No WhiteWash!

A new survey from Gallup and Franklin-based Healthways Inc shows that the Kingsport area is ranked as the bottom ten cities for overall well being.  It appears that the physical, emotional, social and professional aspects of folks in the Kingsport area has helped drag the State of Tennessee to its low scores.

I wonder how our elected leaders will “spin” this study to make themselves look good.  Maybe, they might try even more to spend more money to help their cause.  So far the out of control spending for pet projects by our local elected officials has not seemed to work.

The Kingsport area has managed to get lots of national media attention with this study.

Nashville-area residents have the highest well-being among Tennesseans, although the state as a whole continues to rank near the bottom nationally when it comes to overall quality of life.

That’s the conclusion of two reports published today by Gallp and Franklin-based Healthways Inc. The reports are based on more than 350,000 surveys completed in 2009 that measure how respondents are faring in all aspects of their daily lives: physically, emotionally, socially and professionally.

Nashville ranks 63rd among 185 cities nationwide in the city-level report, up 22 spots from 2008. In report-card terms, that’s the equivalent of a B. Memphis and Knoxville scored Ds, while Chattanooga and Kingsport both graded an F.

In fact, Kingsport ranks among the bottom 10 cities nationwide in overall well-being, scoring dead last in the categories of life evaluation and physical health. Fort Smith, Ark., came in last overall, while Boulder, Colo. topped the list.

In the state-level report, Tennessee ranks 42nd, the same as in 2008. The bright spot was work environment, where the state ranks 12th. Hawaii had the highest well-being among states, while West Virginia had the lowest.

Gallup and Healthways published state and congressional district rankings for 2008. But this is the first time since polling began in January 2008 that city rankings have been announced.

“It’s our hope that these rankings are not treated as competition, but as a wake-up call,” said Anne Wilkins, Healthways’ chief strategy officer. “Even the highest-ranked cities and states have room for improvement, and hopefully communities can look at these rankings and figure out how to improve the lives of their citizens.”

Gallup and Healthways entered into a 25-year partnership in 2008 with the goal of creating an official statistic for the daily state of health and well-being in the United States.

Aggregating 1,000 calls a day, 350 days a year, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index is the largest behavioral economic database ever created and is expected to generate more than 9 million individual responses over the next quarter-century.

Healthways provides specialized, comprehensive medical solutions for insurers and employers to help patients manage and improve their health and reduce health care costs.

The company ranks No. 16 on Nashville Business Journal’s list of largest public companies in Middle Tennessee with revenue of $789.5 million in 2008.

Best and worst

Top 10 Cities Overall 1. Boulder, Colo. 2. Holland, Mich. 3. Honolulu, Hawaii 4. Provo, Utah 5. Santa Rosa, Calif. 6. Santa Barbara, Calif. 7. San Jose, Calif. 8. Washington, D.C. 9. Ogden, Utah 10. Oxnard, Calif.

Bottom 10 Cities Overall 1. Fort Smith, Ark. 2. Huntington, W. Va. 3. Lake Havasu City, Ariz. 4. Johnstown, Penn. 5. Modesto, Calif. 6. Charleston, W.Va. 7. Flint, Mich. 8. Youngstown, Ohio 9. Kingsport, Tenn. 10. Shreveport, La.

Top 10 States Overall 1. Hawaii 2. Utah 3. Montana 4. Minnesota 5. Iowa 6. Vermont 7. Colorado 8. Alaska 9. North Dakota 10. Kansas

Bottom 10 States Overall 1. West Virginia 2. Kentucky 3. Arkansas 4. Ohio 5. Nevada 6. Alabama 7. Indiana 8. Mississippi 9. Tennessee 10. Louisiana

Source: Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index City and State Reports

via Healthways, Gallup: Tennesseans’ well-being lags, boosted by Nashville – Nashville Business Journal:.

Note the rankings below for Kingsport.  The number of cities studied in 185.  Kingsport came in dead last in “Life Evaluation” and “Physical Health”.  Kingsport’s overall score is 179 out of 185.  Click on the link below for more information on the Tennessee study.

2009 City, State & Congressional District Well-Being Report for Tennessee

A new survey from Gallup and Franklin-based Healthways Inc shows that the Kingsport area is ranked as the bottom ten cities for overall well being.  It appears that the physical, emotional, social and professional aspects of folks in the Kingsport area has helped drag the State of Tennessee to its low scores.

