JULY 2022 | VOL. 8, ISSUE 7 | |
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WHAT'S HAPPENING
IN OAK RIDGE?!
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Residents can expect their property tax statements to arrive in their mailboxes this month.
In accordance with State Law, property tax notices are mailed to the property owner at the address on file with the State of Tennessee as of Jan. 1, 2022. Because of this, some property owners may not receive a statement, a situation normally explained as part of the property closing process. Failure to receive a notice of taxes due does not relieve the property owner of the obligation to pay or provide relief for late payments.
Property owners who do not receive their property tax statement by July 31 should call (865) 425-3404 and ask for DeDe, the city’s Tax Specialist, or look up how much they owe online in order to pay on time. Property tax information can be found online through the City’s website at OakRidgeTN.gov.
Property owners have until Aug. 31 to pay their property taxes without interest or penalty. On Sept. 1, interest will begin to accrue on the account.
Payments can be made online, at the Utilities Business Office (UBO) located at 200 S. Tulane Avenue, or by mail at P.O. Box 1, Oak Ridge, TN 37831. Payments made with a card, in person or online, will incur a 2.75% fee. The fee for payments made by eCheck will be $1 per $5,000. These fees are assessed to offset the transaction cost incurred by the City.
For more information, call the Tax Specialist line at (865) 425-3404.
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Oak Ridge City Council met on July 11, 2022. Thomas White, a 6th-grade student at Robertsville Middle School, recited the pledge of allegiance. To view the meeting agenda and rewatch the meeting, click here.
The next City Council meeting is set for Aug. 8, 2022.
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Oak Ridge celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Title IX
Title IX was signed into law in 1972 and stated that no one should be excluded from participation or face discrimination on the basis of gender in any educational programs or activity receiving federal assistance.
Over the last fifty years, our nation has made monumental progress in advancing equity and equality for all students, including by narrowing gender gaps in sports, expanding opportunities in science and technology fields, and protecting students from gender discrimination.
As a result of Title IX, high school sports have seen a dramatic rise in girls’ programs and participation rates, leading to successful college programs and new professional leagues for women that have changed the landscape of athletics in the United States.
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Oak Ridge has established a legacy of blazing trails and leading the way toward equality and fairness as part of its history. In 1976, Oak Ridge teenager Victoria Cape challenged the archaic rule that women could not play full-court basketball and paved the way for monumental changes in women’s athletics in Tennessee. Oak Ridge native Jennifer Azzi became one of the most decorated basketball players from Tennessee, starring at Oak Ridge from 1984-1986 before winning a national title at Stanford in 1990, going on to play with the WNBA’s Detroit Shock and being inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
Today, Oak Ridge High School has six sports with all-girl teams and eight co-ed sports with 220 females on sports rosters during the 2021-2022 school year led by nine female coaches on staff-including two head coaches.
Title IX also paved the way for women to get foundational skills to join the workforce and gain the confidence needed to work jobs previously held only by men. Today, there are twenty-four women working with the Oak Ridge Police Department and three with the Oak Ridge Fire Department.
The City celebrates the 50th anniversary of Title IX and recognizes the women athletes, coaches and City employees that have paved the way for others to follow.
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Teens from Northern Ireland explore Oak Ridge & East Tennessee
Thank you to the Ulster Project of East Tennessee for joining us at Monday's City Council Meeting! They presented a letter of appreciation from the Mayor of Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland, for Oak Ridge’s support of the Ulster Project 2022.
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The City of Oak Ridge is hiring for several openings right now. To view current job openings, click here or visit OakRidgeTN.gov and click the tab for 'EMPLOYMENT' at the top of the page.
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We are excited to announce that, starting this month, ORPL will be inviting bestselling fiction, self-help, and business authors to host monthly Q&A sessions online. These virtual author talks will be available live. This means patrons can interact with the authors as they watch the events, asking questions before and during the webinar.
