sevier county commission votes to raise property tax

This has to be a mistake. We've been told time and time again that the tourists, developers and builders will more than offset increased demand on infrastructure.

Maybe part of the raise can go to teach our elected officials math 101 (In college, courses are listed as 101, 201, 301, etc. - Math 101 is a first year college course. It doesn't require taking off your shoes to count to 20)!

How many of our local leaders were homeskool'd?

The county commission has absolutely NO business donating my taxes to non-profit charities. I will choose which non-profits get my donations NOT the county. What just transpired was not a tax increase for schools but a money give away to some commissioner's favorite charity. These idiots need to be voted out of office, come on November.

I agree with D Loveland, the county should not be giving the charities, let me make that decision.

Hey is case you did not Know, Dollywood skews and distorts the BEP2 tax formula all out of wack. Maybe the time has come for the Missouri Mafia to kick in more instead of just kickbacks for all that cheap labor they get!

I think this opinion section is a good thing. Everyone should be aloud to voice their opinion. The only thing wrong is everyone seems to be afraid to put their name to their opinion. Keep giving your opinion if you can stand behind it. If you can’t stand behind it move back to Michigan or where ever it is your from. We here in Sevier County stand behind our word and are not afraid to let people know it.

John the Taxpayer - you are a waste of human blood - but I have to say you have read the White Cap history book - most of us were not even alive back then - just like during the days of slavery - we moved on and continue to try and make a better life for ourselves and YOU You stay in the days of old- I guess your memory only goes so far. Get over !!!!

Mikey, er, I mean John, lol... when you change names and chant the same rant, you are not fooling anyone. Get over those white caps will you? Just because The Hendersons whipped your daddy & uncle is no excuse to keep it alive. It's over, it happened, talking about it won't change it.
Mikey is like a robot, he only speaks in cliche's and quotes. He never answers a question, nor debates, it's always Mikey's way or the highway.

Mike A.K.A. John Taxpayer can’t put his name on the ballot because he is a convicted felon. Have you not heard what he did with farm animals?

Bob is my real dad. Mom told me was TEN times the man little Mike is. (in every way)
So why don’t you get out of the river?

Mike you need to back into a goat.

My name will be on the next ballot. I am just getting famous now as the first phase of the process. There will be a lot of new names on the next ballot to choose from and you can count on that.

For the first time Crazy Mike is right. Only a COWARD would post something on here and hide behind a (John Taxpayer) made up name.
By the way Crazy Mike convicted felons can not run for office in the United States.

Sevier ridges stirring skeptics
Some residents wary of officials who have development interests
By Thomas Benning (Contact)
Monday, August 13, 2007

Among the proponents for regulation of hillside and ridge development in Sevier County, Ben Clabo would admit that he is an unlikely member.

For years, the county commissioner voted and politicked on the side of property owners’ rights. Clabo, who lives at the base of Cove Mountain, was initially against planning and at first opposed zoning.

But Clabo’s position on steep-slope development came into focus on a personal level. An avid foxhunter, Clabo used to hunt at least once a week at any number of spots in the county. But one day a developer bought one of his favorite spots on Big Pine Mountain.

“All of a sudden, there wasn’t a mountain there,” he said. “It kind of woke me up. I began to see what was happening.”

The views of Clabo and other elected officials on hillside- and ridge-development regulation are becoming increasingly important as Sevier County and its municipalities prepare to receive recommendations from the New York-based consulting firm Saratoga Associates.

This decision-making step has proven difficult in previous years. Efforts to pass subdivision and zoning regulations were successful, but only after heated, drawn-out affairs. It took six years for countywide zoning to be implemented.

County Mayor Larry Waters said government bodies will begin receiving final recommendations in September and that the time frame for a decision on steep-slope regulations should be relatively short.

“We are looking at tweaking rules, extending some rules,” he said. “It’s not like we are creating whole new organizations to do this.”

Two public meetings will be held today and Tuesday to discuss the final recommendations, but public comments previously complied by Saratoga suggests that some residents are skeptical going into the implementation stage of regulations.

Six of the 30 comments gathered from the first public meeting in June said the problem with the current state of hillside development was local government. One said the problem is “Sevier County Commission members with vested interests in exponential growth/development ($$) without regard for heritage, culture and environment.”

The CEO of Saratoga Associates, Bob Bristol, said those types of concerns are typical and that the criticisms of government in Sevier County were not more or less scathing than in other areas. He said the makeup of the County Commission seemed normal, as well.

“Most people who get elected to public office have other jobs,” he said, “so it’s not surprising that some of them would be involved with development.”

There are at least four commissioners on the 25-member County Commission with direct ties to development, although not necessarily of the steep-slope variety: Warren Hurst, Jimbo Conner, Kenneth Whaley and Kent Woods. None of these commissioners could be reached for comment.

Commissioner Jim Keener, a former real estate agent and auctioneer, said in an e-mail that the anti-development crowd was being unfair in offering such broad accusations against the commission.