I wonder how our elected leaders will “spin” this study to make themselves look good.  Maybe, they might try even more to spend more money to help their cause.  So far the out of control spending for pet projects by our local elected officials has not seemed to work.

The Kingsport area has managed to get lots of national media attention with this study.

Nashville-area residents have the highest well-being among Tennesseans, although the state as a whole continues to rank near the bottom nationally when it comes to overall quality of life.

That’s the conclusion of two reports published today by Gallp and Franklin-based Healthways Inc. The reports are based on more than 350,000 surveys completed in 2009 that measure how respondents are faring in all aspects of their daily lives: physically, emotionally, socially and professionally.

Nashville ranks 63rd among 185 cities nationwide in the city-level report, up 22 spots from 2008. In report-card terms, that’s the equivalent of a B. Memphis and Knoxville scored Ds, while Chattanooga and Kingsport both graded an F.

In fact, Kingsport ranks among the bottom 10 cities nationwide in overall well-being, scoring dead last in the categories of life evaluation and physical health. Fort Smith, Ark., came in last overall, while Boulder, Colo. topped the list.

In the state-level report, Tennessee ranks 42nd, the same as in 2008. The bright spot was work environment, where the state ranks 12th. Hawaii had the highest well-being among states, while West Virginia had the lowest.

Gallup and Healthways published state and congressional district rankings for 2008. But this is the first time since polling began in January 2008 that city rankings have been announced.

“It’s our hope that these rankings are not treated as competition, but as a wake-up call,” said Anne Wilkins, Healthways’ chief strategy officer. “Even the highest-ranked cities and states have room for improvement, and hopefully communities can look at these rankings and figure out how to improve the lives of their citizens.”

Gallup and Healthways entered into a 25-year partnership in 2008 with the goal of creating an official statistic for the daily state of health and well-being in the United States.

Aggregating 1,000 calls a day, 350 days a year, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index is the largest behavioral economic database ever created and is expected to generate more than 9 million individual responses over the next quarter-century.

Healthways provides specialized, comprehensive medical solutions for insurers and employers to help patients manage and improve their health and reduce health care costs.

The company ranks No. 16 on Nashville Business Journal’s list of largest public companies in Middle Tennessee with revenue of $789.5 million in 2008.

Best and worst

Top 10 Cities Overall 1. Boulder, Colo. 2. Holland, Mich. 3. Honolulu, Hawaii 4. Provo, Utah 5. Santa Rosa, Calif. 6. Santa Barbara, Calif. 7. San Jose, Calif. 8. Washington, D.C. 9. Ogden, Utah 10. Oxnard, Calif.

Bottom 10 Cities Overall 1. Fort Smith, Ark. 2. Huntington, W. Va. 3. Lake Havasu City, Ariz. 4. Johnstown, Penn. 5. Modesto, Calif. 6. Charleston, W.Va. 7. Flint, Mich. 8. Youngstown, Ohio 9. Kingsport, Tenn. 10. Shreveport, La.

Top 10 States Overall 1. Hawaii 2. Utah 3. Montana 4. Minnesota 5. Iowa 6. Vermont 7. Colorado 8. Alaska 9. North Dakota 10. Kansas

Bottom 10 States Overall 1. West Virginia 2. Kentucky 3. Arkansas 4. Ohio 5. Nevada 6. Alabama 7. Indiana 8. Mississippi 9. Tennessee 10. Louisiana

Source: Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index City and State Reports

via Healthways, Gallup: Tennesseans’ well-being lags, boosted by Nashville – Nashville Business Journal:.

 

Note the rankings below for Kingsport.  The number of cities studied in 185.  Kingsport came in dead last in “Life Evaluation” and “Physical Health”.  Kingsport’s overall score is 179 out of 185.  Click on the link below for more information on the Tennessee study.

2009 City, State & Congressional District Well-Being Report for Tennessee

 

I am sure the cities will fight the annexation bills proposed by Rep. Cobb and Sen. Watson.  The bills introduced will make it harder for cities to capture citizens.

State Rep. Jim Cobb, R-Spring City, and state Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, have both filed bills in the general assembly that would curb the amount of power cities currently have to annex.

