As everyone who uses the computer with any regularity knows, there are so many viruses, worms, and other "bugs" being circulated that it is risky to open much of the e-mail that is received. And I am becoming more and more cautious about opening anything of which I am not absolutely sure is safe. So if you e-mail me, please be sure to include some reference to Jellico or other familiar subject that will allow me to verify the authenticity of the incoming correspondence.
I sometimes get unsigned mail at the post office that criticizes me for some wrong or perceived wrong committed by me and/or by our city government. And I recently received one that accused me of lying in a recent article in which I stated that the tax rate for the city of Jellico has not been raised in many years.
The writer enclosed a copy of that article with a notation that his or her taxes had raised in 2001 and 2002 and that I should start telling the truth about things. Having long ago become accustomed to such accusations, I did not feel too offended but felt that I should explain to him or her in this column (since I don't know the identity of the writer) that my property taxes have increased in some past years as well. (And I do sometimes have to remind complaining citizens that I, and members of the city council, also live inside the city of Jellico and pay the same rates for taxes, utilities, etc. as everyone else.)
But neither the unknown writer's increases nor my past increases had anything to do with the city of Jellico property tax rate. Our city rate for property taxes to the best of my recollection has been the same every since I first came on the city council eight (8) years ago and it has remained at that level for that entire period (and reportedly for several years prior to that.)
There are other considerations totally out of the control of the city of Jellico that affect property taxes and may result in increases in the amounts that we pay. Those include such factors as improvements to property that increase its value, state required periodic valuations of real property, etc..
I want to again state that the city of Jellico has not raised the property tax rate in many years and that the total amount that we currently pay for property taxes is incredibly low when compared to many other municipalities. And the mayor and council are all hopeful that we can keep them so low since we are not overly enthusiastic about having to pay more ourselves. But there is such a thing as "local maintenance of effort" and the state of Tennessee is becoming more and more adamant about counties and municipalities meeting that requirement and helping to carry their own loads. We may eventually be forced to raise the rate even if we prefer not to.
In a recent article I referred to the last great flood that we have had in Jellico that reached even into the downtown. I gave some details but mentioned that I simply could not recall the year of that flood. Reverend Don Lay later informed me that the year was 1973 and I believe he said that he was involved in some of the Jellico Rescue Squad's operations at that time.
And speaking of the rescue squad, I just happened to be at the municipal building when the squad's beautiful new tanker truck was delivered. (In fact the driver making the delivery was looking for the rescue squad building and I saw the new vehicle even before members of the squad.) The vehicle will be a great addition to the squad's capabilities to assist in emergencies and was purchased totally through grants and public donations. And the squad members have taken great pains to continuously thank our citizens for their donations that enable them to contribute so much to our town and our area.
And we have the possibility of receiving a private grant of $ 5,000.00 to $ 10,000.00 for community improvements to be used at the discretion of the mayor. Jellico resident Mike Smith, manager of the Williamsburg Walmart Super Center, recently informed me that he has applied for such community grants for both Jellico and Williamsburg. Although he can not guarantee that the grants will be approved, he says that he sees real effort being made in both towns to improve appearances and he wants to help. And he also says that he greatly appreciates the business that the store receives from both areas.
I cited the fact in a recent article that the First Baptist Church has been considering getting involved in our drive to restore our town and possibly even paint one or more buildings. Manager Smith says that in addition to all of his past help, that his offer to donate Walmart paint free of charge for such community projects in Jellico still stands. Smith says that he loves the Jellico area, is genuinely interested in the future of our town and plans to remain here with his family. And he says that he is willing to help in anyway possible in what we are trying to accomplish. That is exactly the type of attitude that we need on the part of all of our citizens and although I have assured him that I have absolutely no intentions of ever running for public office again, I am strongly encouraging him to become a candidate for city council in the next election. And he indicates that he will seriously consider doing just that.
x I have been asked to again run the schedule for the ERROC (now known as "Extreme East") events for this summer that I ran in the edition of January 31st.. The dates are:
I have not yet had an opportunity to view the sign advertising the city of Jellico that has been placed where it can be seen by north bound traffic on the Interstate. Jake Bennett says the picture of the wedding chapel is good but the lettering is smaller than he had expected it would be.
