Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced the appointment of Jessica Robertson as the state's first Chief Procurement Officer today. Robertson most recently served as Deputy Commissioner for the Indiana Department of Administration managing the operations for the state's procurement division. In this position, Robertson set policy for procurement and negotiated multi-million dollar contracts.
Tennessee Public Act 1098 of 2010 created a Tennessee state procurement commission, a procurement office, a chief procurement officer, a state protest committee and an advisory committee on procurement. The Act consolidates all procurement responsibility and allows negotiations and decisions to be handled by the procurement commission, procurement office and chief procurement officer. The procurement office will be managed by the Tennessee Department of General Services.
Robertson will begin as chief procurement officer on July 1. "Transforming the way Tennessee negotiates contracts will be an exciting new chapter for me," Robertson said. "I look forward to making Tennessee my new home while working to make a difference for the state's stakeholders."
Monday, June 27, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
TBI Crime in Schools Report
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation today released its annual study dedicated to crime in Tennessee’s schools. Produced by TBI’s Crime Statistics Unit, the study spans a three-year period between 2008 and 2010 and is based on numbers submitted by Tennessee law enforcement agencies to the Tennessee Incident Based Reporting System (TIBRS). The state’s first ever school crimes study was released in May of 2009.
The reported number of crimes that occurred at schools decreased by 1.6% from 2009 to 2010 and there was an overall decrease of 3.4% between 2008 and 2010. There were 13,110 crimes reported at schools in 2010 compared to 13,327 in 2009. This report is based on incidents submitted by law enforcement agencies and excludes offenses reported by colleges and universities. Those statistics are compiled in TBI’s “Crime on Campus” report that was released earlier this year.
“School Crimes Study” Quick Facts
- 2.3% of all crimes reported in the state occurred at a school.
- The reported numbers of crimes occurring at schools decreased by 1.6% from 2009. There were 13,110 crimes reported in 2010 compared to 13,327 in 2009.
- Simple assault was the most frequently reported crime at 4,885 offenses.
- Crimes against persons increased by 3.4%, but crimes against property decreased by 9.1%.
- More crimes occurred on Friday than any other day of the week and most resulted in no injury to the victim.
- 51% of the time, the relationship between the offender and victim was acquaintance.
It is important to understand the characteristics surrounding school crime and its offenders and victims. This understanding will help schools, policy makers, law enforcement and the public learn how to better combat crime that occurs at these institutions. To view the “School Crimes Study” for 2010 in its entirety, go to the TBI website at www.tbi.tn.gov.
The reported number of crimes that occurred at schools decreased by 1.6% from 2009 to 2010 and there was an overall decrease of 3.4% between 2008 and 2010. There were 13,110 crimes reported at schools in 2010 compared to 13,327 in 2009. This report is based on incidents submitted by law enforcement agencies and excludes offenses reported by colleges and universities. Those statistics are compiled in TBI’s “Crime on Campus” report that was released earlier this year.
“School Crimes Study” Quick Facts
- 2.3% of all crimes reported in the state occurred at a school.
- The reported numbers of crimes occurring at schools decreased by 1.6% from 2009. There were 13,110 crimes reported in 2010 compared to 13,327 in 2009.
- Simple assault was the most frequently reported crime at 4,885 offenses.
- Crimes against persons increased by 3.4%, but crimes against property decreased by 9.1%.
- More crimes occurred on Friday than any other day of the week and most resulted in no injury to the victim.
- 51% of the time, the relationship between the offender and victim was acquaintance.
It is important to understand the characteristics surrounding school crime and its offenders and victims. This understanding will help schools, policy makers, law enforcement and the public learn how to better combat crime that occurs at these institutions. To view the “School Crimes Study” for 2010 in its entirety, go to the TBI website at www.tbi.tn.gov.
Legislative Session Ends
On May 21st, the General Assembly concluded its business and adjourned till 2012. This ended a long week of late nights and extensive debates on a wide variety of topics. The Tennessee County Services Association Legislative Conference in Gatlinburg on June 7 and 8 will include sessions to update county officials on the impact of the state budget and new legislation affecting counties. I hope to see you there.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Governor Files Supplemental Budget Amendment
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has filed an amendment with the General Assembly that adjusts next year’s budget proposal to reflect new estimates on increased state revenues. The supplemental appropriations amendment (SB2090/HB2139) includes funding that was not included in the budget the governor presented in March, which was based on earlier revenue projections.
Notable funding priorities in the governor’s budget amendment include:
• $71.3 million for disaster relief resulting from recent storms and flooding.
• $4.7 million for the Department of Intellectual Disabilities Services to restore residential rates.
• $1.9 million for mental health services for residents of Northeast Tennessee through the Mountain State Health Alliance.
• $8.5 million to restore previously scheduled rate reductions of 8.5 percent to mental health providers in TennCare.
• $5 million for payments to the Memphis Regional Medical Center, Nashville General Hospital and Jellico Community Hospital.
• $3.5 million additional for smoking cessation assistance in TennCare.
• $6.9 million grant for three programs at Meherry Medical College.
• $220,000 for first-year debt service on construction bonds for $22.6 million, 108-bed State Veterans’ Home in Clarksville.
• $2.5 million for the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.
• $1 million recurring to limit the impact of the Hall Income Tax on eligible seniors 65 years and older, beginning in fiscal year 2012-2013.
