NASHVILLE – State revenue collections once again fell short of budgeted estimates last month. Overall February revenues were $638.9 million, which is $47.1 million less than the state budgeted.

“This entire fiscal year has brought us negative growth in the sales tax, which is almost two-thirds of our revenue,” Finance and Administration Commissioner Dave Goetz said. “Moreover, the running total is now 21 consecutive months of negative growth in sales tax collections since January 2008, when the downward economic spiral began for us in Tennessee.”

“In spite of the budgetary challenges, we have laid out a plan for balancing the budget and we’re working with the Legislature to end this year and the next with a balanced budget, as our constitution requires.”

On an accrual basis, February is the seventh month in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

The general fund was under collected by $43.8 million and the four other funds were under collected by $3.3 million.

Sales tax collections were $38.4 million less than the estimate for February. The February growth rate was negative 6.67%. The year-to-date growth rate for seven months is negative 5.84%.

Franchise and excise taxes combined were $1.4 million above the budgeted estimate of $33.0 million. For seven months revenues are over collected by $7.4 million. The year-to-date growth rate for seven months is 8.32%.

Gasoline and motor fuel collections for February decreased by 3.86%, but were $180,000 above the budgeted estimate of $68.3 million. For seven months revenues are under collected by $13.9 million.

Tobacco tax collections were $4.0 million under the budgeted estimate of $23.1 million. For seven months revenues are over collected in the amount of $303,000.

Year-to-date collections for seven months were $232.4 million less than the budgeted estimate. The general fund was under collected by $196.3 million and the four other funds were under collected by $36.1 million.

The budgeted revenue estimates for 2009-2010 are based on the State Funding Board’s consensus recommendation adopted by the first session of the 106th General Assembly in May of 2009, and are available on the state’s Web site at http://www.tn.gov/finance/bud/budget.html.

The State Funding Board met again on December 18, 2009 and adopted revised revenue ranges for 2009-2010. The revised ranges reflect growth rates ranging from negative 1.50% to negative 0.25% in total taxes, and negative 2.35% to negative 0.85% in general fund taxes.

Based on the funding board’s consensus recommendation, the official budgeted estimates for 2009-2010 were revised in late December. The revised estimates are reflected on pages A-70 and A-72 in the 2010-2011 Budget Document. The revised estimates assume an under collection in total taxes in the amount of $161.3 million, and an under collection of $153.2 million in the general fund.

via February Revenues | TN.gov Newsroom.

• Career Centers Ready To Assist Job-Seekers
• More Tennessee kids born to unwed parents
• Ron Ramsey, Tennessee governor hopeful, offers changes
• $17.1 Million proposed spending for expansion of sports facilities in Kingsport, TN
• $250,000 local matching funds needed for Riverwalk grant

League City, Texas refunds 1740 red light camera tickets after being caught with illegally short yellow times.

Texas has lost $130,500 in red light camera ticket refunds and cancellations after a local motorist discovered the city had been ignoring state law. Byron Schirmbeck drives through the intersection of Interstate 45 and FM 518 every day on the way to work. He noticed the amount of yellow time given to motorists seemed a bit on the short side, so he decided to check. Armed with a stopwatch, Schirmbeck clocked the interval between the green and red lights at just four seconds — 0.7 seconds shorter than the minimum required under Texas Department of Transportation TxDOT regulations at an intersection with a posted 50 MPH speed limit.

Read more via Texas: Short Yellow Brings $130,500 In Red Light Camera Refunds.

• Are red light camera tickets done?
• Arizona Group Launches Statewide Referendum to Ban Photo Enforcement
• Arizona, Tennessee, UK: Speed Cameras Catch Fire, Crash
• Arizona: City Dumps Money Losing Traffic Cameras
• Arizona: Peoria Cameras Increased Accidents

Seasonally Adjusted Rate Unchanged from December 2009

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Commissioner of Labor & Workforce Development James Neeley announced today Tennessee’s unemployment rate for January was 10.7 percent, unchanged from the revised December rate of 10.7 percent. The January rate a year ago was 9.1 percent. The national unemployment rate for January 2010 was 9.7 percent, down from the December rate of 10 percent.

“The state unemployment rate is holding steady for the month of January,” reported Labor Commissioner James Neeley. “While the unemployment rate continues to be high in Tennessee, we did see a slight increase in employment (+3,400), and two of the three largest gains in employment were in the manufacturing industry.”

Major Changes in Estimated Nonagricultural Employment
December 2009 to January 2010

According to the Business Survey, 200 job gains occurred in plastic and rubber products manufacturing; 200 in fabricated metal products manufacturing; and 200 in federal government. Major employment decreases occurred in trade, transportation and utilities, down by 18,100; leisure and hospitality declined by 11,100 jobs; and professional and business services decreased by 9,900.

Major Changes in Estimated Nonagricultural Employment
January 2009 to January 2010

Year-over-year increases occurred in health care and social assistance, up by 6,800; state government gained 1,100; manufacturing was down 31,800; trade transportation and utilities lost 28,800; and mining and construction decreased by 16,100.

