TO
TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES FACING TENNESSEE TODAY FROM 10 NEWS THIS INSIDE TENNESSEE GOOD
MORNING AND WELCOME TO INSIDE
TENNESSEE I'M YOUR MODERATOR
JOHN BECKER KNOXVILLES CITY
COUNCIL USHERED IN A SWEEPING
LEADERSHIP CHANGE THIS FALL
SEVEN OF THE NINE COUNCIL
MEMBERS HAPPENED TO BE WOMEN.
FOUR OF THE NINE COUNCIL
MEMBERS ARE NEW. TWO OF THEM
JOIN US THIS MORNING JANET
TESTERMAN REPRESENTS AT LARGE
SIEBER AND CHARLES THOMAS
REPRESENTS DISTRICT 5. NICE TO
HAVE BOTH OF YOU WITH US.
THANKS FOR HAVING AND FOR THOSE
OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW WHERE
DISTRICT 5 IS IT'S IN THE
NORTHERN PART OF THE CITY. DON
BOSCH IS ONE OF OUR PANELISTS
HE'S A LAWYER AND IS ALSO A
DEMOCRAT. GOOD MORNING JOHN.
GOOD MORNING AND IN REPLACE OF
SUSAN RICHARDSON WILLIAMS KAREN
CARSON WHO IS A NURSE AND ALSO
A REPUBLICAN. GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING ALSO SERVED ON THE
SCHOOL BOARD IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK MORE
ABOUT COUNCIL BECAUSE YOU HELD
REALLY YOUR FIRST FULL MEETING
IT FELT LIKE THIS WEEK. BUT
BEFORE WE DIVE INTO SOME OF THE
ISSUES DO YOU DISCUSS JANET.
LET'S START WITH YOU AND TALK
ABOUT AGAIN WHY YOU WANTED THIS
POSITION IN YOUR DAY JOB? SO
I'M CURRENTLY THE CEO OF
YOUNGWILLIAMS ANIMAL CENTER AND
REALLY WANTED TO SERVE THE
CITY. I HAVE SPENT REALLY THE
MAJORITY OF MY LIFE SERVING
THIS COMMUNITY DIFFERENT
NON-PROFITS DIFFERENT
ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL AS
LEADERSHIP AND SOME OF OUR
CITIES AND TOP EMPLOYERS AND SO
I REALLY WANT TO TAKE THAT
EXPERIENCE AND THAT LEADERSHIP
AND JUST HAVE I HAVE A PASSION
FOR THIS CITY AND WANTED TO
SERVE. YOU'RE OFF AND RUNNING.
CHARLES THOMAS YOUR REASON FOR
RUNNING IN YOUR DAY JOB. YES
THIS IS PRETTY MUCH A
CONTINUATION OF WHAT I'VE DONE
FOR QUITE A WHILE I STARTED OUT
BEING ACTIVE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD
ASSOCIATIONS A YEAR AGO I
WORKED WITH THE GREENWAY
COALITION WHEN WE WERE BUILDING
BIKE TRAILS AND LINEAR PARKS
FROM THERE ON TO THE
TRANSPORTATION BOARD. SIR WHILE
ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND
WAS THE CITY COUNCIL BACK IN
2011 THAT WAS A GOOD EXPERIENCE
I FELT LIKE WE HAD CONTRIBUTED
TO THE CITY AND I WANTED TO
CONTINUE THAT. YOUR DAY JOB IS
AS AN ATTORNEY. YEAH SIGHS DON
KNOWS WE'VE. WE CROSSED PATHS
PRETTY HANDS OVER A LONG TIME
AND I'M A LAWYER BY TRADE. AND
THEN ON WEEKEND PARTLY FOR FINE
I WORKED AT UNION AVENUE BOOKS.
WELL LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT THE MEETING THIS WEEK I
WANTED TO OPEN UP WITH A
QUESTION ABOUT POLICE
RECRUITING BECAUSE THAT'S
SOMETHING WE'VE HEARD
THROUGHOUT THE CAMPAIGN AND
YOU'VE HEARD FROM THE NEW MAYOR
ISN'T A PRIORITY FOR HERS AND
IT WAS FOR THE LAST MAYOR.
