Especially compared to prior years, City Manager Pete Peterson said Johnson Cityâs proposed budget for fiscal year 2022 is âextraordinarily large,â clocking in at $302 million.
âJust a couple years ago we had a $250 million budget, which was a big budget,â Peterson said. âOne of the things thatâs driving this total budget number up is the number of capital projects. . Out of that $302 million, thereâs probably $40-50 million worth of one-time expenditures.â
The City Commission unanimously approved Johnson Cityâs fiscal year budget on first reading Thursday. The next two readings will occur on June 8 and June 17. The budget does not contain a property tax increase.
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Johnson City commissioners are preparing to make perhaps the most consequential decision of their tenure.
After about 15 years in the position, City Manager Pete Peterson is planning to retire at the end of 2021. As commissioners gear up to pick his replacement, the body interviewed four national search firms over the span of two hours last Thursday.
The four recruiting agencies â Baker Tilley, Strategic Government Resources, Slavin Management Consultants and Colin Baenziger & Associates â were whittled down from an initial list of 10 that responded to the cityâs recent request for proposals.
To narrow down the candidates, Human Resources Director Steve Willis evaluated each firmâs public sector experience, their number of placements and what percentage of their placements were city managers versus other positions. Mayor Joe Wise also received all 10 proposals.
The former Ashe Street Courthouse could soon receive some tender loving care courtesy of funding from the state of Tennessee.
Gov. Bill Lee has again included $5 million in his budget to help fund improvements to the building, an allotment that was originally included in his budget last year before the COVID-19 outbreak put the money on hold.
Johnson City Mayor Joe Wise and City Manager Pete Peterson traveled to Nashville in March to seek funding for the building, which serves as one of the major anchors for the West Walnut Street corridor.
Wise stressed that placement in the governor s budget is just the first step. The budget will now go to the General Assembly for further review.
The board voted unanimously to take that action during their meeting Thursday.
Commissioners received a report from Knoxville attorney Benjamin Lauderback late last year that found Peterson unnecessarily berated but didnât threaten the job of a fire prevention officer, Roger Davis.
Peterson chastised Davis after he looped the State Fire Marshalâs Office in on a conversation about using the former Ashe Street Courthouse to house homeless people with COVID-19.
Lauderback did, however, hear from multiple people that Petersonâs management style âcan and does cross the border of profane and demeaning.â
Commissioners have said they intend to factor Lauderbackâs report into their annual evaluation of Peterson, which they put on hold in the fall while they waited for the attorneyâs findings.