Rep. Cobb said Wednesday the bill has three essential elements. It would require a referendum for anyone wishing to be annexed, it would create an option of going to a jury trial, if a lawsuit is filed, and it would place the burden of proof for why the annexation is necessary on municipalities.

Read more via Chattanooga Times Free Press | Legislature could enter fray over annexation.

HOUSE BILL 2429 Senate Bill 2402

Volkswagen’s Chattanooga operations have received more than 65,000 applications for its local jobs, including 35,000 for production slots.

“We are overwhelmed by the response and we are very satisfied with the result. It gives us the confidence that we will be able to hire all the capable and flexible people we need to build our cars safely and with the highest quality,” said Hans-Herbert Jagla, executive vice president of human resources for VW’s Chattanooga operations.

Read more via Chattanooga Times Free Press | Chattanooga: 65,000 applications filed for VW jobs.

Sullivan County, Tennessee again is left out of the picture for job creation.  Does Sullivan County have any elected officials that will step up to the plate and get something done about good paying jobs for the area?  Maybe the local republican elected officials lack the clout with the state government?

Contact your elected officials and express your concern.

• Kingsport BMA Members
• Sullivan County Mayor and County Commissioners
• Tennessee Legislators
• U.S. Congress

NASHVILLE — After two hours of testimony by proponents and opponents, the State Building Commission on Tuesday approved the $40 million purchase of 3,836 acres of farmland in southwestern Haywood County for the West Tennessee industrial "megasite."

State and local officials hope to use the site between Interstate 40 and U.S. 70 about 40 miles northeast of Memphis as a red carpet for a large, job-creating industrial or business development similar to those under way at Tennessee’s two other TVA-certified megasites: the Volkswagen automobile plant in Chattanooga and the Hemlock Semiconductor Corp. plant in Clarksville.

Read more via State panel approves purchase of land for Haywood megasite : Mid-South : Memphis Commercial Appeal.

State and local officials have been working hard to finish the West Tennessee megasite.

It appears the republican controlled Sullivan County in East Tennessee is not getting the attention it should have from the state.  Click on the link below for the entire article.

The Haywood County site is the only remaining unoccupied megasite in the state, and officials are working to bring the site up to “shovel ready” standards that major corporate investors expect. Volkswagen Group of America announced its decision in July 2008 to locate a $1 billion auto manufacturing facility on the Enterprise South megasite in Chattanooga. Hemlock Semiconductor announced in Dec. 2008 it would locate a $1.2 billion polycrystalline silicon manufacturing plant at the Commerce Park megasite in Clarksville.

Read more via Kisber to Building Commission: Hold Up on Megasite | Humphrey on the Hill | knoxnews.com.

Jobs to be added in Chattanooga

The Chattanooga area’s position in the clean energy sector received a gust of confidence Friday with a German company’s purchase and expansion plan for a wind turbine tower manufacturing plant, officials said.

SIAG Schaaf Industrie AG has bought Aerisyn LLC’s plantlocated off Riverfront Parkway with plans to add 120 jobs and invest $3 million.

SIAG officials expect the Aerisyn plant to reach full production by mid-2011 and employ 240 people.

Read more via Chattanooga Times Free Press | German firm buys Aerisyn operation.

Against Building Taxpayer Funded Denominational Medical School in East TN

King College, a denominational college located in Bristol, Tennessee, has been in discussions with Kingsport, Bristol, and Sullivan County officials to build a medical school in Kingsport and Bristol.

The cost for the medical school would be about $150 million.  King is looking for $50 million to come from the cities of Kingsport ($40 million) and Bristol ($10 million), $50 million from the State of Tennessee, and the remaining $50 million from private donations.

At the July 7, 2009, Kingsport, Tennessee Board of Mayor and Alderman, a resolution was passed on first reading to endorse the King College Medical School Initiative, and pledged its commitment to work with Bristol, Sullivan County, and King College to advance the project.

While it does sound like a good project for the area, there will be a major impact on the taxpayers if this is funded via a property tax increase. Mayor Dennis Phillips has stated that if Kingsport were to fund $40 million for the project, property taxes would have to be raised 25 cents.

Below are tax rates that have been extracted from the Tennessee Property Tax Rates that show the top 20 cities that have the highest tax rates in Tennessee from 406 different tax rates for the different cities and counties.

