FACE OF COURAGE
‘MAJOR’ WINS
Woman recalls ‘Bama civil rights struggle
Marvin recalls big games from Majors era
LARRY VAN GUILDER, A-6
MARVIN WEST, A-7
HALLS/FOUNTAIN CITY
Vol. 50, 5 , No. 8 • February 21,, 2011 • www.ShopperNewsNow.com • 45 4509 9 Doris Circle,, Knoxville 37918 • 922-4136
Feeders installed By JJake ake ak ke M Mabe abe be
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wo feeder boxes containing high-protein pellets of animal food were installed Feb. 10-11 at Fountain City Lake. Lake visitors are being asked to purchase a handful of pellets, which costs 25 cents, rather than using bread or other food to feed the waterfowl. It is part of an ongoing effort by the Tennessee Izaak Walton League in cooperation with the city of Knoxville and the Fountain City Lions Club to improve health conditions and the water quality at the lake. During a span of 20 minutes on a beautiful afternoon last week, three families showed up at the lake to feed the fowl. One used
Education effort aims to improve health, water quality
at Fountain City Lake
Tennessee Izaak Walton League executive director Mark Campen inspects one of two new feeder boxes (see inset) that have been installed at Fountain City Lake. The League is spearheading an education effort asking that visitors use high-protein pellets, which can be purchased for a quarter per handful, to feed the animals at the lake rather than using bread and other food, which is harmful to both the animals and the lake’s water quality. Photo by Jake Mabe
bread. Another saw the feeders and opted to purchase the pellets. A third family saw the feeders, read the sign and used the bread they had brought with them. “The cycle has been going on for so long,” says Tennessee Izaak Walton League executive director Mark Campen, who lives in Fountain City and is a Lions Club member. “We knew it was going to be a hard task to break it.” The League held a meeting at the lake last July to give the public an overview of its plan. The
feeders, which provide a healthier alternative food source, were installed by Todd Howard of Sevierville. Howard’s business provides the machines, food, labor and upkeep at no cost and splits the profits 50/50 with the Fountain City Lions Club, which is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the lake. Campen says that the next step is to continue educating the public. Discussions are underway to place signage at existing kiosks at the lake and to hold a poster contest
with prize giveaways for Fountain City area 3rd through 5th graders under a “Healthy Ducks are Happy Ducks” theme. The theme for this spring’s Honor Fountain City Day will also have a lake-based theme. “If you sit down and watch here at any given time you can see potential problems,” Campen said. “Anywhere from 50-100 birds are here during the day. It’s not good when you have a lot of birds eating and defecating in the same place,” which can lead to the spread of To page A-2
Clothes make the (police) man By Larry Van Guilder Sheriff’s deputies are familiar with the techniques of “restraint.” It’s knowledge that could save an officer’s life. But a measure of fiscal restraint at the top in the Knox County Sheriff’s Office may be overdue.
Analysis According to information provided by the KCSO, the chief deputy and eight assistant chief deputies, earning from $71,173 to $104,000 annually (an average salary of $88,079) each receive annual clothing allowances of $575. Plain clothes and undercover deputies also receive allowances, purchasing clothing at retailers as diverse as JCPenney, Banana Republic and Nautica. Salaries for those under the rank of chief deputy range from $30,000 to $60,000 according to Allison Rogers, the KCSO finance director. Police work is a dangerous and often thankless job, and a uniform allowance for the 137 rank and file dep-
Allison Rogers’ response to some issues raised in our story: “The uniform/clothing allowance is not based on the salary of the individual, but rather on their job title/job description. Knox County Commission approves the uniform allowance every year, and in fact increased the allowance approximately 4-5 years ago. “The sheriff ’s budget has increased over the last four years due to several events. First of all, the sheriff has taken over (with the approval of Knox County Commission) Pretrial, Juvenile Court Officers and Animal Control for an increase of approximately $1,600,000. The additional increase is from pay raises the Knox County mayor and Knox County Commission approved in FY2008 and FY2009. Also, Knox County finance increased our budget due to the rise in health insurance costs. The pay raises and health insurance premiums account for over $5 million. “However, KCSO’s operations have virtually seen no increase over the last four years. Sheriff Jones has continued to provide the same services to the citizens of Knox County over the last four years with no additional funding in the budget’s day-to-day operations.” uties in the field may be warranted in most instances. But an allowance for those earning more than double the average wage in Knox County is an unnecessary holdover from the days when even the highest ranking officers were underpaid. Last week the Shopper-News reported that 100 new patrol cars are
on Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones’ wish list. The tab could run more than $3 million. Eliminating the clothing allowance for the rank of deputy chief and above won’t make a noticeable dent in the amount required for new vehicles, but it would signal the sheriff’s intention to get the
costs. The Uniformed Officers Pension Plan shares the same drawback as other “defined benefit” plans: in the long run, the cost for the county is unsustainable. Corporations with assets that dwarf Knox County’s resources began dropping defined benefit plans some years ago in favor of 401(k) plans. Perhaps more than any other county employees, sheriff’s deputies deserve the best benefits we can afford to give, but the current plan has the potential to bankrupt the county. If anything, the clothing allowance for high-ranking administrators betrays a culture that has flourished for years with little accountability, other than that which comes at the ballot box. It’s telling that the KCSO’s budget has continued to grow during the worst economic stretch this country has seen since the Great Depression. The difference in fiscal practices between the economy-minded mayor and the sheriff are due for an airing before the county’s next budget comes to commission for approval. 2707 Mineral Springs Ave. Knoxville, TN 37917 Ph. (865) 687-4537
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most from the department’s budget during difficult economic times. Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett announced a $3 million dollar budget shortfall for FY 2012 just weeks ago. New cruisers widen the gap to $6 million. Maintaining law and order isn’t cheap, but a review of Knox County’s last four budgets reveals that outlays for public safety are outstripping most all other departments in the general government. For FY 2008, public safety’s adopted budget was $63.5 million. It grew to $66.2 million in 2009, $68.6 million in 2010 and $70.4 million in the current fiscal year, or about an 11 percent increase for the four-year span. Only the school budget has shown greater growth, about $21 million over four years, but that represents only a 6 percent jump. For the same period, the general administrative budget is down $4.1 million, a decrease of nearly 25 percent. There are other indications that the sheriff should take a close look at
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