Knox County Update from Commissioner Bob Thomas

Monday, February 26, 2018

February Update from Commissioner Bob Thomas

Commissioner Bob Thomas and wife Kim

Here is your February Update for Knox County!

*****My wife Kim and I are in the tenth month of our "Faith Tour" visiting a different church service each week. Many people have invited us to their church and we have visited 40 so far. If you want us to visit your church please contact us at ElectBobThomas@yahoo.com!

***The February Ed and Bob NIGHT OUT in Knox County was at Love That BBQ on Old Maryville Pike. This was our 37th consecutive monthly community meeting in Knox County! Each month we hold a meeting so you can come out and talk with your Commissioners about any concerns.

***The February Ed and Bob NIGHT OUT in Knox County was at Little Joe's Pizza in Farragut. Many people came by and shared their thoughts with us.

***Join me at the annual O'Connor Senior Center Pancake Breakfast on Friday, March 2nd at the center on Winona Avenue. I will be flipping some pancakes starting at 8:00am!

In Commission news...

On Monday, February 26th at 1:30pm, the Knox County Pension and Retirement Board will meet on the 6th floor of the City County Building in the Commission Conference Room. The Beer Board will meet at 4:00pm. The regular Commission meeting will begin at 5pm followed by Zoning at 7pm. Beer Board, Commission and Zoning will take place in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building.

The Commission agenda has approximately 40 items. This month many of the items are from the School Board. There are 13 items from the School Board and 7 from Engineering and Public Works. School resolutions are merely a formality as they pass whether we vote for them or not. There are two First readings on ordinances this month and one final Second Reading on an ordinance. In zoning, there are 6 issues this month. Some resolutions that stand out are:

1. Resolution approving the receipt of funds fro the TN Department of Education for a Learnign Center Grant of $108,000.

2. Resolution approving the acceptance of $48,311 donation for the Central High School baseball and softball facility.

3. Resolution approving the acceptance of twenty GPS systems from the Department of Defense for the Sheriff's Department.

Should you or any Knox County resident need assistance from Knox County government, please contact me at:

Bob.Thomas@KnoxCounty.org or 865-309-4364

Seat 10 At-Large Commissioner of Knox County Commission

Chairman, Knox County Cable TV Committee

Chairman, Knox County Disability Committee
Knox County Development Corp Board
Knox County Pension & Retirement Committee
Knox County Parks & Recreation Board
Metro Drug Coalition Board
Dogwood Arts Festival Board
Young-Williams Animal Center Board
American Cancer Society Board
Arts & Culture Alliance Board
Community Television Board
Thompson-Boling Arena Use Committee

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

January Update from Commissioner Bob Thomas

Commissioner Bob Thomas and wife Kim

Here is your January Update for Knox County!

Happy New Year from the Thomas family! We look forward to a great 2018!

*****My wife Kim and I are in the ninth month of our "Faith Tour" visiting a different church service each week. Many people have invited us to their church and we have visited 40 so far. If you want us to visit your church please contact us at ElectBobThomas@yahoo.com!

***I will be on Fox 43 with anchor John Becker on Tuesday, January 23rd. Be sure to tune in!

***The January Ed and Bob NIGHT OUT in Knox County will be Thursday, January 18th at Little Joe's Pizza, 13100 on Kingston Pike in Farragut from 5-7pm. This will be our 36th consecutive monthly community meeting in Knox County! Come out and talk with your Commissioners about any concerns and while you're there have some of the best pizza in Farragut!

***The December Ed and Bob NIGHT OUT in Knox County was ringing the Salvation Army bell by the Red Kettle at West Town. Lots of people came by on a blistering cold night and donated to help the Salvation Army all year long.

Commissioners Bob Thomas and Ed Brantley Ringing the Salvation Army Bells!

***The Martin Luther King holiday was filled with a lot of events to celebrate the life of Dr. King. I attended the Awards Luncheon at the Downtown Marriott on Thursday, Jan 11th. Then on Monday January 15th I walked in the MLK Parade from Chilhowee Park to the Overcoming Believers Church. Chris Blue was the Grand Marshall driven by my friend Hal Hill! On Monday night I was once again one of the sponsors of the Knoxville Symphony's Celebration of Dr. King at the Tennessee Theater.

Commissioner Thomas with Chris Blue and Hal Hill.

MLK Concert by the Knoxville Symphony at the Tennessee Theater

***I will be the MC once again for Doc Rock, Friday, January 19th at the International. This event raises funds for local non-profit medical charities by featuring bands made up mostly of local doctors. Come join us for a great cause and hear a lot of great music! More details here: https://internationalknox.com/ OR https://www.facebook.com/DocRockForHealth/.

Commissioner Thomas on stage as MC once again with Doc Rock Founder Jacqi Prince

***Join me at the annual O'Connor Senior Center Pancake Breakfast on Friday, March 2nd at the center on Winona Avenue. I will be flipping some pancakes starting at 8:00am!

In Commission news...

January Commission Workshop was cancelled due to the snow.