“They make untrue statements about people and accuse everyone involved in Sevier County government to be in some kind of conspiracy of property owners and developers to desecrate the land we all love,” Keener wrote. “I can assure you that less than five members of the twenty-five member commission could be tied to Sevier County development in any shape, form or fashion.”

According to the recently passed county ethics code, officials must disclose personal financial interest in voting matters. Officials are allowed to abstain from voting in such situations, but it is not a requirement.

Commissioner Mike Hillard said his development-tied colleagues were already good about abstaining if they had a project in the Planning Commission. Hillard, who had not seen Saratoga’s preliminary report, said that without knowing the specific recommendations, it would be hard to say how development-involved commissioners should proceed.

Waters said a variety of opinions on the regulations should be expected, regardless of who is connected to development or not and that officials will have to weigh protecting both hilltops and property rights.

“I think that there are folks out there who are not even developers who are very protective of property rights,” he said. “Just because you don’t agree with someone does not mean someone is unethical.”

Of the commissioners contacted, most took a wait-and-see approach to the recommendations. However, Clabo and Keener offered their opinions.

Clabo said he doesn’t want all steep-slope development stopped, but that he would like to see some reasonable standards put into place. Keener shared similar views. He wrote that reckless development needs to be prevented, but that property rights need to be considered, too.

Keener added that as the county moves toward a decision on potential hillside and ridge regulations, all citizens, regardless of viewpoint, need to come together to strike a balance.

“Let’s stop accusing each other,” he wrote, “and get down to work on things we can do to preserve Sevier County that is fair to everyone.”

I HATE TO HEAR YOU MAKE FUN OF OUR SHERIFF. I KNOW TWO COPS IN SEVIER COUNTY ONE IS FAT & LAZY & THE OTHER ONE IS A COWARD.

I find the extremes of conjecture of this forum to be most interesting. I do believe that the cronyism and nepotism in this county which is part of the "Good Ol Boy" history has set a very corrosive tone for the youth enrolled in the Sevier county school system, which in essence, has permeated the entire system and affects our kids most adversely. When politics is placed above instruction and standards of accountability in teaching personnel/or administrators, we have a very big problem! Raising taxes may offset some of these costs, however, without fiscal accountability and responsibility, it will not matter if the system has a monetary surplus or a deficit, it will never be enough! Removing substandard teaching personnel from the payroll would certainly free up monies! Demanding accountability from school officials is not something that is asking them to "go over and above", it simply is asking them to get with the rest of the Western Hemisphere! This system is funded primarily off the backs of good hard working people! I have talked with countless parents and kids in this community who admit there are many problems that exist within the school system. There are some very good educators in the system who readily admit that there are problems which seem insurmountable at times, however these individuals find themselves in a very precarious situation as to voice this aloud, may mean termination of their jobs. Ideally we would all like to think that teaching personnel and administrators have your childs utmost welfare at stake! However, this is not always true. There are some that lead with reverence, compassion, and by example who wish for your child to flourish and work very altruistically. There are also some right here in this county school system who berate children, chastise children, bully children, induce fear, threaten, humiliate, and cause undue substantial forms of emotional distress. Yet, there is no EFFECTIVE systematic means of lodging complaints. When one lodges a complaint, say with a business, they do expect those to conduct a fair, impartial, and unbiased investigation in attempting to resolve the problem. In this current system, the business of educating our children, administrators and some teaching personnel vehemently deny that problems occur, or worse yet, give you lip service, without resolution....and the problem continues to mount, escalate, and fester. Problems are ignored, minimized, blatantly denied...and there is no current EFFECTIVE avenue to redress legitimate grievances within the Sevier county school system. This type of conduct equates to bullying, as this type of behavior is rooted in a power differential. If our kids conducted themselves in this way toward teachers or administrators, they would be penalized. However, the abusive conduct of some educators and administrators goes without consequence! This seems to be a gross DOUBLE STANDARD which is typical of good ol boy politics! Perhaps if we had accountable and responsive officials who really cared about the youth enrolled in the school system who wished for all to receive fair treatment, regardless of last name, socio-economic background, race, gender, and the like, our youth would all flourish! I certainly then would not mind paying more for property taxes if I were certain that these factors were rectified and all were working toward this ideal. However, currently, we certainly do not get our money's worth! We all need to collectively stand together and demand a better environment for our children enrolled in the system. Sevier county schools do lack even the most basic of supplies, however the central office in Sevierville (which houses the administrative personnel for Sevier county schools) does have a ROOF that the Director of schools asked the commission for last year....to the tune of one MILLION two HUNDRED THOUSAND dollars! Does that make us feel better? How exactly did that help or benefit the youth in the school systems scattered across the county?

And if a picture paints a thousand words, then how shall I paint you Sevier County Commissioners? This is not your finest hour. I should think you'd want to put on a prettier face, especially while the eyes of so many strangers look upon you during this time of turmoil. This author is very much alive. This stranger's eyes are piercing, and you've shown yourselves to me clearly. What I've seen isn't pretty. What this stranger's eyes have seen is ugly.

I do like the "SPACE COMMITTEE" though. All you need do is look between your ears and you will find plenty!