I have added 25 cents to the tax rates for the two Kingsport line items (Kingsport-Sullivan and Kingsport-Hawkins) in the table below.  Kingsport, with the 25 cents added, would have a rank of 10 and 12 as having the most expensive tax rates in the state.  Bristol has a rank of 14 and I have no knowledge if they would increase property taxes.

Top 20 Cities with the most expensive property tax rates

R a n k	County	City	Total County and City Tax	Property Tax for $150k Home	Household Median Income	% Taxes from Household Income	Median Home Value
1	SHELBY	MEMPHIS	$7.29	$2,734	$32,285	8.47%	$130,695
2	SHELBY	GERMANTOWN	$5.63	$2,111	$113,733	1.86%	$278,800
3	SHELBY	BARTLETT	$5.63	$2,111	$74,091	2.85%	$164,600
4	KNOX	KNOXVILLE	$5.50	$2,063	$32,538	6.34%	$102,300
5	ANDERSON	OAK RIDGE	$5.45	$2,044	$45,474	4.49%	$120,100
6	SHELBY	COLLIERVILLE	$5.37	$2,014	$99,239	2.03%	$255,400
7	HAMILTON	CHATTANOOGA	$5.36	$2,009	$35,913	5.59%	$121,100
8	SHELBY	MILLINGTON	$5.32	$1,995	$43,753	4.56%	$124,144
9	MADISON	HUMBOLDT	$5.30	$1,988	$50,007	3.98%	$181,800
10	HAWKINS	KINGSPORT	$5.11*	$1,916	$34,391	5.57%	$99,900
11	SHELBY	ARLINGTON	$5.09	$1,909	$59,131	3.23%	$233,597
12	SULLIVAN	KINGSPORT	$5.08*	$1,905	$34,391	5.54%	$99,900
13	ROANE	OAK RIDGE	$5.04	$1,890	$45,474	4.16%	$120,100
14	SULLIVAN	BRISTOL	$5.03	$1,886	$36,454	5.17%	$94,000
15	MORGAN	OAKDALE	$4.98	$1,868	$32,174	5.81%	$47,502
16	COFFEE	MANCHESTER	$4.96	$1,860	$36,674	5.07%	$112,275
17	HAMILTON	LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN	$4.95	$1,858	$117,767	1.58%	$515,354
18	HAMILTON	RIDGESIDE	$4.95	$1,858	$103,995	1.79%	$293,387
19	LAUDERDALE	HENNING	$4.95	$1,856	$23,407	7.93%	$65,212
20	HAMILTON	SIGNAL MOUNTAIN	$4.93	$1,848	$78,175	2.36%	$283,948

* The current city and county combined tax rate for Kingsport-Sullivan County is $4.86 and Kingsport-Hawkins County is $4.86.  Twenty-five cents has been added to each of the Kingsport tax rates in the above table.

---

The table below again shows the top 20 cites and the effect on the taxpayers’ Household Median Income.  There appears to be a disconnect with those cities having a high tax rate, lower Household Median Income and the percentage of Household Income needed to pay property taxes.

The household median income for Kingsport is $34,391 and the Kingsport majority of Kingsport property owners would pay over 5.5 percent of household income ($150k home) for property taxes if  the 25 cents is added to the Kingsport tax rate.  The Kingsport rank is 6 and 7 and Bristol comes in at a rank of 8 in the table below for the largest percent of household income needed to pay property taxes.

A taxpayer funded medical school would reduce the already low Kingsport household income and would reduce the standard of living for the majority of Kingsport citizens so the city could reap the benefits of increased revenue to spend on other pet projects.