On Monday, January 22nd at 1:30pm, the Knox County Pension and Retirement Board will meet on the 6th floor of the City County Building in the Commission Conference Room. The Beer Board will meet at 4:00pm. The regular Commission meeting will begin at 5pm followed by Zoning at 7pm. Beer Board, Commission and Zoning will take place in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building.

The Commission agenda has approximately 40 items. This month many of the items are from the School Board. There are 19 items from the School Board. School resolutions are merely a formality as they pass whether we vote for them or not. In zoning, there are 13 issues this month. Some resolutions that stand out are:

1. Resolution approving a contract with Evans-Ailey Construction for $5,031,000 for renovations to Inskip Elementary.

2. Resolution approving the acceptance of $110,000 for the KCSO Aviation Unite from the department of Defense.

3. Resolution approving an agreement with TDOT for the traffic and safety improvements at West Emory Road and Clinton Highway.

Should you or any Knox County resident need assistance from Knox County government, please contact me at:

Bob.Thomas@KnoxCounty.org or 865-309-4364

Seat 10 At-Large Commissioner of Knox County Commission

Chairman, Knox County Cable TV Committee

Monday, December 11, 2017

December Update from Commissioner Bob Thomas

Commissioner Bob Thomas and wife Kim

Here is your December Update for Knox County!

Merry Christmas from the Thomas family! Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!

***It is that time of Christmas Parades across Knox County and the Bob Thomas for Mayor supporters have been in most of them! See some of the pictures below.

*****My wife Kim and I are in the eighth month of our "Faith Tour" visiting a different church service each week. If you want us to visit your church please contact us at ElectBobThomas@yahoo.com!

***The December Ed and Bob NIGHT OUT in Knox County will be different this month. Ed and Bob will be ringing the Salvation Army bells beside the Red Kettle at the Sears entrance to West Town Mall, Wednesday, December 13th, 5-7p. This will be our 35th community meeting in Knox County! Come out and talk with your Commissioners about any concerns and don't forget to help us fill the red buckets for the Salvation Army! It helps fund their programs all year long for those who are less fortunate.

***Tuesday, December 12th the Knox County Schools Bus Driver Safety Awards will be held at 11:00am at Ted Russell Ford, 8551 Kingston Pike. Please join us for the 15 minute ceremony to show these drivers how much we appreciate them! Did you know...
1. The Knox County School Bus Driver awards were started May 2016 by At-Large Commissioner Bob Thomas to bring awareness to the hundreds of bus drivers that do an excellent job driving our children to and from school safely.
2. There are approximately 375 Knox County School bus drivers.
3. Knox County bus drivers travel 20,000 miles A DAY! That's like driving from Knoxville to Los Angeles and then BACK to Knoxville - FIVE TIMES...in ONE day. And all in rush hour.

These drivers have been graded with high marks by the Knox County School system, the contractors, the Sheriff's Department and school staff.

***The November Ed and Bob NIGHT OUT in Knox County was at at Scott's Place, 4700 Asheville Highway. Several citizens came by to talk with us and to enjoy some of the biggest hamburgers in Knox County!

Commissioners Thomas and Brantley with the owners of Scott's Place

That's a hamburger!

Parades!

Knoxville

Karns

Gibbs

Knox County Commission will meet one week earlier in December due to the holidays.

In Commission news...

On Monday, December 11th at 5:00pm, the Knox County Commission will hold its regular monthly workshop. This meeting will take place in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building.

On Monday, December 18th at 1:30pm, the Knox County Pension and Retirement Board will meet on the 6th floor of the City County Building in the Commission Conference Room. The Beer Board will meet at 4:00pm. The regular Commission meeting will begin at 5pm followed by Zoning at 7pm. Beer Board, Commission and Zoning will take place in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building.

The Commission agenda has approximately 60 items. This month many of the items are from the School Board. There are 17 items from the School Board and 11 from Engineering and Public Works. School resolutions are merely a formality as they pass whether we vote for them or not. In zoning, there are 9 issues this month. Some resolutions that stand out are:

1. Resolution approving a Priority School State Grant of $531,342 designated for four Knox County Schools.

2. Resolution approving a Homeland Security Grant for $349,947 toward equipment and training.

3. Resolution from the Mayor allowing citizens to use their camera phone to take pictures of documents during Freedom of Information searches.

Should you or any Knox County resident need assistance from Knox County government, please contact me at:

Bob.Thomas@KnoxCounty.org or 865-309-4364

Seat 10 At-Large Commissioner of Knox County Commission

Chairman, Knox County Cable TV Committee

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

November Update from Commissioner Bob Thomas

Commissioner Bob Thomas and wife Kim

Here is your November Update for Knox County!

***Our campaign for Knox County Mayor is on the move across Knox County with our "County Caravans!" See all the pictures from our first two caravans at https://www.facebook.com/ElectBobThomasEvents/.

*****My wife Kim and I are in the seventh month of our "Faith Tour" visiting a different church service each week. If you want us to visit your church please contact us at ElectBobThomas@yahoo.com!

***The October Ed and Bob NIGHT OUT in Knox County was at E. B.'s Eats and Treats in Halls. It was a packed house as many in the community wanted to discuss some of their concerns. That's what Ed and Bob Night Out is all about. Thank you to everyone who attended.

