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December 4, 2017 www.knoxfocus.com Now offering onlinePAGE A1 auction services Fountain City Auction for all of your auction needs (865)604-3468 fountaincityauction.com FREE Take One! December 4, 2017 New system funded by city to aid homeless By Mike Steely agencies and organizations to will create and facilitate the procedure, look at primary UT will also represent the CES [email protected] search out shelter and hous- CES digital referral process. needs, find vulnerability and through regular attendance and Almost unnoticed in the Knox- ing programs for individuals and Mike Dunthorn, coordinator locate housing when available. participation with the Mayor’s ville City Council agenda recent- families. The vote passed unan- of Knoxville’s Office of Home- The university will work Roundtable on Homelessness ly was a resolution that may imously without discussion. lessness, said the program with the City’s Homelessness as well as the Knoxville-Knox play a big part in coordinat- The College of Social Work will provide oversight for those Office to set metrics, review County Homeless Coalition. ing various programs to help at UT currently administers who deal with the issue. data to help the city in moni- Knoxville’s Community Devel- the homeless in Knoxville. a project that operates an “This is the next level,” he toring partner agencies and opment Dashboard on the inter- An agreement with the Uni- internet-based multi-agency said. He added the Coordinat- help implement the program. net shows 2,677 known home- versity of Tennessee’s College data base. The new CES pro- ed Entry System will provide UT will develop and main- less in the 3rd quarter of this of Social Work, requested by gram will enhance that sup- a database of available ser- tain the software which will year, up from 2,436 in the 2nd the Department of Commu- port for the city office. The city vices and keep track of the list by name the individuals quarter. There were 934 new nity Development, will create agreed to fund $90,450 which homeless and their needs. for housing and service pri- homeless in the 3rd quarter. a Coordinated Entry System will mostly go toward staffing The new system would stan- orities and list multi-agency The most common cause for use by the city and various two new positions at UT that dardize the intake and referral housing and service cases. Continued on page 2 MPC membership GOLDEN GUYS questioned by County Commission By Mike Steely [email protected] Resentment over policies of the Metropoli- tan Planning Commission seems to be grow- ing among some Knox County residents. The debate over requiring sidewalks in some new county subdivisions sparked ques- tions about the power of the commission. Commissioner Brad Anders, who has announced he may seek the office of Knox County mayor, asked pointedly in a meeting recent- ly, “Do we need the planning commission?” The real question is whether the county will maintain its membership in the MPC and, if not, how would the county form its own agency. Scott Davis, a developer and former Knox County commissioner, told The Focus recent- ly that something to be considered is a legal challenge to city appointees voting on county matters before the MPC. Currently Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett appoints seven MPC members and Mayor Mad- eline Rogero appoints six members. Both city and county members consider all issues coming before PHOTO BY KELLY KEARSE the commission, elect their own chair and vice The Catholic Fighting Irish enjoy the moment after capturing the TSSAA Class 5A state football championship with chair, and pass most of their decisions to the Knox a 45-28 win over Beech Thursday night at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville. The story and more photos in Sports & County Commission or the Knoxville City Council. Recreation, Section C. Some issues, according to MPC Execu- tive Director Nathan Green, are MPC only deci- sions and don’t go beyond the planners or need other approval. He told The Focus recently that the state code places the authority of subdivi- sion requirements squarely with the MPC without Overcrowding at Lonsdale any further approval or disapproval. That doesn’t apply to zoning changes, which are forwarded to either the city or county government bodies. discussed at school board meeting “If you live in Knox County you do not have the right to vote for the city mayor who is John Beckett commitment to particular problem with Kinley Koontz, the stu- making appointments to the MPC,” Davis gave a lengthy equal opportu- what is called the “Chroni- dent representative from said, adding that those appointees then vote review of the nity for all stu- cally Out-of-School.” These West High School, inquired on county zoning