Top 20 Cities that take the highest percentage of income for property taxes

R a n k	County	City	Total County and City Tax	Property Tax for $150k Home	Household Median Income	% Taxes from Household Income	Median Home Value
1	SHELBY	MEMPHIS	$7.29	$2,734	$32,285	8.47%	$130,695
2	LAUDERDALE	HENNING	$4.95	$1,856	$23,407	7.93%	$65,212
3	KNOX	KNOXVILLE	$5.50	$2,063	$32,538	6.34%	$102,300
4	MORGAN	OAKDALE	$4.98	$1,868	$32,174	5.81%	$47,502
5	HAMILTON	CHATTANOOGA	$5.36	$2,009	$35,913	5.59%	$121,100
6	HAWKINS	KINGSPORT	$5.11*	$1,916	$34,391	5.57%	$99,900
7	SULLIVAN	KINGSPORT	$5.08*	$1,905	$34,391	5.54%	$99,900
8	SULLIVAN	BRISTOL	$5.03	$1,886	$36,454	5.17%	$94,000
9	COFFEE	MANCHESTER	$4.96	$1,860	$36,674	5.07%	$112,275
10	SHELBY	MILLINGTON	$5.32	$1,995	$43,753	4.56%	$124,144
11	ANDERSON	OAK RIDGE	$5.45	$2,044	$45,474	4.49%	$120,100
12	ROANE	OAK RIDGE	$5.04	$1,890	$45,474	4.16%	$120,100
13	MADISON	HUMBOLDT	$5.30	$1,988	$50,007	3.98%	$181,800
14	SHELBY	ARLINGTON	$5.09	$1,909	$59,131	3.23%	$233,597
15	SHELBY	BARTLETT	$5.63	$2,111	$74,091	2.85%	$164,600
16	HAMILTON	SIGNAL MOUNTAIN	$4.93	$1,848	$78,175	2.36%	$283,948
17	SHELBY	COLLIERVILLE	$5.37	$2,014	$99,239	2.03%	$255,400
18	SHELBY	GERMANTOWN	$5.63	$2,111	$113,733	1.86%	$278,800
19	HAMILTON	RIDGESIDE	$4.95	$1,858	$103,995	1.79%	$293,387
20	HAMILTON	LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN	$4.95	$1,858	$117,767	1.58%	$515,354

* The current city and county combined tax rate for Kingsport-Sullivan County is $4.86 and Kingsport-Hawkins County is $4.86.  Twenty-five cents has been added to each of the Kingsport tax rates in the above table.

---

I have heard some members of the Kingsport BMA express their desire to have a college located in Kingsport.  They should keep in mind that there are very large number of cities that have been successful without having a college and who also have a better standard of living than Kingsport.

College Cities	Household Median Income
Knoxville	$32,538
Bristol	$36,454
Chattanooga	$35,913
Johnson City	$35,746
Memphis	$35,181

The above cities that have a college appear not to have increased the standard of living and have a low household median income.

Below is the household income distribution for Kingsport and the household median income for Kingsport is $34,391.  In the graph below there are 2,636 people who earn less than $10,000  classifying them as living in poverty. I challenge the elected officials to venture outside of their social and political groups and try to understand the plight of the majority of wage earners in the Kingsport area.  The medical school would bring jobs, but some of these jobs will be imported jobs and the common folks would not have the background or training for these jobs.  Ask what you can do to raise the standard of living (higher income) for Kingsport citizens without imposing a property tax burden.

I feel that the taxpayers should not be taking the risk of funding a medical school when there already is a state funded one in Johnson City.   The need for doctors in this area is questionable since the population is declining in Sullivan County.  If they area has trouble attracting doctors or keeping doctors, then take a hard look at the reason.

Quality of Life issues are important, but a good Standard of Living for local folks just might make the area prosper by increased spending by the majority of citizens. The bottom line is that the area needs good paying jobs without the additional burden on the taxpayers.

I need to point out that no funding has been voted on so far, but projects such as this grows legs very fast and then its then to late to react.  The intent of this post is to make you aware of the issues so you can make your views know.  Update:  Many elected officials have expressed their support of this project including Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey who may make it a part of his campaign for governor.  Again, I must point out that I am not against the project but am very concerned about it being funded by taxpayers.

Please contact your elected officials and tell them NO to a taxpayer funded denominational medical school.  Click on the email links below and add your comments in your own email program.

email Kingsport BMA Mayor Dennis Phillips Vice Mayor Ben Mallicote Alderman Larry Munsey Alderman Jantry Shupe Alderwoman Valerie Joh Alderman Ken Marsh, Jr. Alderman Tom Parham email Candidates for Tennessee Governor Mike McWherter Roy Herron Ward Cammack Zack Wamp Bill Haslam Ron Ramsey Kim McMillan Jim Kyle

email Tennessee Legislators for area Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey Senator Mike Faulk Rep. Jason E. Mumpower Rep. Tony Shipley Rep. Jon Lundberg Rep. Dale Ford email Sullivan County Commissioners See list for Commissioners individual emails or email Mayor and all Sullivan County Commissioners