These webinars will also be recorded and posted on ORPL.org for patrons to enjoy at a later date.
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Your voice matters! Please take 5 minutes to give us your thoughts in this brief technology survey. With your input, the Oak Ridge Public Library will make decisions on future technology resources and classes. Tell us what you think, so the Oak Ridge Public Library can help meet your tech needs and wants. | |
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The free Summer Sessions Concerts are in full swing at A.K. Bissell Park! Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy the food trucks and good music!
Jim Lauderdale and The Alex Leach Band will perform Saturday, July 16 from 6 to 9 p.m.
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Retirements in the City
Jill and Darris Waters retired on June 29 with more than 60 years of work and service.
Jill began working with the Oak Ridge Personnel Department in May 1990. She has been the City's HR Benefits Administrator.
Darris was hired in September of 1990 and was the Warehouse Specialist for the City's Finance Department.
The couple is well-known across the City and has truly made an impact on everyone who crossed their paths. Thank you for your devotion to our City. We hope you enjoy your hard-earned retirement.
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Oak Ridge Police Department Captain Mike Uher retired on June 30. Uher has spent 36 years in law enforcement with six years in Illinois prior to serving 30 additional years for the City of Oak Ridge.
He joined the Oak Ridge Police Department in 1991, where he continued his efforts in criminal investigation and narcotics enforcement. He was promoted to sergeant in 1993 and then promoted to lieutenant in 1998. In 2008, Mike was promoted to his current rank as captain.
We thank him for his dedication and service to the City of Oak Ridge and ORPD.
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Oak Ridge Fire Department Captain Jake Stafford will retire on July 21. His career started with ORFD on July 30, 1991 as a Firefighter Trainee, moving up to Firefighter in February 1992, and then being promoted to Captain in July 2005.
There are several “Exceptional Employee” reports showing his participation in Fire Prevention Week at the Oak Ridge Schools dating from 1991 through 2002.
His leadership at ORFD will be missed and we wish him well in retirement.
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During hot and humid weather, your body's ability to cool itself is challenged in ways you may not expect. When your body heats too rapidly, or when too much fluid or salt is lost through dehydration or sweating, you may experience a heat-related illness.
Stay Weather-Ready by learning the symptoms of excessive heat exposure and the appropriate responses.
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Former Oak Ridge Board of Education member Jenny Richter brought her grandson, Ben, to the Jackson Square Fountain to beat the heat earlier this month. Stop by the Square, soak up the sun, cool off, and enjoy the great shops and restaurants in and around the Square! | | | |
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Hello! I'm Lauren Gray - the one who writes this newsletter every month (except for the last few while I was on maternity leave, I'll explain more on that later).
I joined the City in March 2020. Before that, I was the Digital Executive Producer at WBIR, the NBC affiliate, in Knoxville. I joined the City just in time to lead its communications on the ever-changing COVID-19 pandemic.
My husband, John, and I got married in April 2020 over a Zoom call and Oak Ridge City Councilman and Pastor Derrick Hammond was our officiant. We had a big, in-person wedding planned before the pandemic and were committed to getting married, so we improvised and moved it to Zoom.
I’m the Sr. Communications Specialist for the City and work under the City Manager’s Office. In short, I send out press releases, answer questions from local news outlets, manage our social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, NextDoor, etc.), manage and update the City website, write the monthly newsletter and community surveys, take pictures around the City and at City events, and produce the flyer that comes with your utility bills every month. I also help answer any questions that come into the City via email or text message. My favorite part of the job? I love to help people find a solution to a problem by getting them the information they need.
I recently returned to work after being on maternity leave for about 3 months. I had twin girls in March so my time outside of the office is very much occupied by them. We also have two cats named Violet and Nikki. They’re doing well with the babies, but they miss us spoiling them.
If you need to reach me, you can email me at lgray@oakridgetn.gov or call me at (865) 425-3576.
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