September Meeting Highlights

Hello, everyone-

Here's a few interesting highlights from last week's County Commission meeting. Remember, you can also watch the video replay on local cable channels, or by clicking on the Video Archives link on the county website.

From the Agenda:

Item G. 1. Resolution to amend the Zoning Resolution of Blount County, Tennessee, Section 7.2F, adding authority of Storm Water Program Coordinator to Erosion Control Provisions in Site Plan Requirements, adding new Section 7.17 concerning erosion control during any permitted construction, and amending Article 13 definition of automobile junk and salvage yards. (Relevant portion of the resolution follows.)

1. That Section 7.2.F be amended to add the following sentence at the end of the Section: The Stormwater Program Coordinator shall have authority under these regulations for reviewing any erosion control plan and erosion control measures as part of site plan approval, and shall have authority to direct corrective actions or mitigation upon field inspection.

2. That a new Section 7.17 be added as follows: Section 7.17. Erosion control during any permitted construction. It shall be the responsibility of the building permit holder under these regulations to contain construction related erosion within the property subject to the building permit. The Stormwater Program Coordinator shall have authority under these regulations for inspecting worksites and erosion control measures of permitted construction, and shall have authority to direct corrective actions or mitigation upon field inspection.

A number of folks from Citizens for Blount County's Future spoke out against this resolution. Their general feeling seemed to be that local government has no business regulating stormwater management during construction or otherwise. Some saw this as a duplication of services (with the state); others saw it as an intrusion on private property rights. Although I know there are many in our community who feel differently, we did not hear from them on this particular night.

However, during discussion, several commissioners told about complaints they'd received from constituents who had no protection from poor water practices in their districts. One commissioner told about a constituent who complained when his neighbor was found pouring paint down a storm drain. Another told of constituents whose property was being flooded with mud when a developer put in a road on steep land above them. In some cases, citizens had called the state for help, but did not receive it. In most, there was little or no recourse for those affected.

This resolution actually deals only during the permitting process and construction of subdivisions, not with individual land owners. In the end, the resolution passed with one abstention, and one vote against.

Item H.9. A request seeking an opinion from the county's Risk Management division, and from the county mayor’s attorney regarding the risk exposure involved in opening the BCSO firing range to the general public.

Last week, during "Citizen Input on Items Not on the Agenda" at the end of the Agenda Committee meeting, it was brought to our attention that the Blount County Sheriff's Office had recently announced they would open their firing range to the general public on two different Saturdays this fall. Because our county is self-insured, there was significant concern about the potential liabilities to the county in doing so. This action was an attempt to address that concern.

When we voted in support of the BCSO firing range last year, several commissioners expressed concerns about potential county liability then. We were told at the time that this would not be open to the public. As that has apparently changed, it makes sense to take a closer look into any potential risks for the county. As you may recall, even when we're just trying to help citizens, there have been unintended consequences in the past that cost county taxpayers dearly.

Item J. Public Input on Items Not on the Agenda.

At the precise moment we completed the "Business" portion of our agenda, certain significant local officials left the room, as they always do, thus (again) missing the comments of citizens who have to wait until the end of our meeting to speak.

I've never been a fan of making people wait until we're done to have their say. The recent issue involving the firing range is just one example of how something important can come up at the last minute, even when it may not be on our agenda. Any citizen who feels so strongly about an issue that they gather the courage to address their legislative body deserves an opportunity to be heard. Whether or not what they want to address is on our agenda is an arbitrary point that serves no purpose. In fact, the fact that we divide citizen input into two separate chunks of time at the beginning and end of our meeting takes up more time, not less.

We should let anyone who wishes to address their government have their 3 or 4 minutes at the beginning of every meeting, whether or not their issue happens to be on the table that night or not. To that end, I've asked to have this item on our agenda for reconsideration at our next meeting.

Item I. Announcements and Statements.

