|
|
|
| Welcome! |
|
Dear Neighbors and Friends,
 As I wrap up my first two years of service on Knox County Commission, I am pleased to report on the following progress:
During my first year on Commission I was able to draft and pass an ordinance that requires Knox County to conduct a Fiscal Impact Analysis on all pending ordinances, prior to their second reading. This prevents the Commission from passing an ordinance without a full understanding of what it will cost the taxpayers. This is an important step towards greater fiscal responsibility for our County.
As Commissioner, I have been able to direct more county resources to North Knoxville. I was successful in amending this past year's budget to provide full funding for the Cerebral Palsy Group Home in our district. This home allows our neighbors with Cerebral Palsy to live in a more independent manner; without proper funding, it would be difficult for this facility to remain open, and these individuals would most likely be moved to a nursing home.
|
Endorsed by the Knoxville News Sentinel
&
Public Trust PAC!
|
This year I was appointed to serve on the Community Grants Citizen Review Panel, which distributed almost half a million dollars in grants to more than two dozen non-profits in our community. We funded 38 programs that have a positive impact on our community.
 I have also been able to provide funds for the following organizations: East Tennessee Foundation, Old North Knoxville Neighborhood Association, Oakwood Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association, North Knoxville Business & Professional Association, North Hills Garden Club, North Hills Area Association, Honor Air Knoxville, Highland Neighbors Association, Guy B. Love Towers Residents Association, Fourth & Gill Neighborhood Organization, Fountain City Town Hall, Fountain City Skate Plaza, Fountain City Connections, Fairmont Emoriland Neighborhood Association, Edgewood Park Neighborhood Association, Downtown North Association, Beaumont Elementary School, Alice Bell Spring Hill Neighborhood Association, National Kidney Foundation, Girl Scouts of Tanasi Council, Volunteer Ministry Center, Epilepsy Foundation of East Tennessee, Christenberry PTA, SEEED, Carpet Bag Theatre, Alice Bell Spring Hill Ballpark, CAC Office on Aging, Kiwanis Club of Norwood, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the East Tennessee Technology Access Center.
I continue to strive to make government more open, accessible and accountable. Commissioner Mark Harmon and I host an open meeting each month the week before the full Commission meets. We discuss agenda items and other issues of interest with our constituents. These meetings have become so popular that they are attended by other Commissioners as well as our constituents.
I have also drafted and passed a resolution creating a Task Force to study the impact of our growing Senior population. The number of Seniors in our County will double over the next 10 years, and it is in all our best interests to evaluate the impact this will have on our County. We must have the necessary resources and programs in place when we need them; if we take a reactive rather than a proactive approach to this population growth, we will fail our Seniors. I attended a conference in Chattanooga on Aging in Place with other task force members, and we have been implementing what we learned in our Livable Communities for All Task Force. We have also expanded our concept to include people with disabilities, and we are planning to host a conference here in Knoxville next spring.
 During the first year of my service on Commission, I was elected by my colleagues to serve as Vice Chair of the Beer Board, and Secretary of the Intergovernmental Committee. I have also been appointed to the Stormwater Task Force and the Justice Task Force, and have represented Knox County at the national convention of the National Association of Counties. In addition to the Intergovernmental Committee, I also serve on the Rules Committee, which has implemented changes in our agenda that increase the opportunity for individuals to address the Commission during our regular meetings.
I was part of a delegation of city and county employees which attended the national Vacant Property Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. This group has been meeting regularly for the past year, studying and evaluating our codes and procedures for dealing with vacant properties in Knox County and Knoxville. Vacant properties are a tremendous drain on our communities, and our county's resources. We are in the process of coordinating City and County efforts and creating a new, streamlined, more efficient process for dealing with vacant properties.
I was awarded an independent scholarship to the national Brownfields Conference, the largest, most comprehensive conference in the nation focused on environmental revitalization and economic redevelopment.
As a result of my experiences at the Vacant Properties and Brownfields Conferences, I have created a Community Gardens Initiative, called Volunteer Green, in conjunction with the Knox County Health Department. I am also working with the Health Department to revitalize the Food Policy Council, which was the first of its kind in the United States.
 As a member of the Justice Task Force, I have been involved in solving our jail overcrowding problems. Along with Commissioners Briggs and Anders, I co-sponsored and passed a resolution creating a Safety Center, which will divert the non-violent mentally ill into treatment instead of prison. This will save millions of tax dollars, and will make it possible for our community's most vulnerable individuals to receive the treatment they need, rather than cycling through our justice system again and again. Locating the Safety Center in the Second District will increase the law enforcement presence in the Central Avenue/Broadway Corridors, which will have a positive effect on crime and prostitution in that area.
I represented Knox County at the annual Tennessee Economic Summit on Women in Nashville, and held discussion groups on the impact of women on Tennessee's economy after my return. I continue to lead book groups and seminars on women in politics. I have also been invited to participate in the Harvard Kennedy School's Executive Development Program.
Most current Commissioners agree that working more closely with our counterparts on Knoxville City Council and the Knox County School Board benefits all of us. I have encouraged all three groups to spend more time together, both socially - as in the Knox County Softball Championship I organized last year to benefit Second Harvest - and professionally - as in the joint City-County workshop on the Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness.
 Strong neighborhoods mean a strong district. Neighborhoods with active organizations are more likely to work together on problems facing that community, and often have a positive impact on crime, vandalism, trash and decay. They also frequently have a positive impact on the schools within their boundaries. I have been instrumental in organizing a new community group in the Beaumont Community. It is meeting regularly, and has already had a very successful Neighborhood Cleanup Day.
I have also helped Highland Neighbors establish a new neighborhood park, and supported the construction of the Fountain City Skate Park.
In May I launched the "Do 10 in '10 Challenge," an initiative designed to promote healthy bodies, minds, and communities in Knox County. Details can be found here.
In the past year I was honored to receive the very first Dorothy Weber YES Award from the Knoxville Optimist Club, and the Dorothy Lee Price Diversity Celebration Award from the Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians.
As I seek re-election this year, I will continue to work hard for the people of the Second District. I hope I will continue to receive your support and you will cast your vote for me on August 5.
Best regards,
Amy
6/27/2010 |
|
