Yager / Keisling Ask Governor For Jobs Assistance

Nashville, TN (2011-02-11) State Senator Ken Yager (R-Harriman), along with State Representative Kelly Keisling (R-Byrdstown), has asked Governor Bill Haslam for jobs assistance for Scott County.

In a letter to Governor Bill Haslam (R-Knoxville) last week, Senator Ken Yager formally asked for an appointment with the first term Governor to discuss the current unemployment crisis in Scott County. In the letter, Yager reiterated the situation in Scott County, which has had the dubious honor of having the highest unemployment rate in the State for the last nine months. Yager wrote, “The current economic situation in Scott County is better characterized as a depression, not a recession.”

In his correspondence, Yager suggested Governor Haslam consider a two pronged approach to economic recovery for Scott County.

In the short term, Yager urged him to reexamine the jobs creation package awarded to Scott County last year by then Governor Phil Bredesen. While the plan created about 100 short term jobs locally, the eligibility restrictions on the funds hindered its distribution. Consequently, the county was forced to return a significant share of the money to the state. If the funds were still available, Yager encouraged the Governor to establish realistic eligibility criteria. The jobs creation package was funded through federal America Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) money.

In the long run, Senator Yager encouraged the Governor to make the straightening and widening of U.S. 27 in south Scott County a priority. The current condition of U.S. 27, the only north/south route through Scott County, hinders economic development in the community, Yager opined. “My request will take years to complete and cost millions of dollars, but I am asking you to make this one of your economic development priorities,” he wrote. “It’s the only way that Scott County will be made truly accessible for industrial and economic development,” he added.

Former Commissioner of Transportation Gerald Nicely had earmarked funds for right of way acquisition along U.S. 27 from Harriman to Morgan County in his Three-Year Multimodal Highway Plan; however, Scott County was not included. “Its time to look at the most offending sections in Scott County,” Yager wrote.