As it happens, our meetings run into some significant obstacles in October. The work session would occur during Fall Break, and several commissioners will be unavailable that week. In addition, the regularly-scheduled commission meeting would be held on the first night of the Foothills Fall Festival. Knowing that the world will be in Maryville that night, the consensus seemed to be that we should not try to meet. So, October's Agenda Committee and County Commission meeting are cancelled. We will instead meet in November, at the usual times.

One more bit of housekeeping. Some commissioners asked to have Highway Superintendent Bill Dunlap come and talk with us about the rationale behind when we do and when we don't install traffic calming devices. While he's with us, I've asked to have an update on a bit of unfinished business. Over a year ago, we instructed him to go ahead and apply for a federal grant in hopes of securing funds to fix the first two miles of Morganton Road. When he comes to talk with us next time, I've asked that he give us an update on that as well.

All in all it was an interesting meeting. Remember- October meetings are cancelled. Of course, that doesn't mean the work stops...

Until next time,

~Wendy

September Commission Meeting This Week

Hello everyone,


September's County Commission meeting will be held this coming Thursday, September 17, at 7:00 p.m. at the Courthouse. If you have a high speed internet connection, you can see (and download if you'd like) all the supporting documents on the county website by clicking here. Scroll down the page, and look for a link currently titled: Information for Commission Meeting Scheduled for September 17, 2009 - Version 1. It will open as a PDF file on your computer.

As we get closer to Thursday's meeting, note that version number. If it changes, that means additional information has been added to our packet. It's not unusual to see several 'versions' before we get to the meeting.

Ok. Here's the agenda.

Blount Co. Commission Agenda, September 17, 2009


Though we had some interesting discussions at the work session last Tuesday (now called the Agenda meeting), there's not that much on the table this month.

One important item that failed in a vote to forward to the full commission meeting was a call from the Homebuilers' Association for additional consumer protection. The resolution, sponsored by Commissioner David Ballard, would have provided financial and legal protection for homeowners by requiring a license for home improvement contractors who complete projects in the $3,000-25,000 range.

I thought the resolution had significant merit for 2 reasons.

First, I've heard more about faulty home building practices than almost any other issue from citizens in my district. Just this year, I received a call from a woman who'd hired an unlicensed contractor to do a large renovation project on her home. When he took her money and left her high and dry with an unfinished project and a home in disrepair, she had no recourse to hold him accountable. She could no longer afford to hire someone else, and there was no bond to cover his unfinished work. I believe this resolution could have prevented something like that in the future.

Second, it seemed significant to me that the Homebuilders Association was requesting additional regulation on their own industry. How often do any of us ask for more government regulation on anything we do? Rarely. I thought their request was a way of increasing the professionalism and ensuring the quality of contractors across the county. As I have said over and over again, what's good for the people is good for business- and vice versa. (Note to self: There's a story behind that, that I need to share with you some time....)

But that vote failed, so that item is off the table for now.

One item of interest popped up at the end of the meeting, during Citizen Input on Items Not on the Agenda. The Blount County Sheriff's Office has recently announced that they would be opening up their firing range to the general public for rifle practice on two specific dates this fall. Citizens who live just in front of that firing range asked for help, as our understanding up front was that the range would be used for professional (i.e., government) training purposes only.

Because we'd already voted to "set the agenda" for the Commission meeting, there was some confusion about how to address the issue. This may yet come up for further discussion at Thursday night's meeting, but if it does, it will likely be under "Items Not on the Agenda". (Parliamentary procedure throws us a little every now and then, so if I have that wrong, I'm sure someone will let me know.)

That's it for now. Have a great week, and I hope to see you on Thursday.

Until next time,

~Wendy

Vacation’s Over!

Hello everyone,

Welcome back!

Although I’ve taken a blogger’s vacation this summer, the work of your County Commission never takes a break. If you’ve been following along, you know that we’ve had all kinds of interesting things come across our desks. To bring us all up to date, here’s just a sampling of what I’ve had on my mind this summer.