West Tennessee Benton County Kentucky Lake Times Camden Chronicle Carroll County Carroll County News-Leader McKenzie Banner Chester County Chester County Independent Dyer County Dyersburg State Gazette Fayette County Fayette County Review Gibson County Milan Mirror Exchange Humboldt Chronicle Hardin County The Courier Haywood County Brownsville States Graphic Henderson County Henderson County News Houston County Erin Express News Lake County Lake County Banner Madison County Jackson Sun McNary County Independent Appeal Obion County Union City Messenger Perry County Buffalo River Review Shelby County Commercial Appeal Memphis Flyer Memphis Business Memphis Business-Latest News Memphis Daily News Millington Star Bartlett Express Germantown News Daily Helmsman-UM Collierville Independent La Prensa Latina North Shelby Times Tri-State Defender Tipton County Covington Leader Weakley County Dresden Enterprise Middle Tennessee Bedford County Shelbyville Times-Gazette Cheatham County Ashland City Times South Cheatham Advocate Coffee County Manchester Times Tullahoma News Davidson County Tennessean Nashville Scene Nashville City Paper Business TN Nashville Business Journal Nashville Business-Latest News WestView Online La Campana Decatur County Decatur County Online Dekalb County Middle Tennessee Times Smithville Review The Village Advocate Dickson County Dickson Herald Franklin County Winchester Herald Chronicle Giles County Giles News The Community Shopper Henry County Paris Post-Intelligencer Henry Countian Humphreys County The News Democrat Lawrence County Lawrence County Advocate Macon County Macon County Times Macon County Chronicle Marshall County Marshall County Tribune Maury County Columbia Daily Herald Advertiser News Montgomery County Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle Clarksville Online Robertson County Robertson County Times Browser Connection Rutherford County Murfreesboro Daily News Journal Murfreesboro Post MTSU Sidelines Eagleville Times

Pickett County Pickett County Press Sumner County Gallatin News Examiner Hendersonville Star News Warren County The Southern Standard White County Sparta Expositor Williamson County Williamson Herald Fairview Observer Tennessean: Williamson County News Franklin Review Appeal Brentwood Life Franklin Life Spring Hill Informer Wilson County Wilson Post Lebanon Democrat East Tennessee Anderson County Oak Ridger Oak Ridge Observer Inside Anderson County Home Town Clinton Blount County Maryville Daily Times Blount County Today Blount County Voice Bradley County Cleveland Banner People News HomeTown Cleveland Campbell County Lafollette Press Carter County Elizabethtown Star Clairborne County Clairborne Progress Cocke County Newport Plain Talk Cumberland County Crossville Chronicle Grainger County Grainger Today Greene County Greeneville Sun Grundy County Grundy County Herald Cumberland View Hamilton County Chattanoogan Chattanooga Times Chattanooga Pulse UTC Echo Hawkins County The Rogersville Review Jefferson County The Standard Banner Johnson County Mountain City Knox County Knoxville News Sentinel Metropulse Halls News Daily Beacon-UTK Farragut Press Fountain City Focus Mundo Hispano Lincoln County Elk Valley Times Loudon County Loudon County Online Marion County Marion County News McMinn County McMinn County Online Monroe County Monroe County Buzz Overton County Overton County News Livingston Enterprise Putnam County Cookeville Herald Citizen Hilltop Express Cumberland Business Journal Upper Cumberland Daily News Rhea County Rhea Herald News Roane County Roane County News Sevier County The Mountain Press Seymour Herald Tennessee Star Journal Smith County Carthage Courier Sullivan County Kingsport Times News Kingsport Daily News Bristol News Tri-Cities Business Journal Unicoi County Erwin Record The Valley Beautiful Beacon Washington County Johnson City Press Herald and Tribune Johnson City News and Neighbors East Tennessee State Student Newspaper

Below is a series of ranking tables that compares the top 20 Tennessee counties that had the largest retail sales in 2008.  The top 20 counties listed below had retail sales that were $71,443,928,487 out of a total $90,007,566,528 for all 95 counties.  The entire data set can be viewed for all counties at this link:  2008 Retail Sales

Sullivan County is highlighted because of its declining population, low median wages, and young adults leaving Sullivan County.  The major cities in Sullivan County are Kingsport and Bristol. Sullivan County has one of the largest private employers in the state (Eastman Chemical) and as well as the Bristol Nascar race.

