What Farragut Needs, Part 2
Well, I saw a few comments on my previous post, and I'd like to thank all those who posted. I noticed that law enforcement was a biggie. I agree. The fact of the matter remains that our current problem remains enforcment. After all, we're not known as the Wild, Wild, West Knox County for nothing! If there's anything that we're known for its that you can usually speed around West Knox and get away with it. You can file all the restraining orders you want, and they'll be disregarded. You can "pump and run" at the local gas station and usually get away with it (even with cameras that are able to get license tags). Or even walk into a convenience store and walk out with beer without paying for it. I know that aside from the speeding (which a vast majority do), the rest are the result of a few bad apples ruining the whole basket.
Since I've heard that we are unable to get more sheriff's deputies allocated to West Knox, maybe we need to partner a "Community Policing" initiative with them. Do we even know if such a model will work in Farragut? What do you think?
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Since I've heard that we are unable to get more sheriff's deputies allocated to West Knox, maybe we need to partner a "Community Policing" initiative with them. Do we even know if such a model will work in Farragut? What do you think?
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Anonymous comments are allowed, just keep them clean, o.k. However, due to the amount of "ad postings" that I have deleted lately, I've had to add a verification word before you can post, sorry.
posted by Mike at 8:28 AM
10 Comments:
The first thing we need to do is to stop the roundabout.
Bob
I've been reading some of the other blogs and of course the FP on this subject and I don't know if the roundabout is a bad idea or not. The fact that it's more expensive than a traffic light is disturbing, as is the 4-month time frame to install it. Personally, I'd just have it be a 3-way stop and forget the stinking traffic light. So I guess I've now made up my mind and it's against this expensive solution.
Community Policing works in narrow, narrow circumstances.
Speeding isn't one of them.
There are Officers available, why they aren't being put where the problems are is an Administrative issue, not a lets-make-up-for-it-with-citizen power issue.
Well, actually, the citizens CAN make a difference; there is a Sheriff's election coming up. Choose somebody that will be responsive to your needs.
OK, I shouldn't have suggested that community policing would take care of all the community's ills. Especially speeding. No, what I meant that the community should watch out for each other and take the initiative to get to know your neighbors. This is a time to mend fences with them if you've got gripes with them. A community that cannot get along is not a community at all.
I'm a little confused here. Farragut was incorporated so that it wouldn't ever have to pay Knoxville city taxes which provide greater police services. Sounds like a situation of wanting our cake, having it delivered, served on a silver platter, eating it and having someone serve coffee with it. The vast expansion of west Knox and Farragut has over-stretched resources that can't simply be shifted west. We need a property tax to pay for this if we want it.
Alice
Alice,
Actually, that is not totally true. If we wanted a full-time police force, yes we'd probably need to have some kind of property tax (or increased revenue from retail business, which is what I'd prefer). However, if we chose to instead partner with our sheriff's department and pay for additional officers, the town might be able to put that in as a budget item and fund it that way. If we could find other win-win solutions for our town, I think we could have a significantly better one to live in WITHOUT much in terms of raising taxes.
I'm not saying that we need to have property taxes, but we do need to increase the revenues coming into the town's coffers to afford it.
Mike,
Saw WATE tonight and they have a program where they will come to a neighborhood with a radar gun and check for speeders.
They take the info to the Sheriffs Department.
Call WATE at 637-6666 or send an email to alongo@wate.com.
...actually, what Farragut REALLY needs is a liquor store that delivers to McMinn County....
... forget the taxes, people.... us guys who have to drive an hour to buy a bottle of wine would fund a whole fleet of cops...
There will be a Farragut Property tax soon. the demand of more police or our own police, more town services as more and more people move here such as more parks, sidewalks, fire protection etc. The town is still very slow in developing business growth. Sales tax, which is the main source of revenue, will not keep up with demands for more services.
hey , caught your segment on speeding. If you want to see some more ridiculas speeds come over to south knoxville on west moody ave. 30mph speed limit, ha ha.... even the police come through at over 50mph. and after dark ive seen some that had to be going over 60 to 70 and probably more. plz come and tape over here. If you stand about half way between chapman and martin mill at the circle of fairlawn ct you can see what I mean ........thanks
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