1. Commercial Campgrounds in Your (formerly private) Back Yard: The Planning Commission has asked us to approve an amendment to the Blount County Zoning Regulations that will allow essentially any five acre tract of land in the county to be used for a Commercial Campground. We’re big campers in our family, and I love campgrounds, but I don’t think I want one in my back yard (well, unless my yard backs up to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, that is). Besides, most campgrounds I’ve ever visited had a two-week stay limit, ostensibly to prevent people from ‘living’ in what is meant to be a temporary, recreational setting.

By the way, why do they want to allow campers to stay a whopping 270 days out of the year?

2. Hat’s Off to Commissioner Ron French: Every commissioner does what they can to represent their district, but we should all salute Commissioner Ron French for his above-and-beyond tenacity at trying to find a solution to the airpark issue. He and Commissioner Monika Murrell, both of whom represent District 9 (Rockford, Porter, Shook’s Gap), do an outstanding job, and those of you in their district are lucky to have them as your voice on your County Commission.

3. Dishonorable Attacks: Earlier this summer, each of us received a copy of a particularly nasty anonymous letter personally attacking one of your commissioners. The commissioner in question responded with real class, but I always wonder about the kinds of people who write those letters, don’t you? What are they afraid of? There’s nothing wrong with telling an elected official that you disagree with their response to an issue; that’s what representative government is all about. However, if you don’t have the integrity, or the intestinal fortitude to even sign your name, then you’re not trying to open up a dialogue on an issue. You’re mounting a guerilla attack on a fellow citizen, and you’re acting without honor.

4. What happened to our Work Sessions? They’re still there, but we’ve changed the name to the “Agenda Committee” to resolve a minor legal technicality. This meeting, always held on Tuesday night of the week before the Commission meeting, serves as an initial discussion point on items to be considered that month. Public hearings, when required, are usually held on those nights, but there is no vote on an issue except whether or not to ‘forward it to the full Commission’ to be placed ‘on the agenda’ (hence, the “Agenda Committee”). If that vote fails, the item dies and does not move forward.

5. Guns on the Playground: As Sam Venable would say, “Whoo, boy!” As of September 1, citizens with carry permits are allowed to carry their weapons into playgrounds, parks, civic centers and ball fields, unless the relevant local governing body has voted to opt out of that law and keep the historical ban in place. However, what seemed so clear up front has become a mess as communities all across the state struggle to sort out the intended, and unintended, consequences of this change in state law. We’re no exception to that. Stay tuned.

6. The National Parks really are “America’s Best Idea”: I attended the Rededication Ceremony this week at Newfound Gap in the Smokies, and found myself thinking about Ken Burns’ epic PBS documentary series on our National Parks. The film airs later this month (click here for more information). In it, he tells the “story of people: people from every conceivable background — rich and poor; famous and unknown; soldiers and scientists; natives and newcomers; idealists, artists and entrepreneurs; people who were willing to devote themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved, and in doing so reminded their fellow citizens of the full meaning of democracy.”

Our Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the most visited National Park in the Nation, was born smack dab in the middle of our country’s long nightmare, the Great Depression. It’s very existence is testament to the will of the People, who gave their pennies to that Park when they could barely put bread on their table. And yet today, a full 75 years later, their determination to do what was right for their spirit, has turned out to be right for our wallets, as well. Their willingness to preserve a nice big chunk of green space has brought untold millions to businesses and communities all across our region.

As I have said for years: doing what’s right for the people, is right for business- too.

7. Here at Our House: My youngest started high school, my oldest moved into his senior year, and every new experience with them is both rich and bittersweet. I know it was only a day or two ago that I chased her like a wild woman when she toddled off down the road to catch her daddy and big brother on a lawn mower ride. Now we’re teaching her how to drive, and teaching him how to handle some of life’s bigger questions. It’s a wonderful time to be a parent, but oh my…. the world looms large.

And so, Fall is here with its obstacles and opportunities. We’ve got Friday night football, Big Orange Saturdays and the Foothills Fall Festival to look forward to. The dogwoods in our yard have begun their fall dance, their red berries standing out against the fading green. And at a time when so many Blount County families are working to put bread on their own table, we’re called more than ever to keep our collective vision for the future sacred and intact.

What will our children have to celebrate 75 years from now?

Until next time,

~Wendy