The tables below will  show that there are many counties that are doing much better than Sullivan County without having an Eastman Chemical or the Bristol races.

The problems as I see it have been ongoing for several decades. As an elected leader or involved in economic development, is this something that you are proud of?  This blog will continue to point out the problems and if elected leaders fail to respond to the problems….at least the world will know about Sullivan County.  The bottom line is that the Northeast Tennessee needs good paying jobs!!

Sullivan County has a history of being controlled by Republicans.  It just might be that this may be the problem.  Maybe we need Democratic leadership to get something done.

Also in Table 1 are links for the county websites.  Some county web pages are well done and project a good image for the county and some are rather plain and are lacking in information such as access to public documents (minutes, etc.).  You can be the judge as to which counties have the best website by clicking on the links below in Table 1.

Table 1 County Rank Population Shelby 1 906,825 Davidson 2 626,144 Knox 3 430,019 Hamilton 4 332,848 Rutherford 5 249,270 Williamson 6 171,452 Sumner 7 155,474 Montgomery 8 154,756 Sullivan 9 153,900 Blount 10 121,511 Washington 11 118,639 Wilson 12 109,803 Bradley 13 96,472 Madison 14 96,376 Sevier 15 84,835 Maury 16 81,938 Anderson 17 74,169 Putnam 18 71,160 Hamblen 19 62,132 Coffee 20 52,134

Table 2 County Rank Median Household Income Williamson 1 $84,205 Wilson 2 $60,503 Sumner 3 $52,970 Rutherford 4 $50,623 Montgomery 5 $49,248 Blount 6 $46,009 Knox 7 $45,309 Maury 8 $44,990 Davidson 9 $44,486 Hamilton 10 $44,384 Shelby 11 $43,512 Anderson 12 $41,346 Bradley 13 $39,761 Madison 14 $39,721 Sevier 15 $39,534 Washington 16 $39,238 Hamblen 17 $37,661 Sullivan 18 $37,559 Coffee 19 $37,076 Putnam 20 $34,923

The top 20 counties below in Table 3 had retail sales that were  $71,443,928,487 out of $90,007,566,528 for all 95 counties.  The entire data set can be viewed for all counties at this link:  2008 Retail Sales

Nine counties did better than Sullivan County in the Retail Sales per Person column and four of them were in East Tennessee.

Table 3 County Rank Retail Sales 2008 Davidson 1 $13,865,135,945 Shelby 2 $12,865,439,968 Knox 3 $8,693,885,896 Hamilton 4 $5,438,410,222 Rutherford 5 $5,236,379,546 Williamson 6 $3,586,964,710 Sullivan 7 $2,620,209,989 Washington 8 $2,074,933,033 Montgomery 9 $2,023,611,739 Sevier 10 $1,991,799,739 Madison 11 $1,890,155,368 Blount 12 $1,627,066,213 Sumner 13 $1,545,933,314 Putnam 14 $1,325,563,626 Wilson 15 $1,323,786,540 Hamblen 16 $1,322,352,772 Bradley 17 $1,204,829,952 Maury 18 $1,022,426,600 Anderson 19 $990,798,125 Coffee 20 $794,245,190

Table 4 County Rank Retail Sales Per Person Sevier 1 $23,479 Davidson 2 $22,144 Hamblen 3 $21,283 Rutherford 4 $21,007 Williamson 5 $20,921 Knox 6 $20,217 Madison 7 $19,612 Putnam 8 $18,628 Washington 9 $17,489 Sullivan 10 $17,025 Hamilton 11 $16,339 Coffee 12 $15,235 Shelby 13 $14,187 Blount 14 $13,390 Anderson 15 $13,359 Montgomery 16 $13,076 Bradley 17 $12,489 Maury 18 $12,478 Wilson 19 $12,056 Sumner 20 $9,943

Tables 5 and 6 below show the Estimated Current Property Values for the counties and shows how strong the property taxes are for a county.  The property values below include industrial and commercial, residential, farms, etc.

The property vales used in table 5 were taken from the 2008 Tax Aggregate Report of Tennessee.  The Estimated Current Property Value column in Table 5 includes the county and municipalities property values and are added together for one property value for the county in Table 5.

