Last night the Knox County Commission spent a considerable amount of time debating revising the County General Plan and the County Growth Plan. Both plans are instruments created by and are revenue makers for the Metropolitan Planning Commission.
Knox County Commissioner at Large Larsen Jay at a campaign event last year while he ran for office.
First off, Commissioner at Large Seat 10 Larsen Jay was a no show, there was no announcement about his absence. January was his 5th month of a 48 month term.
There was much discussion and ultimately a vote to instruct Mayor Glenn Jacobs to request the City of Knoxville and the Town of Farragut to convene the coordinating council for a revised Growth Plan.
The City of Knoxville has spent the last 12-24 months doing Recode Knoxville, which fundamentally changes the code and increases density in the city (which will likely increase revenue for the city) and now Knox County is going to allow the city to determine the growth plan for the county?
Commissioner John Schoonmaker on an Elevator in Chattanooga on a taxpayer funded trip
Also at last nights meeting Commissioner John Schoonmaker passed (without explanation) on the two votes for how Knox County would pay the legal bills for the Uniformed Officers Pension Plan lawsuit. This action left one ninth of the taxpayers of Knox County without representation. Totally disrespectful to the citizens he swore an oath to represent. If a Commissioner is present at a meeting a YES or NO vote should always be cast.
Newly Appointed 8th District Knox County Commissioner Richie Beeler and I
I am going to give Richie Beeler a rookie Commissioner from the Eighth District a pass. At only his second meeting, he passed on a vote, after all Commissioners voted, he then cast a vote with the prevailing side. I will chalk that up as a rookie learning move in hopes it doesn’t continue.
