Tennessee Town & City

By KATE COIL
TML Communications Specialist

Cicadas are already emerging across Tennessee, but rather than as a pest or nuisance, UT professor Dr. Jerome Grant said cities can use their arrival as a chance to educate residents about an important biological phenomenon.

Grant, professor of biological control and integrated pest management with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, said there are many misconceptions about cicadas.

State lawmakers passed the 2021-22 fiscal year budget on Thursday, April 29, totaling some $42.6 billion.

Local Government Recovery and Rebuilding Grants
For the second year in a row TML worked with Gov. Bill Lee’s administration to secure one-time disbursements of state grants to municipalities.

In his FY21-22 budget amendment the governor proposed $200 million in non-recurring funds to provide Local Government Recovery and Rebuilding Direct Appropriation Grants to cities and counties on a per capita basis.

By KATE COIL

As budget season arrives, officials with the city of Athens are giving local residents a unique tool to both learn more about the budgeting process and give officials feedback on what they want to see funded in the city.

Athens City Administrator C. Seth Sumner said the city has made available a budget tool through Balancing Act, a creation of Colorado-based public policy consulting firm Engaged Public, that helps communities educate and engage citizens in the often-complex budgeting process.

By KATE COIL
TML Communications Specialist

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Tennessee Department of Tourism (TDTD) Commissioner Mark Ezell found himself tapped to head the state’s Economic Recovery Group, the public-private partnership established by Gov. Bill Lee to help guide the state’s economy safely through the health crisis.