Regional Meetings Updates

The 2009 Regional Meetings are off to a great start. We've had good turnouts and good discussions at our first two meetings: Vol State Community College in Sumner County and Paris Landing State Park in Henry County. I want to say a special thank you as well to the state legislators who have been so kind as to join us at these meetings. Tomorrow morning I get on the road for East Tennessee and we have a three day swing through Jonesborough on September 1st, Knoxville on September 2nd and Cookeville on September 3rd.

I hope to see you at one of these events.

Upcoming Training for County Officials

The following is a schedule of classes offered by the UT County Techinical Assistance Service for county officials during September and October. If you are interested in attending a class or want more information about this training program, go to the CTAS website and click on the tab for "Training."

Five Essentials of Leadership
September 17 – Jackson (West TN Research and Education Center, 605 Airways Blvd)
September 22 – Knoxville (UT Conference Center, 600 Henley Street)
September 23 – Johnson City (Carnegie Hotel, 1216 W. State of Franklin Road)
September 29 – Franklin (Franklin Marriott, 700 Cool Springs Blvd)

Giving and Receiving Feedback
October 14 – Jackson (West TN Research and Education Center, 605 Airways Blvd)
October 15 – Franklin (Williamson County Ag Expo Park, 4215 Long Lane)
October 20 – Knoxville (UT Conference Center, 600 Henley Street)

Public Hearings on Residential Building Codes

The Department of Commerce and Insurance is holding a series of public hearings for comments on proposed residential building codes. The dates are as follows:

• October 8, 1 p.m. UT Conference Center, 600 Henley Street, 4th Floor Dining Room, Knoxville, Tennessee
• October 9, 9 a.m. Chattanooga Marriott at the Convention Center, Two Carter Plaza, Ballroom HIJ, Chattanooga, Tennessee
• October 13 1 p.m. UT West Tennessee Agricultural Center, 605 Airways Blvd, Room 150, Jackson, Tennessee
• October 15 1 p.m. Davy Crockett Building, 500 James Robertson Parkway, Room 160, Nashville, Tennessee

The meeting on October 9th is being held in conjunction with the TCSA Annual Fall Conference in Chattanooga. County officials attending that conference can easily attend that hearing which will be in the same facility where our conference is held. No specific code is being proposed at these meetings. The meetings are for the purpose of hearing public comments. As you know, legislation passed this last year that provides for the implementation of statewide residential building codes unless a county or municipality opts out of the law. In those cities and counties that do not opt out, the responsibility for enforcement may rest with the local government, or if the local government chooses not to enforce the codes, the building codes will be administered by the State Fire Marshall's Office.

Rural Technology Assistance Grants

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development has announced a program of Rural Technology Assistance Grants. These funds are to be used for programs and services that increase technology usage and/or availability in rural counties. For the purpose of this program, rural counties are defined as those where all municipal populations are less than 20,000. The deadline for applications for a New Initiatives Grant Class is 4:30 p.m. September 10, 2009. This program will allocate $1.5 million through competitive grants for initiatives that address the expansion of broadband connectivity, decrease K-12 student to computer ratios or expand rural distance learning opportunities. More information about eligible programs, the grant review process and funding priorities is available at the website for the Department of Economic and Community Development under the heading "Rural Technology Grants".

CTAS Index of Acts for the 2009 Legislative Session

Every year, the legal staff at the UT County Techinical Assistance Service summarizes all legislation (both public and private acts) that relates to county government. This material is compiled into a publication called the Index of Acts.

The 2009 Index of Acts is now on the Legislative Information page of the CTAS website that can be found (here). These are basic summaries intended to give county officials notice of changes in the laws that affect their offices. As is noted by CTAS, prior to taking action based on these new laws, county officials should consult the actual text of the law or discuss them with their county attorney. The full text of all of the new laws can be found on the website of the Tennessee Secretary of State, listed by the public and private chapter numbers (here).