• $19.9 million additional for lottery scholarships to fund students’ ability to utilize them during summer school.
• $5 million to the University of Memphis for operations on the Lambuth campus in Jackson.
• $21.1 million for state building maintenance, plus $1 million for a statewide capital improvements master plan for Higher Education and state facilities.
• $16.5 million for a potential major economic development expansion project.
The budget amendment assumes a reimbursement of approximately $82 million in Medicaid funding errors, which the federal government says is owed to the state. Several healthcare-related investments are contingent on receiving those funds, as well as higher education investments:
The General Assembly is expected to consider the budget this week.
Notable funding priorities in the governor’s budget amendment include:
• $71.3 million for disaster relief resulting from recent storms and flooding.
• $4.7 million for the Department of Intellectual Disabilities Services to restore residential rates.
• $1.9 million for mental health services for residents of Northeast Tennessee through the Mountain State Health Alliance.
• $8.5 million to restore previously scheduled rate reductions of 8.5 percent to mental health providers in TennCare.
• $5 million for payments to the Memphis Regional Medical Center, Nashville General Hospital and Jellico Community Hospital.
• $3.5 million additional for smoking cessation assistance in TennCare.
• $6.9 million grant for three programs at Meherry Medical College.
• $220,000 for first-year debt service on construction bonds for $22.6 million, 108-bed State Veterans’ Home in Clarksville.
• $2.5 million for the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.
• $1 million recurring to limit the impact of the Hall Income Tax on eligible seniors 65 years and older, beginning in fiscal year 2012-2013.
• $19.9 million additional for lottery scholarships to fund students’ ability to utilize them during summer school.
• $5 million to the University of Memphis for operations on the Lambuth campus in Jackson.
• $21.1 million for state building maintenance, plus $1 million for a statewide capital improvements master plan for Higher Education and state facilities.
• $16.5 million for a potential major economic development expansion project.
The budget amendment assumes a reimbursement of approximately $82 million in Medicaid funding errors, which the federal government says is owed to the state. Several healthcare-related investments are contingent on receiving those funds, as well as higher education investments:
The General Assembly is expected to consider the budget this week.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Redistricting Manual Available On-Line
The Office of Local Government within the State Comptroller's Office has developed a 36 page manual on Redistricting. The 2011 Guide to Local Redistricting in Tennessee is availablehere. The manual outlines both legal and administrative requirements for completing this process, discussing the impact of the constitution and state and federal laws on redistrcting as well as the requirements for the proper use of census data.
At our County Government Day event earlier this month, Tom Fleming, the Director of the Office of Local Government, spoke and ran through a quick reference guide to the process. That document, which was distributed at the meeting, is included as an appendix to this larger manual along with a glossary of important terms. Additional training on the subject will be available to county officials at the TCSA Post-Legislative Conference in Gatlinburg June 7 and 8.
At our County Government Day event earlier this month, Tom Fleming, the Director of the Office of Local Government, spoke and ran through a quick reference guide to the process. That document, which was distributed at the meeting, is included as an appendix to this larger manual along with a glossary of important terms. Additional training on the subject will be available to county officials at the TCSA Post-Legislative Conference in Gatlinburg June 7 and 8.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
County Government Day
Thanks to everyone for coming to the county government day event this week. The turnout was amazing and you really helped to make the event a success. The general session breakfast featured an excellent slate of speakers, including Governor Bill Haslam, Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey, Speaker of the House Beth Harwell, and we were also honored and pleased to hear from U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander who became available as a last minute addition.
Friday, April 1, 2011
The State of Tennessee's Bridges
A new report by the group Transportation for America highlights the problems in our country with our aging infrastructure. Their main website: http://t4america.org/ has a report on the state of bridges in our nation. The site includes an interactive map that allows you to get information about where you live, or see info on a state by state basis. Tennessee performs better than most other states, but still has a significant number of structurally deficient bridges. A report specific to Tennessee can be found here. It includes a ranking of the 95 counties based on the percentage of their bridges that are deficient. The data is based on a required federal bridge survey of all structures greater than 20 feet. Therefore, there are a significant number of locally maintained structures that are too small to be included in this study. For this reason, it will not give you a complete picture of the needs of your transportation system, but still can show you where your county ranks generally.
Out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, Tennessee ranks 44th in terms of deficiency. This is one report where it is good to be in the 40's as the report orders the states with number 1 being the most deficient and number 51 being in the best condition. Although Tennessee generally looks good compared to the rest of the nation there is still tremendous concern for an increasing backlog of repairs which are building up faster than funding is available to address the needs. Nationwide, Federal estimates indicate that the United States needs approximately $71 Billion to eliminate the backlog of needed repairs while on an annual basis, only $5.2 Billion has been allocated for bridge repair funding. As the years go by, more and more bridges are aging beyond their designed use and the problem is only expected to grow.
Out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, Tennessee ranks 44th in terms of deficiency. This is one report where it is good to be in the 40's as the report orders the states with number 1 being the most deficient and number 51 being in the best condition. Although Tennessee generally looks good compared to the rest of the nation there is still tremendous concern for an increasing backlog of repairs which are building up faster than funding is available to address the needs. Nationwide, Federal estimates indicate that the United States needs approximately $71 Billion to eliminate the backlog of needed repairs while on an annual basis, only $5.2 Billion has been allocated for bridge repair funding. As the years go by, more and more bridges are aging beyond their designed use and the problem is only expected to grow.
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