The City of Kingsport, Tennessee is applying for a grant to plant trees that will have matching funds that come from the regional sales tax fund and the visitor enhancement program.  The Meadowview Convention Center was paid off in 2007 and the city refuses to rescind the 1/4 percent sales tax, but wants to use excess regional sales tax money to plant trees.

 Mallicote stated in a radio interview that if the regional sale tax goes into the general fund, then it should be taken to the taxpayer to decide what to do with the regional sales tax.  When can the voters expect the referendum Mr. Mallicote? 

It would not surprise me to see the trees planted in the Meadowview area to make it more attractive.

Voted on and passed at the August 4, 2009 BMA meeting

Consideration of a Resolution to Authorize the Mayor to Sign alt Documents Necessary to Apply and |Receive a Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program – Community Tree Planting Project Grant

Executive Summary:
The TAEP (Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program) grant funds for community tree planting were provided by the 2008 State Legislature to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. The goal of TAEP community tree planting grants is to increase the tree resource base in cities and towns across the State of Tennessee. It is NOT to provide beautification. Trees are work horses for our communities, providing energy savings through shading, storm water mitigation through rain interception, and air quality improvement through filtration and absorption. Beautification should not be used as an objective for a TAEP tree planting project.

The city is eligible to apply for up to $20,000 with a dollar for dollar cash match required. This match will be provided from money in the budget for trees from the regional sales tax and visitor enhancement program.

The school system is a partner in the grant and will be implementing a project through the agricultural class at Dobyns-Bennett.

April 24, 2009 post

Listen to the April 23 WJCW radio interview with Ben Mallicote who is seeking re-election as Alderman on the Kingsport Board of Mayor and Alderman

Click here for interview

In the radio interview, he is asked about the regional sales tax and he stated that there is still debt that needs to be paid off at Meadowview.  The Convention Center was paid off in 2007 and the debt that Ben Mallicote mentioned must be for the debt for the Cattails Golf Course.  When the voters voted for the regional sales tax to be used for the convention center, I am sure that the golf course had not been dreamed about.

Since the Convention Center had been paid off, Alderman Marsh and Shull voted to return the regional sales tax to the citizens by the way of a property tax deduction.

Mallicote also stated that if the regional sale tax goes into the general fund, then it should be taken to the taxpayer to decide what to do with the regional sales tax.

Mr. Mallicote should check the current budget he voted for, because part of the regional sales tax is going to the general fund.  When can the voter expect the referendum Mr. Mallicote?

1/4 percent Regional Sales Tax Fund Revenue
$2,816,600

Transfer to Cattails
$ 783,100

Transfer to MeadowView CC
$1,233,500

Transfer to General Fund
$ 800,000

Eastman Chemical was ranked at 11 as one of the Top Corporate Air Polluters in the U.S.

The Toxic 100 index identifies the top U.S. air polluters among the world’s largest corporations. The index relies on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) project. The starting point for the RSEI is the EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), which reports on releases of toxic chemicals at facilities across the United States. TRI data are widely cited in press stories on “top polluters,” but they have limitations that the Toxic 100 addresses:

Toxic 100 Index (Top 20 are shown below)

Click here for full list

This makes two chemical spills at Eastman in the last two weeks!!  What is going on over there?  They were fined $48,000 back in April, 2009 by the Department of Environment and Conservation.  See Eastman Chemical fined by TDEC for many violations

Another chemical spill at Eastman Chemical Company on Wednesday morning.

Eastman officials say there was a brief accidental discharge in the South Fork Holston River due to the over-pressurization of a process reactor.

The spill was a mixture of diethyl ether, the same type of spill that occurred on July 28, 2009, and tetraethyl pyrophosphate.

Representatives from Department of Environment and Conservation’s Johnson City field office conducted a site investigation Wednesday morning.

Eastman reports no employees were injured but approximately one dozen fish were killed. Eastman does not expect this release to have any further adverse impact on the South Fork Holston River. A team is investigating the incident.

via Eastman Chemical Spill In Holston River | TriCities.