LET'S START WITH YOU. MR.
THOMAS AND YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON
THE NEED FOR MORE OFFICERS. I
THINK WE'RE AT ABOUT 375 AND
WE'D LIKE TO HAVE 417 TEEN IF
THAT IF THOSE NUMBERS JIVE WITH
WHAT YOU HEARD THIS WEEK YES.
THE MORE THAT I HEAR ABOUT IT
THE MORE I THINK THAT THIS
CURRENT SITUATION IS
UNACCEPTABLE AND SOME OF THE
COMPLAINTS THAT I'M ALREADY
GETTING OUR OWN RESPONSE TIME
OF THE POLICE AND PEOPLE GET
FRUSTRATED. BUT THE FACTS ARE
WE'RE SPREAD VERY VERY THIN AND
SOME OF THESE POLICE OFFICERS
ARE WORKING MULTIPLE SHIFTS SO
I THINK WE NEED TO BE PROACTIVE
IN EXPANDING OUR POLICE FORCE
AND PART OF YOUR ACTION. THIS
WEEK WAS TO BE PROACTIVE IT
SOUNDS LIKE TO HIRE A MARKETING
FIRM TO SPREAD THAT MESSAGE.
JANET EXPLAIN WHAT WHAT COUNCIL
DID AND WHY YOU THINK IT'S
IMPORTANT? YOU KNOW I SAID FROM
DAY ONE FOR MY CAMPAIGN THAT I
KNEW THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT WAS
AT CRITICAL LEVELS AND SO THAT
WAS SOMETHING I REALLY
CAMPAIGNED ON THAT I REALLY
FELT LIKE LAW ENFORCEMENT IS
CRUCIAL TO THIS COMMUNITY AND
IN OUR OUR CITIZENS WANT THAT
AS WELL. AND SO I BELIEVE WE
DID PASS IT. I THINK IT'S A
GOOD MOVE BUT I ALSO SAID ON
RECORD THAT YOU KNOW IT'S ONE
PIECE OF WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN
WE DO NEED TO LOOK AT PAY AND
BENEFITS. WE ALSO NEED TO LOOK
AT ALLOCATING DOLLARS FOR
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT AND
RETENTION. SO YOU CAN'T YOU CAN
RECRUIT ALL DAY BUT YOU'VE GOT
TO HAVE THE OTHER PIECES OF THE
PIE TO REALLY MAKE IT. AND WE
NEED TO LOOK AT IT
HOLISTICALLY. JENNINGS ELLIE I
SPEND WITH POLICE OFFICERS I
KNOW TRULY DOES TOO FREQUENTLY
REPRESENT POLICE OFFICERS. AND
WHEN I HEAR THEM THEY REALLY
HAVE A VERY QUANTIFIABLE
SOLUTION TO THEIR MORALE.
BETTER YOU LOOK AT THE OTHER
DISTRICTS AROUND HERE. I THINK
A GATLINBURG PD WE LOST A LOT
OF OFFICERS THERE ONCE UPON A
TIME BECAUSE THEY'RE BEING MUCH
BETTER THEY NEED BETTER
BENEFITS YOU'RE RIGHT THEY NEED
BETTER TRAINING AND THEY MANY
HAVE A FEELING THAT MANAGEMENT
IS NOT TRANSPARENT WITH THEM
BUT VERY. THEY'VE IDENTIFIED
THE GOALS NOW ALL OF THOSE
REQUIRE MONEY. WE KNOW THE
BUDGET IS TIGHT. SO DO EITHER
OF YOU HAVE A PROPOSAL THAT
SAYS WE NEED MORE POLICE
OFFICERS. I THINK EVERYBODY
AGREES. BUT WHAT'S THE PROPOSAL
TO BE ABLE TO FUND VERY
ATTAINABLE QUANTIFIABLE GOALS
THAT WILL INCREASE MORALE APD.
CHARLIE I'LL START WITH YOU.