requests and land use. Every Student dents. are the students that about how TCAP scores for “Basically that’s taxation with- Succeeds Act The new law for one reason or anoth- Special Students and non- out representation,” he said. (ESSA) Account- builds on key er do not attend. Should verbal students affect per- “Only county-appointed MPC members should ability for Dis- areas of progress a school receive a failing formance evaluations. be voting on county projects,” Davis said. tricts and Schools in recent years, grade simply because stu- Beckett answered that “In my opinion the city appointees have no Framework at By Anne Primm made possible dents are truant? Does this those scores are not includ- right to be voting on Knox County projects. The the Knox County by the efforts of indicate the quality of the ed in the calculations. vast majority of MPC votes are split between Board of Education meet- educators, communities, school curriculum or the Julie Thompson, the the city and county appointees,” he said. ing last Monday. This is the parents, and students teachers? executive director of ele- The reverse is true, of course, that county appoin- new education law. across the country. Representative Lynne mentary education, spoke tees also vote on city land use questions. In some The Every Student Suc- One point of conten- Fugate asked Mr. Beckett next about the Lonsdale city-county shared departments, such as the His- ceeds Act was signed tion that board members if this evaluation tool will Elementary School/Sam toric Zoning Commission, only city or county appoin- by President Obama on brought up was the require- make Knox County Schools E. Hill Family Community tees vote on city or county matters. Each jurisdic- December 10, 2015. This ment that 95% of all stu- look bad and he responded Center. tion has separate Boards of Zoning Appeals groups. bipartisan measure reau- dents, in all subjects, in that he thinks we will come Thompson stated that The 15 members of the MPC serve stag- thorizes the 50-year-old all subgroups, (like English out okay. The caveat being Lonsdale Elementary gered four-year terms and work with an execu- Elementary and Secondary as a Second Language) that now High Schools will School is currently over- tive director and about 35 staff members. The Education Act (ESEA), the be tested. Representative also receive a grade along crowded as it serves 407 executive director is chosen by both mayors. nation’s national educa- Amber Rountree observed with the elementary and tion law and longstanding that Knox County has a middle schools. Cont. on page 2 Continued on page 2 Dee Canizales Realtor/Broker Tel: 865-637-9118 x 100 Cell: 865-686-8335 Fax: 865-637-9119 [email protected] 701 N Central St Knoxville TN 37917 PAGE A2 The Knoxville Focus December 4, 2017 Removing an Evicted Tenant’s Overcrowding at Lonsdale discussed at school board meeting Items from the Property Continued from page 1 construction and renovation. Owens fur- If you are a 114. being removed; students in grades K-5. All classroom ther inquired as to why the school board landlord and A writ of pos- 2. In an area clear of space is currently being utilized. ELL was not apprised of the overcrowding you go to court session can be the entrance to the prem- classes meet in the hallways. One hun- issue at Lonsdale before the land next and get a tenant filed and sched- ises; and dred seventy-five English Language to Sam E. Hill was surplused last year. evicted, you do uled for execu- 3. A reasonable dis- Learners with six full-time teachers No one responded. not actually get tion. There is no tance from the roadway. share the same classroom. There is no Wendy Hansard, principal at Lonsdale to take posses- hearing before The property must be left more room outside for additional porta- Elementary, explained that overcrowd- sion of the prop- a judge. Once there for 48 hours. If the ble buildings (without giving up the play- ing is a huge issue at Lonsdale due to erty right away. By Jedidiah the writ of pos- property is still there after ground.) Even the music teacher com- expected influx of students from Lons- Landlord-ten- McKeehan session is filed, 48 hours, the landlord may mutes from room to room with a cart. dale Homes. Hansard also expressed attorneyknoxville@ ant cases are gmail.com the document is then do anything they want There are some possible solutions, desire to keep Pre-K at Sam E. Hill. heard in general sent to the local with the property, including Thompson added. One such solution is Another priority delineated by Hansard sessions court in Tennes- Sheriff’s Office to sched- throw it away. to convert the Sam E. Hill building into was the insistence that Lonsdale be see, and there is a 10 day ule a time when they will Still, there is a lot of time a Primary School.