I was amazed at the number of folks who went out of their way to comment on my remarks last week concerning Hanoi Jane Fonda, her support for the North Vietnamese and her liberal ways. And those comments came from Democrats and Republicans alike. And that's good!
It seemed that every major television network and newspaper available to us had seemingly become ultra-liberal in its political persuasions and for years we were fed a steady diet of liberal dogma to constantly see, hear and read. And it was great news to a lot of us when Fox News Network signed on with a more conservative slant - and without doubt that network has already attracted a very large following in our local area and from all accounts, throughout the nation. Their motto is "fair and balanced" and they even have liberals on many of their programs.
We all want them to be fair! But we definitely do not want them to be balanced to include liberal viewpoints. We get enough of that in every other media outlet. We want them to be totally biased toward the conservative side of things.
(An awful lot of folks are happy that the liberals including the Hollywood types, have really taken a beating on Mel Gibson and his movie, "The Passion of Christ". In spite of all their criticisms and running down of everything and everybody connected with that film, it gives every indication of being one of the most widely attended and largest money makers of all time. The American public has put at least some of them in their place. But they won't lay low for long!)
Those who follow Tennessee basketball mostly only see what is presently taking place and have begun to criticize the job that Buzz Peterson is doing. But what is happening right now with our Tennessee team -in spite of its current record - is extremely encouraging to those who follow the situation very closely.
If I hadn't heard it twice, I would not have believed that I had heard it at all. But John Adams, sports editor of the Knoxville News-Sentinel, told the listening audience on a local radio sports show right after the embarrassing loss to Kentucky in basketball, that he expects Tennessee's men's team to win 24 or 25 games next season. And about everybody expects the Vol round ballers to be much improved next year simply due to the fact that they have no seniors and have played such a tough schedule this year. And other teams will lose players to both graduation and early exiting to enter the National Basketball Association draft. But for Adams to predict that kind of success considering their record on the road is sure a surprise. No! More like a shock!
However Adams and a lot of others are aware that the team will add redshirts Andre Patterson, 6-7 transfer from UCLA, and reputedly tremendous shooting guard 6-3 Jordan Howell along with 6-10, 280 lbs Damien Harris who reportedly was singled out for praise at a basketball camp from none other than former NBA great Patrick Ewing. He should provide the bulk with a shooting touch inside that the Vols have needed so badly this year - just as badly as they have needed Patterson's scoring and rebounding and Howell's outside shooting.
And the odds are at least somewhat improved that they might have the 6-11 former high school all-American Jackie Butler. NBA scouts have reportedly said that he placed himself in the available draft too late for a thorough evaluation and that he will probably not be drafted due to that fact. If true, that's bad news for him but great news for Tennessee's coaching staff. But he still must also qualify academically for admittance to school and that is very "iffy". If Butler is there, many expect him and Patterson to start. Five players on the floor like Butler, Patterson, C.J. Watson, Brandon Crump and Scooter McFaghdon could sure be a challenge for opposing defenses. And the bench will be deep and experienced.
However with or without Butler, almost all knowledgeable basketball folks predict at least 20 wins for the Vols in 2004-05. And as I wrote in an earlier article, one national writer has predicted the NCAA "sweet sixteen" and possibly higher for them next year. Let's hope that he is right for we have suffered through enough poor to mediocre seasons in recent years.
(And the Lady Vols have just signed what some have called "possibly the greatest recruiting class in the history of women's basketball". It just doesn't get much better than that!)
I happened to fall in behind an enclosed truck on the Interstate the other day that looked an awful lot like an armored vehicle utilized for transferring funds from banks to banks, businesses to banks, etc.. And the vehicle bore the advertisement for a security alarm system company that made it appear even more likely that it could be involved in transporting cash and securities - unless you read the entire advertisement carefully. Apparently the driver must have realized that the vehicle could have be mistaken for an armored vehicle transferring cash and possibly a target for holdups, hijackings, etc.. So he had placed another sign on the back with a little added humor that read: ABSOLUTELY NO CASH CARRIED ON BOARD THIS VEHICLE! (DRIVER IS MARRIED!)
JOHN CLIFTON, Mayor, City of Jellico
E-mail me at: mayor@jellico.tn.us
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