Tennessee news briefs

Clarksville community college on schedule for fall
CLARKSVILLE (AP) — A Clarksville campus of Nashville State Community College is on schedule to open in the fall.
Nashville State’s Eileen Crane told The Leaf-Chronicle (http://leafne.ws/GJNoAb) that renovations on the former Clarksville Saturn dealership began this week.
Construction should be complete by Aug. 15 and classes will begin 12 days later on Aug. 27.
The satellite campus will include six large classrooms, a fully equipped biology lab, a student lounge and a student services office. Nashville State also bought 10 adjoining acres for a future expansion.
A trailer will be used for on-site registration beginning on April 9. Prospective students also can fill out admissions applications online.
The school will provide courses concentrated in remedial and developmental education and also will transfer students to Austin Peay State University.
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Nashville woman sues Human Services officials
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Nashville woman is suing six state Human Services officials, claiming they encouraged prosecutors to bring fraud charges against her.
Patricia Leggs was accused in 2009 of falsifying rosters to steal $25,000 from a federal program that provides food to poor children.
The charges were eventually dropped, according to her suit.
Leggs’ attorney, Terry Clayton, told The Tennessean that the bad publicity turned parents away from Leggs’ day-care center, and she still is struggling to recover financially.
According to the lawsuit, Leggs was forced to post bond and hire an attorney, and she suffered embarrassment, public humiliation and $300,000 in lost income. Leggs is seeking $400,000 in damages.
Human Services spokeswoman Valisa Thompson said by email that the department does not comment on pending litigation
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Typo on tax bills costs Kingston $70,000
KINGSTON (AP) — The city of Kingston is out about $70,000 after an employee accidentally dropped a digit in the city’s property tax rate.
Bills showing a tax rate of $1.034 per $100 of assessed value were sent to more than 3,500 taxpayers last fall. They should have read $1.0834, a five-cent difference.
City Manager Jim Pinkerton told the Knoxville News Sentinel (http://bit.ly/GHVeQj) that officials caught the error about 10 days ago when they noticed that property taxes were “coming in a little low.”
Each penny in property tax generates about $14,000.
The employee who made the mistake was given 30 days of unpaid administrative leave.
Pinkerton told the mayor and council members in an email that the city will be able to absorb the loss.

Published in The Messenger 3.23.12

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