There have been some that are stating that the King College Medical School is needed to address the doctor shortage.  I am sure that in the future there will be a shortage of doctors, but for Sullivan County this does not seem to be a problem.

King College’s website has the following statement below that I must take issue with.  It states that if 50 doctors were to stay in the region every year, the economic impact would be $325 million by 2025.

The map below is what King considers to be the region which has 43 counties in 5 different states.  In the Tennessee counties, Sullivan County is not mentioned as a Medically Underserved county, but King College is looking for Kingsport citizens to fork out $40 million and Bristol to give $10 million.  They are also looking for the State of Tennessee to dole out $50 million. I am not against the medical school, but am against a tax increase on the local citizens to pay for the building of the school.  See link, Against Building Taxpayer Funded Denominational Medical School in East TN

King College, in my view, is using some wrong assumptions.  If a current doctor retired and another doctor took his/her place in the region, then you cannot count that as an increase in economic impact.  Also, in the 4 year period between 2021-2025, they are hoping that 200 doctors will stay in the region.  First you must consider that ETSU is supplying about 66 doctors per year and if half of them stayed in the region and the 50 that King hopes would stay in the region would very quickly create an oversupply of doctors.

The results on oversupply of new doctors could be:

• Average earnings are lower than expected earnings based on expected returns to training and other factors
• New physicians have greater problems obtaining employment
• Individual physicians see fewer patients compared to historical norms
• Individual physicians work fewer hours in patient care
• Physicians are more likely to relocate

The Impact of Creating New Doctors

If the Medical School at King was able to ensure that 50 new doctors were to stay in the region every year, the newly created, otherwise non-existent, economic impact would be $65 million per year beginning in 2021.  By 2025, the impact of physicians trained at King will equal $325 million.

Below is the shortage of doctors for the Tennessee Counties in the above King College map.  The data is from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at the following link.  HPSA by State & County

The shortage of primary medical care physicians are highlighted in yellow.  HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Areas

The table below gives data from Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth on the medical doctors per 100,000.  Sullivan County has a rank of 5 and Washington County has a rank of 2.

Northeast Tennessee seems to have a very good concentration of doctors and would not get the economic impact that King College claims should happen.  It appears that other counties and states would get the impact while Tennessee, Kingsport, and Bristol are asked to fund the new medical school.

Medical Doctors Per 100,000 (Rate) – 2007

There have been many elected officials that have added their name in support of the medical college.  I trust that they have taken the time to research/understand for themselves the details of this project and not just listen to a speech from King College.

Tennessee has on its website the information below.  See Sullivan County, Tennessee Selected Statistical Information

See the following link for more information. Health Resources and Services Administration Shortage

Below is the household median income for the top 20 Tennessee Counties that had the largest retail sales.  The household median income is for the county and may be different for cities within the county.  Below is the household median Income for Sullivan County cities

Kingsport  $34,391  – Individuals below poverty level 18.0%

Bristol  $36,454 – Individuals below poverty level 14.6%

Sullivan County – Individuals below poverty level 15.8%

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 are living in poverty.

Tennessee has three counties that made it in the U.S.Census 100 Fastest Growing Counties.  You can see all 100 counties by clicking on the Excel link below.

Resident Population Estimates for the 100 Fastest Growing U.S. Counties with 10,000 or More Population in 2008: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008(CO-EST2008-08)

Excel (30k) CSV (7k)

• Rutherford County
• Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce
• Williamson County Government.
• Williamson County, Tennessee Economic Development
• Fayette County
• Fayette County Chamber of Commerce

Team Madison County, a regional economic development initiative led by the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce, the Jackson Energy Authority, the city of Jackson, Madison County and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development lands over 400 new jobs in West Tennessee.

