Homeowners rebuilding after the spring floods can receive valuable information from hazard mitigation specialists with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at hardware stores in Middle Tennessee, beginning Monday, Aug. 2.
The specialists can answer questions about protecting homes from future disaster damage, as well as offer other home improvement tips and techniques. Topics will include mold and mildew cleanup and prevention, flood insurance, flood and wind-resistant building methods, wind straps and other measures to make homes stronger and safer. Publications on these topics will also be available.
FEMA mitigation specialists will be available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the following locations:
Aug. 2 through Aug. 6
•Mitchum True Value, 17 E. Front St., Erin, TN 37061.
Aug. 2 through Aug. 7
•True Value Hardware, 810 N. Locust Ave., Lawrenceburg, TN 38464;
•Lowe’s, 10 Campbell Road, Madison, TN 37115.
There is no cost to talk with the specialists.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Gov. Bredesen Signs Executive Order to Create STEM Innovation Network
On July 29th, Gov. Bredesen signed an executive order to create the STEM Innovation Network. The STEM disciplines are Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. The Network is charged with promoting and expanding the teaching and learning of these four disciplines in K-12 public schools across Tennessee. The Network will be associated with the State Department of Education which is authorized by the Executive Order to enter into an agreement with Battelle to be the manager of the Network and its activities. Battelle (the Battelle Memorial Institute) is a global research and development enterprise which jointly manages the Oak Ridge National Laboratory with the University of Tennessee.
For more, see this article by Tom Humprhey of the Knoxville News Sentinel or click here for a copy of the executive order.
For more, see this article by Tom Humprhey of the Knoxville News Sentinel or click here for a copy of the executive order.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Early Voting by County
Secretary of State Tre Hargett has posted the numbers for early voting through the 28th and projects that we may set a record.
See the rate of voting by county and by day here.
See the rate of voting by county and by day here.
What Every County Commissioner Should Know About The Jail
Jim Hart of CTAS shared a resource with me this week on jails. It is a 12 page article that highlights the things a county commissioner should know, and should ask, about the county's jail. The publication was written by Dr. Allen R. Beck who has worked as a consultant on correctional facilities since the 1970s and has a doctorate degree in Criminal Justice. The article is written from a national perspective and is not specific to Tennessee law. Nevertheless, it includes excellent common sense recommendations on what county commissioners should look for to ensure their jail is being managed in a cost efficient and proper manner.
County commissioners obviously have a different set of responsibilities from the Sheriff. The Sheriff is the individual chosen by the voters to manage the day to day operations of the jail. Commissioners should not interfere with these functions or try to micro-manage the Sheriff. However, as the author points out, the jail is one of the most expensive operations of the county and there is great potential for commissioners to be impacted by lawsuits and liability that can arise from a poorly managed jail. The article attempts to equip county commissioners with enough knowledge to be able to ask informed questions about jail operations and management to be able to evaluate current deficiencies and future needs. It can be found here.
In addition to the issues raised by this article, many counties in Tennessee have recently built new jails or additions or are in the process of evaluating the county's correctional needs. There are several more of Dr. Beck's articles available which relate to evaluating jail designs and needs. These articles can be found on the website for his Kansas City-based consulting firm called Justice Concepts Inc. at http://www.justiceconcepts.com/
Other articles include:
County commissioners obviously have a different set of responsibilities from the Sheriff. The Sheriff is the individual chosen by the voters to manage the day to day operations of the jail. Commissioners should not interfere with these functions or try to micro-manage the Sheriff. However, as the author points out, the jail is one of the most expensive operations of the county and there is great potential for commissioners to be impacted by lawsuits and liability that can arise from a poorly managed jail. The article attempts to equip county commissioners with enough knowledge to be able to ask informed questions about jail operations and management to be able to evaluate current deficiencies and future needs. It can be found here.
In addition to the issues raised by this article, many counties in Tennessee have recently built new jails or additions or are in the process of evaluating the county's correctional needs. There are several more of Dr. Beck's articles available which relate to evaluating jail designs and needs. These articles can be found on the website for his Kansas City-based consulting firm called Justice Concepts Inc. at http://www.justiceconcepts.com/
Other articles include:
- A Proven Jail Design that Cuts Construction Costs by One-half or More
- Example of How We Rapidly Reduced a Jail Population
- Jail Bloating: A Cause of Jail Overcrowding
- Deciding on a New Jail Design
- Two Approaches for Determing Jail Needs
- Forecasting: Fiction and Utility in Jail Planning
- Misleading Jail Bed Costs
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
US Department of Education Approves Budget for TN Race to the Top Funds
(From a Press Release from Gov. Bredesen's office)
Governor Phil Bredesen announced today that Tennessee’s nearly $501 million Race to the Top budget has been approved by the U. S. Department of Education, allowing the state and all 136 school districts to move forward in implementing comprehensive school reform plans over the next four years.
Tennessee was just one of two states selected to receive funding in the federal government’s Race to the Top competition in March.
For more, go here.
Governor Phil Bredesen announced today that Tennessee’s nearly $501 million Race to the Top budget has been approved by the U. S. Department of Education, allowing the state and all 136 school districts to move forward in implementing comprehensive school reform plans over the next four years.
Tennessee was just one of two states selected to receive funding in the federal government’s Race to the Top competition in March.
For more, go here.
Additional Federal Flood Assistance Coming to Tennessee Communities
A supplemental war funding bill passed by Congress and sent to the President this week included a provision to provide more than $200 million in federal aid for Tennessee communities impacted by the 2010 flood.
See this article
from the Tennessean for more information.
According to a spokesman from the Governor's office, one of the most significant provisions of the bill would be a reduction of the required local match for FEMA projects from 25% to 10%. During its budget deliberations, the State had pledged to split the 25% match with local governments. As reported in the article linked above, the Governor's office indicates it still plans to split this reduced local match. This means that a county now will only have to provide 5% of the funding for a FEMA project with the State providing 5% and FEMA picking up 90%.
This is good news for many Tennessee local governments that were overwhelmed by the May floods and facing extraordinary costs to rebuild roads, bridges, water treatment facilities, schools and other infrastructure.
See this article
from the Tennessean for more information.
According to a spokesman from the Governor's office, one of the most significant provisions of the bill would be a reduction of the required local match for FEMA projects from 25% to 10%. During its budget deliberations, the State had pledged to split the 25% match with local governments. As reported in the article linked above, the Governor's office indicates it still plans to split this reduced local match. This means that a county now will only have to provide 5% of the funding for a FEMA project with the State providing 5% and FEMA picking up 90%.
This is good news for many Tennessee local governments that were overwhelmed by the May floods and facing extraordinary costs to rebuild roads, bridges, water treatment facilities, schools and other infrastructure.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Updates to the County Uniform Chart of Accounts
The Comptroller's Office has released an updated 2010 Chart of Accounts for county governments. The new version and a short summary of the changes are available from this website.
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