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Lee speaks on courage, cabbage Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee did not come to Downtown Rotary to talk about the law. She came instead to talk about courage, common bonds and cabbage. Lee’s presentation included the story of her father, Charles Lee, and of James Hugh Ross, Harold Leibowitz, David Goldin and Bruce Foster. See story on page A-13
Point of order! Sandra Clark never saw it coming. Knox County Commission shot down Dave Wright’s proposals for an elected school superintendent and for partisan school board elections. Also, the commission finally adopted a billboard reform, prohibiting new digital boards. It was a signal win for Scenic Knoxville and Richard Briggs. See analysis on page A-4
Rogero visits With a nod to the “no city is an island” philosophy, Knoxville mayor Madeline Rogero gave attendees of the Farragut West Knox Chamber breakfast an update on how things are faring in Knoxville. The breakfast was last week at Fox Den Country Club.
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There’s Th ’ a housing h i boom b hitting the Farragut area, courtesy of World War II, an aging population and a disease that takes the mind and leaves the body behind. Three different, yet similar facilities designed for senior citizens are set to open in the Farragut area in coming months. The three housing options could well be considered a microcosm of what is happening in our country as baby boomers hit their “golden” years. Some are independent and spry, but ready to downsize. Some need a little help. Some need a lot. Opening in Farragut are Sherrill Hills, an independent living development by Resort Lifestyle Communities; Clarity Pointe, a facility for dementia and Alzheimer patients only; and Autumn Care II, a combination assisted living and dementia/Alzheimer’s care facility. Beginning this week, Farragut Shopper-News will look at these three facilities and what they plan to offer residents, beginning with Sherrill Hills.
See story on A-7
10512 Lexington Dr., Ste. 500 37932 (865) 218-WEST (9378) NEWS news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sherri Gardner Howell Suzanne Foree Neal ADVERTISING SALES ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Shannon Carey | Patty Fecco Jim Brannon | Tony Cranmore Shopper-News is a member of KNS Media Group, published weekly and distributed to 29,974 homes in Farragut, Karns and Hardin Valley.
Lifestyle Communities.
studio, one-, two- or threebedroom unfurnished units at a cost of $2,530 to $4,650 a month all inclusive, except for personal phone. The goal is for someone to move in and stay until the end of his or her life. If in-home care is need later, it is available
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Bob and Nancy Epstein are the marketing team for the new lifestyle retirement community of Sherrill Hills under construction behind them on Moss Grove Boulevard. The development tops the hill behind Academy Sports on Kingston Pike. Photo by Suzanne Foree Neal.
Cultural, legal changes affect clerks’ bottom line By Betty Bean County Finance Director Chris Caldwell’s report on the court clerks’ collections sounded pretty grim when he gave his financial update at last week’s County Commission chair’s luncheon. The numbers are down from last year. Criminal, Criminal Sessions and 4th Circuit Court Clerk Joy McCroskey’s collections are running $140,000 behind last year’s figures. Circuit, Civil Sessions and Juvenile Court Clerk Cathy Quist’s collections are $69,000 behind last year. On the surface, Clerk and Master of Chancery and Probate Court Howard Hogan’s collections seem to be a bright spot, since they are running about $4,000 ahead of last year, but he says that number is deceptive, because although collection numbers are up, case filings are down, giving him cause for concern about the future. Jokingly, Caldwell breaks it down to this: “Judges say clerks aren’t collecting. Clerks say judges are too quick to forgive (court costs). We take that into account as we do the budget.” Behind the numbers, however, are existing problems and brewing societal and cultural changes that are affecting the fee offices’ bottom lines. While Chancery Court has a reliable revenue source from handling
county tax sales, other traditional sources are drying up. Many divorces that used to be heard in 4th Circuit Court are now going to Chancery Court instead (more on that later), but the divorce filings are down overall, probably because of the economy. “Fewer divorces are being filed because people can’t afford them,” Hogan said. Additionally, while the trend away from taking disputes to trial in favor of mediation may ease the financial toll on citizens, it has taken a toll on Chancery Court collections. Much of the child support collection that used to be done in Chancery Court is now being handled at the state level, creating another loss of fees. And the long-term judicial commitments that used to bring in thousands of dollars in fees annually vanished with the 2012 closing of Lakeshore Mental Health Institute. “There’s just not as much trial work, which means there’s not as much filing to generate fees to clerks. From a clerk’s perspective, the more work involved in a case, the higher the court costs. No filings means no counterclaims, no hearings, no subpoenas or notices, so fees and commissions to the clerks tend to be lower,” Hogan said. “Since my appointment, we have
lost four to five positions because of decreasing workload.” The financial stress isn’t likely to ease anytime soon – Hogan is keeping an eye on a new workers’ compensation bill that will take those cases out of local courts entirely. Cathy Quist, who is also an attorney, says the effects of tort reform (another Haslam administration priority) have affected her bottom line. “We are seeing less of the cases that typically generate the most billing because of mediation and arbitration,” she said. “And while our collection rates range between 95 percent and the high 80s, cases aren’t being filed that generate intermediate case billing. A large number of cases are filed and closed the same day. In a lot of cases, settlements are announced the day they are filed. The culture has changed in the civil courts.” When the recession hit, Quist’s office saw a 45 percent increase in civil sessions court filings, largely due to credit card companies going after delinquent accounts. Now, that boomlet is receding. Filings in civil sessions court increased dramatically after the amount that could be collected in “small claims” cases increased. This has had the effect of shrinking the circuit court docket because plaintiffs can represent themselves in sessions court, where cases tend
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to generate less paperwork and get resolved much quicker, Quist said. That’s good for the plaintiff, not so good for the clerk’s numbers. Quist’s office, which used to process short-term mental health commitments, has also been negatively impacted by Lakeshore’s closing. “We had 34,496 mental health filings in 2011. Last year, Lakeshore closed, and we lost all of them,” she said. And she, too, is dreading the impact of the governor’s workers’ comp bill. “As of Jan. 1, 2014, those lawsuits will be completely administrative and will be handled by workers’ comp judges,” she said. Joy McCroskey is in the deepest hole of the three clerks, but says her office will be getting some help under a new law that has put some teeth into enforcement of delinquent collections. “If the costs aren’t paid in one year, the state can revoke the offender’s drivers license. We don’t have a choice,” she said, adding that the new law will have no effect on judges granting indigent status to defendants who cannot pay their court costs. She has another ongoing revenue drain in 4th Circuit collection. This is Judge Bill Swann’s court, where More on A-2
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New facilities offer options for seniors Residents at the retirement community of Sherrill Hills who don’t want to cook will be able to choose from two dining facilities. Shown here is the fine-dining room. Photo submitted by Resort
resort-type lifestyle. It will open in July high atop a hill behind Academy Sports on Kingston Pike. Resort Lifestyle Communities just opened a similar facility in Memphis and brings its next indeSherrill Hills is for se- pendent living model to niors 55 years and older Knoxville. Developers say who want an active life- it is the first of its kind for style and are ready to trade Knoxville. Sherrill Hills a large empty house for a will have 128 units offering
Controversial scholar to visit John Dominic Crossan, New Testament scholar and former Catholic priest known for co-chairing the controversial Jesus Seminar in the 1980s and 1990s, will deliver four lectures at St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church on Friday and Saturday, March 15-16. He will offer lectures on the world, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Crossan’s presentations share his teachings which suggest that Jesus did not perform many miracles. ...
March 4, 2013
By S Suzanne uzzan u anne nne F Foree oree Nea Neal al
See story on page A-2
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