36 Confirmed Dead in Tennessee Gov
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1-TENNESSEE TOWN & CITY/MAY 9, 2011 www.TML1.org 6,250 subscribers www.TML1.org Volume 62, Number 8 May 9, 2011 Local planners axed Deadly storms ravage Southeast; in ECD Jobs4TN Plan 36 confirmed dead in Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced his planners can help communities with Jobs4TN Plan, which lays out his planning, zoning, National Flood In- plans for economic development in surance Program compliance and Tennessee. This plan is the result of other advisory services. a top-to-bottom review of the De- Specifically, ECD’s Local Plan- partment of Economic and Commu- ning Assistance Office can: nity Development. • Provide help drafting planning/ The plan promises reorganiza- zoning ordinances. tion of the entire department; includ- • Train community officials. ing a 35 percent reduction in depart- • Provide site reviews to commu- ment personnel with much of this nities. reduction achieved by eliminating • Provide mapping services. the Office of Local Planning. • Provide resources to codes ad- Regarding the elimination of the ministrators, surveyors, engi- local planning office, the governor neers, lenders, insurance agents, said at a press conference, "The realtors, developers and prop- reality is the larger cities and coun- erty owners. ties don't use that. The smaller coun- ties and cities don't use it because TML has been in contact with they don't have that big of a growth the governor’s office and other of- burden." ficials with the State to discuss The Local Planning Assistance these developments. It is uncertain Office provides planning and techni- whether the State will continue to cal services to communities on a provide these services to local gov- contract basis. From regional of- ernment via other departments or fices in Chattanooga, Cookeville, agencies. Jackson, Johnson City, Knoxville TML will keep city officials and Nashville, professional land use apprised of any new information. Photo by Lee Ann Baker / Chattanooga Times-Free Press Bills of interest passed Lending a helping hand, middle school students from Cleveland, TN., walked the debris filled streets with bags of ice, water, and food to homes lost in April’s tornadoes. Bradley County was one of the hardest hit by General Assembly areas, with nine confirmed deaths and more than $10 million in damages. Several pieces of legislation that Streamline Sales Tax BY CAROLE GRAVES affect municipalities have passed Public Chapter 72, sponsored TML Communications Director both chambers and have been signed by Sen. Mark Norris and Rep. Gary by the governor. McCormick, delays the effective April storms that swept TBI date of certain streamlined sales tax through the state with punishing Public Chapter 49, sponsored provisions until July 1, 2013. winds, damaging hail, and severe by Sen. Randy McNally and Rep. Any provision that has not al- flash flooding left 36 Tennesseans Eric Watson, amends a bill enacted ready taken effect in the Sales Tax dead and a path of destruction be- last session concerning the applica- Agreement was scheduled to do so hind. tion of a state litigation tax to munici- July 1, 2011. A total of 342 storm-related pal traffic citations. The Streamlined Sales Tax deaths have been confirmed in The legislation clarifies that Project (SSTP) was created in 2000 seven states, including 238 in Ala- $13.75 court costs for the Tennes- for the purpose of developing and bama, making it the second deadli- see Bureau of Investigation (TBI) implementing a simplified taxing est tornado outbreak in U.S. history are imposed upon the forfeiture of a system in order to collect sales tax – and a record 226 in one day. cash bond. on mail order catalogue purchases In Tennessee, at least 28 tor- The new fee is to offset the and Internet sales. Initially, 34 nadic events occurred between 8 impact of budget cuts to the Tennes- states, including Tennessee, signed a.m. April 27 and 8 a.m. April 28, see Bureau of Investigation’s crime and expressed interest in conform- according the National Weather lab services. Without this new fee ing their state’s laws to the require- Service. the TBI would have to charge cities ments stipulated in the Agreement. Bradley, Hamilton, Green and and counties for crime lab examina- However, in order for Tennessee to Washington counties were among tion of evidence in criminal investi- comply with the Streamlined Sales the hardest hit areas and have been gations. and Use Tax Agreement, the state declared a federal disaster by the The legislation is effective July would need to change the sourcing Obama Administration. 