There is a tremendous amount of activity occurring in the very near future that will effect all Oak Ridgers in many ways. First, council and the BOE will hold a special called meeting this Friday at noon. The agenda is found here and was just released a few hours ago. The original purpose of this meeting was to specifically address school safety issues. However, 4 additional items were somehow added and include very significant items such as a “final” resolution on the high school mortgage debacle as well as the Blankenship bleachers issue.
This will be followed by a regular BOE meeting on Monday (Feb 24th) at 6:00p.m. and a council work session that same night starting at 7:00p.m. As of this moment, neither body has published an agenda for those two meetings but one can anticipate critical discussions to arise (either at the public forums or formal agenda items) on issues such as announced budgetary cuts, utility increases and the proposed calendar changes for the school system.
Then, one week later, on March 3rd, council will have an earlier-than-usual regular (voting) meeting which will include, among other things, the much anticipated Red Light Camera contract (See my email below). If this (or any) issue in important to you, you always have an opportunity to address your concerns directly to your elected officials in these meetings or via other means. You can email all of council at ccouncil@oakridgetn.gov. You can reach the members of the BOE via this link.
From: Trina Baughn [mailto:trina.baughn@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 12:43 PM
To: Watson, Mark; ccouncil@oakridgetn.gov
Subject: Redflex (RLC) Contract Renewal/Additional March Agenda Item Request
Mark,
Thank you for letting me know that council will be voting on this contract at our March 3rd meeting. In addition to what you had in mind, please provide council (as part of our agenda packet) with a full accounting of the revenues and expenditures, (to include the current balance) associated with this contract since its original adoption.
Should the contract not be renewed, I remain concerned for the safety of the 80-90 students who cross from the high school to the civic center daily. Therefore, please also include on the March 3, 2014 agenda a resolution authorizing the expenditure of funds from the Special Programs Fund (a.k.a. Red Light Camera fund) for one of the two solutions that Steve Boyd shared with council during our Nov 25th work session. My notes say that he discussed a possible traffic signal or a “hawk” device. Neither was estimated to cost more than $150,000.
Thank you,
Trina
Trina Baughn 
Did I not read a story in the News Sentinel where Redflex officials admitted to giving money to city officials to buy their endorsement of installing cameras? Oak Ridge was not mentioned but several other cities were. Has it happened here?