Commission where officials are supposed to talk about it next Monday. Before it hit the commission desk, however, Armstrong wrote the word "not" before the phrase "legal as to form and correctness” on the signature page of the contract.

Rest of story RIGHT HERE.

Regal Entertainment's proposed move to waterfront jumps final hurdle

Regal Entertainment's much anticipated move from Halls to South Knoxville was approved Tuesday by its new landlord. It's a vote that's being called "a huge step" by board members.

The move from Halls to the South Knoxville waterfront was first announced in October. 

In a special meeting Tuesday night, the board of directors of the Industrial Development Board, which in the deal will serve as Regal's landlord, approved a resolution that allows the board to begin their oversight duties.

"The resolution tonight gave the IDB directors authority to go ahead and act as the landlord and enter into this lease agreement with Regal Cinemas," said Christi Branscom, chief operations officer and deputy to the Knoxville mayor.

Todd Napier, board member and president of the Development Corporation of Knox County, said the deal would've had trouble moving forward without the board's approval.

“Without the IDB board's approval there’s not the mechanism for all of these things to happen. For the receiving of funds from the city and the state," said Napier.

The affirmative vote secures the nearly $8 million Regal will receive in state and city incentives.

"It was a big step. There are still some negotiations going on and some detailed components of that," said Napier.

Rest of story RIGHT HERE.

Eight bid to build middle schools

Eight developers submitted pitches to build two Knox County middle schools – one in the Gibbs community and the other in the Hardin Valley area.

The bids, called requests for proposals, were due noon Tuesday.

The county is seeking a “design-build team” that would construct and deliver on a ‘turn key’ basis the two schools, meaning both would be ready for students on opening day without county involvement.

“I’m very happy we received such a high level of interest from the private sector in building these schools,” said Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett. “This amount of competition will help ensure that both the Gibbs and Hardin Valley middle schools are built to the highest quality, while also saving taxpayers’ money. I look forward to seeing construction begin sometime in the coming year.”

Rest of story and a list of the bidders, RIGHT HERE.