Here is your November Update for Knox County!

***Our campaign for Knox County Mayor is on the move across Knox County with our "County Caravans!" See all the pictures from our first two caravans at https://www.facebook.com/ElectBobThomasEvents/. We are in the seventh month of our "Faith Tour" visiting a different church service each week. If you want us to visit your church please contact us at ElectBobThomas@yahoo.com!

***The November Ed and Bob NIGHT OUT in Knox County will be Wednesday, November 15th, 5-7p at Scott's Place, 4700 Asheville Highway. This will be our 34th community meeting in Knox County! Come out and talk with your Commissioners and enjoy lots of Eats and Treats!

***The October Ed and Bob NIGHT OUT in Knox County was at E. B.'s Eats and Treats in Halls. It was a packed house as the community had some concerns they wanted to talk about.

Commissioners Thomas and Brantley with the crowd in Halls.

Commissioners Thomas and Brantley help lead the discussion.

Commissioners Thomas and Brantley with Ed Hunter the owner of E. B.'s Eats and Treats

Knox County Commission will meet one week earlier in November and December due to the holidays.

In Commission news...

On Monday, November 13th at 5:00pm, the Knox County Commission will hold its regular monthly workshop followed at 6pm with a special meeting to hear citizen concerns over several new ordinances. These meetings will take place in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building.

On Monday, November 20th at 1:30pm, the Knox County Pension and Retirement Board will meet on the 6th floor of the City County Building in the Commission Conference Room. The Beer Board will meet at 4:00pm. The regular Commission meeting will begin at 5pm followed by Zoning at 7pm. Beer Board, Commission and Zoning will take place in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building.

The Commission agenda has approximately 60 items. This month many of the items are from the School Board. There are 20 items from the School Board and 11 from Engineering and Public Works. School resolutions are merely a formality as they pass whether we vote for them or not. Also scheduled are several readings of ordinances. One is a first reading and one is a second reading. In zoning, there are 7 issues this month. Some resolutions that stand out are:

1. Resolution approving a contract for School Bus locator software in the amount of $35,403.

2. Resolution approving a Food for Kids Program Agreement for Powell MS to help feed children who are chronically hungry.

3. Resolution approving up to $500,000 per year for fencing for schools.

Should you or any Knox County resident need assistance from Knox County government, please contact me at:

Bob.Thomas@KnoxCounty.org or 865-309-4364

Seat 10 At-Large Commissioner of Knox County Commission

Chairman, Knox County Cable TV Committee

Monday, October 30, 2017

October 2017 Knox County School Bus Driver Awards

Wednesday, October 18th the Knox County Schools Bus Driver Safety Awards were held at Ted Russell Ford, 8551 Kingston Pike.

Did you know...
1. The Knox County School Bus Driver awards were started in May 2016 by At-Large Commissioner Thomas to bring awareness to the hundred of bus drivers that do an excellent job driving our children to and from school safely.
2. There are approximately 375 Knox County School bus drivers
3. They drive 20,000 miles A DAY! That's like driving from Knoxville to Los Angeles and then BACK to Knoxville - FIVE TIMES...in ONE day. And all in rush hour.

These drivers have been graded with high standards by the Knox County School system, the contractors, the Sheriff's Department and by school staff.

Commissioner Thomas begins the ceremony.

(From left to right) Ted Russell owner Andy White, Manager Rick Arnold who accepted award for Amy Ledbetter, driver Gerald Roe, driver Anna Cox, driver Deborah Ditchfield, driver Kreis Baldridge, Knox County Schools COO Russ Oakes, Knox County Commissioner Bob Thomas, Front Row - WIVIK the Frog)

Honoring Bus Driver Deborah Ditchfield who calmly cleared a bus of 1st graders as it was filling up with smoke.

Commissioner Thomas speaking with driver Ditchfield after the awards

The five drivers that were honored this month were:

· Kreis Baldridge - drives bus for Norwood Elementary

· Anna Cox - drives bus for Halls MS and High School

· Deborah Ditchfield - drives bus for Farragut

· Amy Ledbetter - drives bus for Cedar Bluff

· Gerald Roe - drives a bus for Gresham

The awards are sponsored by Ted Russell Ford and WIVK 107.7. They each received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Knox County Schools, a $100 check from Ted Russell Ford and a prize package from WIVK. Congratulations drivers and job well done!

There are many great school bus drivers in Knox County and this is one small way we can show them our appreciation. If you have any questions please contact Commissioner Bob Thomas.

Should you or any Knox County resident need assistance from Knox County government, please contact me at:
Bob.Thomas@KnoxCounty.org or 865-309-4364
Seat 10 At-Large Commissioner of Knox County Commission
Chairman, Knox County Cable TV Committee
Chairman, Knox County Disability Committee
Knox County Pension & Retirement Committee
Knox County Parks & Recreation Board
Metro Drug Coalition Board
Dogwood Arts Festival Board
Young-Williams Animal Center Board
American Cancer Society Board
Arts & Culture Alliance Board
Community Television Board
Thompson-Boling Arena Use Committee