YEAH OBVIOUSLY RAISING TAXES
WOULD BE ONE SOURCE OF REVENUE
THAT'S SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE
WANT TO DO AS A LAST RESORT
INCLUDING ME AS I TALKED ABOUT
DURING THE CAMPAIGN WE'D LIKE
TO DO IS TAKE MORE BLIGHTED
PROPERTY AND GET IT BACK ON THE
TAX ROLLS AND INCREASE THE PIE.
AND OUT OF THAT INCREASED PIE
BE ABLE TO DO IT. I DIDN'T KNOW
IF YOU'RE NOT THERE I'LL GET
YOUR IDEAS. YOU KNOW I SAY WELL
FIRST OF ALL WE HAVEN'T DONE A
SURVEY FORMAL SURVEY FOR PAY
AND BENEFITS SINCE 2007. THERE
HAS BEEN AN INFORMAL ONE DONE
SINCE THEN. I GO BACK TO YOU
KNOW IT'S NOT JUST THAT IT'S
ALSO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND
I THINK YOU KNOW IN EXPANDING
THE TAX BASE WE DO HAVE SOME
TAX ISSUES WE TAX BASE SO WE
CAN PROVIDE THE SOCIAL SERVICES
THAT WE NEED ALONG WITH SUPPORT
FOR FIRST RESPONDERS AND
JARRETT. AS WE LOOK THROUGH THE
TOWN I MEAN WE'VE DONE A PRETTY
GOOD JOB OF EXPANDING THE AND
EXPANDING ECONOMIC
OPPORTUNITIES AND I CREDIT ALL
THE WAY BACK TO BILL
CARSONNEWMAN THE MEDALLION
RHERE HERO. SO I'M STILL
CURIOUS TO WE CAN'T SLICE AND
DICE AND CUT OUR WAY OUT OF IT.
I DON'T THINK A PROPERTY TAX.
WELL I THINK IT MIGHT BE
WARRANTED. I DON'T THINK IT
WILL PASS. AND SO I'M JUST I'M
STILL PUZZLED. BUT WE'RE
PROBABLY TALKING ABOUT YOU KNOW
A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR SOLUTION
BUT A SOLUTION. CHYRON AND I
ALSO THINK IT'S TAKEN A DEEP
DIVE INTO THE BUDGET. SO AS WE
GO INTO BUDGET SEASON REALLY
LOOKING AT AREAS THAT YOU KNOW
THAT MAY BE ABLE TO BECOME
LEANER THAT WE CAN BECOME MORE
EFFICIENT AND STREAMLINE
WHATEVER DEPARTMENTS AND
SERVICES THEY ARE AND SEE WHAT
MONEYS CAN BE EXTRACTED AND
REALLOCATED. AND DON JUST FOR
CLARITY FOR OUR VIEWERS. FORTY
THOUSAND DOLLARS AND YOU ALL
KNOW THIS AS WELL THAT'S THAT'S
THE SCIPT STARTING PAY. WHAT
ARE YOU HEARING DO YOU THINK
WOULD BE A MORE ACCEPTABLE
NUMBER FOR THAT IF IT'S 40 NOW
WHAT SHOULD IT BE. WHAT I HEARD
LAST NIGHT AT LEAST FROM ONE OF
THE SPOKESPEOPLE WHO WAS A
POLICEMAN WAS 50 POUNDS. THAT'S
RIGHT. IS THAT YOUR. YEAH I'M
HEARING THE NUMBER 50 FOR ENTRY
LEVEL THAT CONSISTS WITH OTHER
DEPARTMENTS AND OTHER LIKE
METROPOLITAN AREAS FURTHER THE
ABILITY FOR THAT PAY SCALE TO
GO UP A LITTLE QUICKER THAN IT
DOES. BUT JUST AS IMPORTANT AS
WE'VE ALL SEEN RIGHT NOW
BENEFITS RETIREMENT BENEFITS.
THIS IS NOT A LONG SHELF LIFE
JOB. CHARLIE NOTNE PROBABLY GET
CARRIED OUT OF A COURTHOUSE IN
OUR 80S BUT THESE GUYS AREN'T
WORKING CAN'T WORK THAT LONG.
SO KAREN CARSON WILL LEAD