1, 2011. of sales tax revenues from the point The declaration means that Photo by Randall Higgins / Chattanooga Times-Free Press The Municipal Technical Advi- of sale (point-of-sale sourcing) to residents of those counties will be sory Service will provide additional the point at which the buyer takes able to get federal grants to help Gov Bill Haslam surveys the storm damage along with U.S. Sen. Bob information about submitting the possession of the item (destination with home repairs and temporary Corker, state Reps. Mike Bell and Kevin Brooks, and Cleveland Mayor new fee to the state, as well as any sourcing), creating dramatic shifts housing, and local governments Tom Rowland. pertinent forms in the coming in local sales tax revenues. will be reimbursed for some of the County, nine in Bradley County, one Sequatchie County, one in Wash- weeks. See LEGISLATION on Page 5 storm-related costs. in Franklin County, six in Greene ington County; and one in The deaths confirmed in Ten- County, 11 in Hamilton County, two Williamson County, according to State releases multi-modal nessee include four in Bledsoe in Johnson County, one in See STORM on Page 3 transportation plan; program ‘‘Welcome to Shelbyville’ to premiere on PBS focuses on interstate system BY SAHAR DRIVER TDOT has released a three- John Schroer. "The department will Nation’s Cities Weekly year transportation program, which address a number of needs through prioritizes a number of important this three-year program, including Change has come to rural Ten- improvements to Tennessee's inter- congestion relief, improving access nessee. Set against the backdrop of state system and continues funding to communities, and the replace- a shaky economy, “Welcome to for transit, rail, water and aviation ment or repair of dozens of aging Shelbyville” takes an intimate look at programs. The three-year Multi- bridges." a southern town as its residents — modal Work Program for 2011- Under the plan, TDOT will whites and African Americans, 2014 includes 182 transportation complete the final year of the Better Latinos and Somalis — grapple with projects and programs, including 45 Bridges Program, the construction their beliefs, their histories and their individual projects on interstates, 30 of State Route 840 in Williamson evolving ways of life. transit, water, rail & aviation initia- County, a new interchange on U.S. “Welcome to Shelbyville,” di- tives, and 29 transportation pro- 11E at U.S. 19 E in Sullivan County, rected and produced by Kim A. grams serving Tennesseans across U.S. 64 in southern west and middle Snyder and executive produced by the state. Tennessee, and the widening of BeCause Foundation in association The three-year multimodal pro- U.S. 27 (State Route 29) in with Active Voice, is set to air on gram funds the widening of Inter- Hamilton County. PBS May 24. Check local listings for state 65 north of downtown Nash- The program includes dedi- details. ville, and the completion of corridor cated funding for 29 transportation The documentary has already improvements to State Route 66 in programs including Rockfall Miti- spurred quite a buzz through a lim- East Tennessee between I-40 and gation, Spot Safety Improvement, ited series of community screenings Sevierville. The program lists Transportation Enhancements, and and conference presentations. NLC Photo by Shelbyville MulitMedia Org. projects funded for various stages Safe Routes to School. It also pro- recently held a screening of Kim A. Snyder, director and producer, and Hawo, a Somalia refugee of development, including location vides approximately $45 million per webisodes from the documentary who worked at Tyson Foods in Shelbyville, participated in a panel and environmental studies, prelimi- year in funding for transit agencies, with more than 100 local leaders. discussion following the premiere showing in Shelbyville last fall. nary engineering, right-of-way ac- Metropolitan and Rural Planning The session included small- quisition, construction, and many Organizations, and private non- group discussions about actions that and refugees nationwide, the interac- broadcast. Check the Community operational components in the first profit organizations in all 95 coun- communities are undertaking to tive website features a series of Cinema screening schedule year of the plan. It also proposes ties in Tennessee. TDOT will also bridge the gap between cultures. webisodes, social media tools and (www.pbs.org/independentlens/ funding for a portion of the second administer funding for rehabilitation The launch of Active Voice’s several creative campaigns that use getinvolved/cinema/?past=&city= and third year plans leaving flexibil- projects for shortline railways and new Web platform, Shelbyville Mul- online video to inspire story-sharing &film=53&month=) to see if there is ity for additional projects in those bridges in several Tennessee coun- timedia, promises to broaden the and bridge-building on the ground. an event coming to your city or years. ties and programs that provide for reach and heighten the impact of the The National League of Cities town. "Taking a multi-modal ap- improvements at the state's air- documentary by providing an op- has joined forces with this campaign 2. Gather your friends and col- proach to transportation planning ports. portunity for audiences to deepen to create more welcoming and inte- leagues to watch the PBS broadcast allows TDOT to be responsive to To view a complete list of conversations about how this grated communities.