Last night, the Knox County Commission met to approve Mayor Glenn Jacobs budget, (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021)
Commission meeting 6/24/2020
Jacobs and Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler have been meeting about providing more money to the 820 uniformed officers of the 1,050 Knox County Sheriffs Office. The deputies showed up at Commission last night with their boss.
Sheriff Spangler asking for the departments uniformed officers 820 of the 1,050 employees
Jacobs had proposed a $750 bonus to the officers that would be paid by Thanksgiving. However, when the budget was put up to a vote, a Commissioner made a substitute motion to provide a $1,500 bonus to officers by the first of December.
It was obvious Knox County Finance Director and Deputy Chief of Staff to Mayor Jacobs was agitated at the motion. After much conversation and back and forth, the substitute motion passed 7-2-2 with Commissioners Randy Smith, Evelyn Gill voting NO and Commissioners John Schoonmaker and Charles Busler passing. What is the point in a pass, you were elected for the yeahs and nays. But I digress.
So the Commission spent almost a million that the Mayor didn’t plan for. Is the Commission sending a message to the Mayor that his honeymoon is over? Did a Commissioner begin his campaign to challenge Jacobs for Mayor in 2022?
One Commissioner went to Facebook last night to say they joined with 7 of their Commissioners to pass it, it should have said they joined with 6 of their colleagues. But hey, what’s six, seven or a million?
Republican Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen
Kinda reminds you of the quote attributed to Former United States Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen,
“A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.”
I have served on the Knox County Jail Inspection Committee (which has since been sunset) and Knox County Sheriffs Department Merit System Council. I do feel the deputies deserve a bonus and commend both the Mayor and Sheriff for working for the $750 and do not blame the Sheriff for asking. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
Controversy is always good for an internet blogger to do what an internet blogger does. So, keep it up boys and girls.
Once again Busler is a no show. If he’s not going to vote, stay at home and donate his salary to charity.