If report cards were assigned to industry recruitment efforts, Jackson’s Team Madison County would receive an A+, along with the notation “works well with others.” Working together is what Team Madison County is all about. Team Approach Draws Businesses to Madison County

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber today congratulated the board of directors and senior leadership of Carlisle Companies of Charlotte, North Carolina on the company’s decision to locate a new manufacturing facility in Jackson, Tenn. The facility will be operated by Carlisle Tire and Wheel, a subsidiary of Carlisle Companies and will manufacture tires, inner tubes and wheels for a variety of vehicles used in the agricultural, all-terrain vehicle, golf, industrial, lawn/garden and trailer markets. The project represents a multi-million dollar investment by Carlisle Tire and Wheel and is expected to create approximately 440 new jobs. The acquisition of the new facility is subject to confirmatory due diligence and is expected to close in late September.

“The people of Tennessee are very grateful to Carlisle Tire and Wheel for the company’s investment in the Jackson community and their confidence in the workers of West Tennessee,” said Commissioner Kisber. “The close collaboration between the state of Tennessee and Team Madison County is yielding results and I’m convinced we’ll continue to see additional investment in the region.”
Continue reading “Multi-Million Dollar Capital Investment to Create Over 400 New Jobs in West TN” »

HR 2868 will affect chemical facilities, drinking water, and wastewater facilities

INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND PRIVATE-SECTOR IMPACT
H.R. 2868 would extend intergovernmental and private-sector mandates, as defined in UMRA, and impose new mandates on employers and on owners and operators of public and private facilities where certain chemicals are present. The bill also would preempt state and local laws.  Because the cost of some of the mandates would depend on future regulatory actions, CBO cannot determine whether the aggregate costs of complying with the mandates would exceed the annual thresholds established in UMRA for intergovernmental or private-sector mandates ($69 million and $139 million, respectively, in 2009, adjusted annually for inflation).

Extension of Mandates on Chemical Facilities
The bill would extend and make permanent mandates contained in section 550 of Public Law 109-295, the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS), that are set to expire in October 2009. Those mandates require owners and operators of public and private facilities where certain chemicals are present to assess the vulnerability of their facilities to a terrorist incident and to prepare and implement security plans. The bill also would extend mandates that require owners and operators of such facilities to maintain records, periodically submit reviews of the adequacy of the vulnerability assessments or security plans, and allow DHS access to their property for security inspections and verifications. In addition, owners and operators would have to continue to conduct background checks on employees with access to restricted areas and provide training to employees. Information from DHS and industry sources indicates that those facilities are currently in compliance with CFATS regulations, and CBO estimates that the cost of continuing to comply with those regulations would be small relative to the annual thresholds established in UMRA.

Expansion of Mandates to Drinking Water and Wastewater Facilities
The bill would require drinking water and wastewater facilities, entities that are currently exempt from the CFATS regulations, to comply with those requirements. According to government and industry representatives, many of the facilities potentially affected by the bill’s provisions are currently engaged in activities similar to those that would be required under H.R. 2868. Such facilities are acting either in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, as a condition of membership in chemical industry associations, or in accordance with the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, the Maritime Transportation Security Act, or other federal regulations.

This is just a small part of this bill.  See the link for more information.  Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009

10 companies awarded grants, training 1365 employees:

NASHVILLE – Governor Phil Bredesen and Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner James Neeley have recently awarded $926,508 in recovery training grants to 10 companies across the state. These grants, which are funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, will provide training to 1365 employees.

“Recovery Act training focuses on core skill improvements such as leadership, product technical training, computer skills, and new equipment training,” said Bredesen. “These training grants help the employer strengthen their position, which we hope will minimize the impact on employees until the economy improves.”

The maximum grant amount a for-profit company can receive is $100,000 with a required 25 percent minimum match. The program began on April 1, 2009, and will run though June 30, 2010. This is not a pilot program and will not be renewed after the Recovery Act funding has been expended.

The Tennessee Economic Recovery Training Grant is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and administered by the Workforce Development division within the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Local Workforce Investment Area, and the local Career Center.

Below is a list of the 10 companies awarded recovery training grants.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency disclosed the locations of 44 “high-hazard” coal-ash piles in 10 states on Monday, after previously saying they were keeping the locations secret to prevent them from becoming targets of terrorism

Read more via EPA names locations of hazardous coal-ash piles – USATODAY.com.

List of potential high-hazard coal-ash sites