Here is your Cleveland, Tenn. | Bradley County, Tenn. news on mymix1041.com, sponsored by Toyota of Cleveland: From the Tennesseean… The state of Te
Here is your Cleveland, Tenn. | Bradley County, Tenn. news on mymix1041.com, sponsored by Toyota of Cleveland:
The state of Tennessee should be one of hope, Gov. Bill Lee said Monday night.
In his third annual address to Tennesseans — a State of the State relocated from its traditional venue in the House chamber — Lee reflected on the devastation of 2020, a year that brought a night of fatal tornadoes to the central portion of the state just as the deadly coronavirus pandemic first reared its head.
Tennessee’s year of tumult ended with a bombing in Nashville.
But the governor, acknowledging the loss of life, income and normalcy that families had experienced, cast a vision for new opportunities in 2021 in a state flush with cash even after dire economic predictions.
New funding to help families, an expansion of broadband internet to most communities and resources for rural areas are all new initiatives Lee is championing as Tennessee’s financial state remains positive, along with massive upgrades to state buildings and more funding to mitigate the coronavirus.
And the year will mark the 225th anniversary of statehood for Tennessee, an occasion Lee plans to celebrate starting in June, when he will travel and hold events in all 95 counties, as he did twice on the campaign trail.
Lee touted his approach to responding to the pandemic.
His strategy was largely to resist top-down government mandates, save for a few “targeted and temporary” restrictions, he noted. Lee in early spring temporarily closed indoor dining and limited gatherings, bringing back short-lived size limits on public social events in December as cases surged.
The governor lauded the state’s financial position, one better than economists and state budget officials could have dreamed last year when they made drastic cuts.
Lee has called for $931 million in capital improvements to state buildings, while proposing $341 million of new K-12 education spending. Tennessee remains in the bottom 10 states in the nation for per-student spending.
While Lee’s budget proposes $4.7 million for new community supervision programs to help those incarcerated re-enter society, it also calls for nearly $100 million in new funding for prisons and jails in the state. A portion of that will go to boosting probation and parole officer pay, which has lagged behind other states.
Other new initiatives by the governor include offering more resources to work with families and churches on promoting adoptions and extending TennCare coverage to all adopted children until age 18. Lee also wants to implement a program he proposed last year, but cut later on, to extend new mother’s TennCare coverage for a year after giving birth.
Despite grave forecasts last spring and summer predicting a year of revenue shortfalls and stalled economic activity, Tennessee’s 2021-2022 budget proposal is a record high. No taxes are being raised and no reserves are being used under Lee’s proposal.
In news today…
During the Cleveland City Council meeting on Monday, an motion was unanimously passed to appoint Marsha McKenzie, wife of the late Charlie McKenzie, to fill the 1st District City Council position left by Mr. McKenzie’s passing. This motion passed 6-0. Discussion took place about the acquisition of the Cleveland Summit, located in the former Cherokee Hotel, and other property downtown. The Summit will be developed into a commercial center in downtown Cleveland. Other areas around the Summit will be developed as well, with a streetscape project on Edward Street, an increase of parking at 1st Street Square, among other projects.
Also in news today…
The Bradley County Commission met on Monday covering several items of business. An update was given on the SanTek sludge situation at the landfill. SanTek had agreed to reduce the sludge by around 30-35%. In the last three months of 2020, they reduced it by approximately 60%. During the session, Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis announced that his Executive Assistant for the last seven years – Lindsay Hathcock – has turned in his notice. His last day will be Friday. Mr. Hathcock has accepted a position with the State Department of Health. The commission and Mayor complimented him on his work for the county.