Williamson and Sevier Counties are clearly the big winners in Table 6. Washington County which does not have an Eastman Chemical but has more Property Value per Person than Sullivan County and is a smaller county in square miles.

In the above Tables 3 and 4, Bradley County rank was 17 for both retail sales and retail sales per person.  In Table 6, Bradley County has a rank of 5 and would indicate a strong manufacturing base.  Also Bradley County will be getting the $1 billion Wacker Chemie AG plant which will employ 500 – 600 people.

Hemlock Semiconductor Corp.,  plans to build a $1.2 billion facility near Clarksville (Montgomery County). That project is expected to open in 2012 and create 800 jobs.

Volkswagen plans to employ about 2,000 workers and invest about $1 billion in Chattanooga.

Eastman Chemical and the Bristol Nascar Races have been good for Sullivan County, but in my opinion the county, Kingsport, and Bristol have relied on it for far too long and have become complacent when it comes to economic development.

Table 5 County Rank Estimated Current Property Value Shelby 1 $122,116,400,578 Davidson 2 $105,301,418,705 Williamson 3 $55,812,256,667 Knox 4 $45,660,993,815 Hamilton 5 $44,738,981,752 Rutherford 6 $32,255,317,944 Sumner 7 $24,112,350,451 Sevier 8 $21,230,869,507 Sullivan 9 $18,976,725,006 Montgomery 10 $16,958,166,077 Blount 11 $16,469,522,914 Washington 12 $15,481,178,675 Bradley 14 $14,101,364,762 Wilson 13 $14,101,364,762 Madison 15 $11,024,153,912 Maury 16 $9,291,004,712 Anderson 17 $8,804,923,113 Putnam 18 $7,450,597,543 Hamblen 19 $7,328,642,509 Coffee 20 $5,428,259,549

Table 6 County Rank Property Value Per Person Williamson 1 $325,527 Sevier 2 $250,260 Davidson 3 $168,174 Sumner 4 $155,089 Bradley 5 $146,170 Blount 6 $135,539 Shelby 7 $134,663 Hamilton 8 $134,412 Washington 9 $130,489 Rutherford 10 $129,399 Wilson 11 $128,424 Sullivan 12 $123,305 Anderson 13 $118,714 Hamblen 14 $117,952 Madison 15 $114,386 Maury 16 $113,390 Montgomery 17 $109,580 Knox 18 $106,183 Putnam 19 $104,702 Coffee 20 $104,121

Sullivan County in Table 7 has the worst rank of the top 2 retail sales counties for population growth.  Over an eight year period from years 2000 to 2008, Sullivan County only gained 850 in population.

Sullivan County death rate is higher than the birth rate and the county gained only 850 in population in the time span of 2000 to 2008.  The gain has come from new arrivals to the area.

Sullivan County is considered one of the larger populated counties in Tennessee.  In 1994, Sullivan County was the fifth most populated county.  Because of the growth in other counties and the declining population in Sullivan County, the rank of Sullivan County is estimated to be 11 in year 2030

Table 7 County Rank Population % Change, 2000 to 2008 Rutherford 1 39.94% Williamson 2 36.94% Wilson 3 23.64% Sevier 4 19.20% Sumner 5 19.18% Maury 6 17.90% Montgomery 7 14.83% Blount 8 14.82% Putnam 9 14.20% Knox 10 12.56% Washington 11 10.67% Davidson 12 9.87% Bradley 13 9.67% Coffee 14 8.58% Hamilton 15 8.10% Hamblen 16 6.89% Madison 17 4.94% Anderson 18 3.98% Shelby 19 1.04% Sullivan 20 0.56%

Table 8 County Land Area Sq Miles Rank Persons Per Sq Mile Davidson 502 1 1247 Shelby 755 2 1201 Knox 508 3 846 Hamilton 542 4 614 Rutherford 619 5 403 Hamblen 161 6 386 Sullivan 413 7 373 Washington 326 8 364 Williamson 583 9 294 Sumner 529 10 294 Bradley 329 11 293 Montgomery 539 12 287 Anderson 338 13 219 Blount 559 14 217 Wilson 571 15 192 Putnam 401 16 177 Madison 557 17 173 Sevier 592 18 143 Maury 613 19 134 Coffee 429 20 122

All data used in the above tables are from the links highlighted above in blue.