• Career Centers Ready To Assist Job-Seekers
• Microsoft Lays Off Thousands, Hints at More to Come – Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News
• ‘Radio Want Ads’ are hit with Louisville job-seekers, employers
• ‘Resource Exchange” to help job hunters
• 10 dirt-cheap ways to keep kids happy

WebMD article below gives (America’s Most Obese Metropolitan Areas) a summary of Gallup’s findings.

Please go to the Gallup link (What America’s Most Obese Metro Areas Have in Common) for more detail.

Do we need more restaurants in the Kingsport area?

America’s Most Obese Metropolitan Areas

March 3, 2010 — A ranking of No. 1 — or being in the Top 10 — isn’t always something to crow about.

The latest Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index lists the 10 most obese metropolitan areas in the U.S. and finds that adult obesity rates in each are significantly greater than the national average of 26.5%.

Here’s a list of the 10 most obese metro areas, with those ranking highest having the greatest obesity rates.

1. (tie) Montgomery, Ala., and Stockton, Calif.: 34.6%
2. Visalia/Porterville, Calif.: 34.1%
3. York/Hanover, Pa.: 34%
4. Flint, Mich.: 33.9%
5. McAllen/Edinburg/Mission, Texas: 33.7%
6. Bakersfield, Calif.: 33.6%
7. (tie) Lynchburg, Va., and Huntington/Ashland, West Va., Ky., Ohio: 33%
8. Kingsport/Bristol, Tenn., Va.: 32.9%

Eating Fruits and Veggies

The latest Well-Being Index also examines factors that are linked to obesity.

Here’s a look at how metro areas ranked according to the percentage eating fruits and vegetables frequently — listed from worst to best. The nationwide percentage is 56.8%.

1. McAllen/Edinburg/Mission, Texas:  45.7%
2. Montgomery, Ala.: 52.7%
3. Bakersfield, Calif.: 53.1%
4. Stockton, Calif.: 54.8%
5. Flint, Mich.: 56.4%
6. Visalia/Porterville, Calif.: 56.6%
7. Lynchburg, Va.: 56.8%
8. York/Hanover, Pa.: 59.0%
9. Huntington/Ashland/ West Va., Ky., Ohio 60.2 %
10. Kingsport/Bristol Tenn., Va.:  62.2%

Exercising Frequently

Here’s a look at the rankings — from worst to best — of the percentage of people exercising frequently. The percentage nationwide is 49.9%.

1. Montgomery, Ala.:  43.3%
2. Flint, Mich.:  44.5%
3. McAllen/Edinburg/Mission, Texas: 45.8%
4. Lynchburg, Va.: 46.1%
5. Huntington/Ashland, W. Va., Ky., Ohio:   47.7%
6. York/Hanover, Pa.: 47.8%
7. Bakersfield, Calif.:  48.4%
8. Kingsport/Bristol, Tenn., Va.: 48.5%
9. Visalia/Porterville, Calif.:  49.2%
10. Stockton, Calif.:  51%

Gallup-Healthways says in a news release that eight of the 10 most obese areas rank in the bottom two-thirds in terms of having easy access to fruits and vegetables and nine rank in the bottom two-thirds for having a safe place to exercise.

Seven of the 10 most obese metro areas rank among the bottom 25 places where residents say there have been times in the past year when they didn’t have enough money to buy food for themselves or family members.

Obesity’s Link to Health Problems

The researchers note that obesity often is a precursor to chronic health problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart attack. These conditions were included in the Gallup-Healthways physical health index.

The report also finds that:

• Each of the 10 most obese metro areas are in the bottom two-thirds of all places in terms of diabetes.
• The Huntington/Ashland areas of West Va., Kentucky, and Ohio, with Montgomery, Ala., and the Kingsport/Bristol area on the Tennessee-Virginia line are in the bottom 10 among all metro areas surveyed in regard to blood pressure, with rates nearly 10 percentage points above the national average.
• Huntington and Kingsport, along with Lynchburg, are in the bottom 10 for high cholesterol.
• Huntington and Kingsport are among the bottom 10 for heart attacks, with rates almost twice the national average.
• Four of the 10 most obese areas are in the top third among all metro areas for not smoking, but the other six rank in the bottom two-thirds.

The Gallup-Wellbeing report is based on telephone interviews with more than 353,000 adults 18 and over between Jan. 2, 2009, and Dec. 29, 2009. It has a margin of sampling error of 0.2 percentage points.

via America’s Most Obese Metropolitan Areas.

Copyright ©2009, WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved

• $17.1 Million proposed spending for expansion of sports facilities in Kingsport, TN
• $250,000 local matching funds needed for Riverwalk grant
• $34.7 million in new spending for Kingsport, Tennessee
• 10,000 attend job fair
• 100 Fastest Growing Counties – Tennessee Has Three

Missouri Supreme Court strikes down the red light camera program run by city of Springfield.

The supreme court of Missouri sent photo enforcement companies scrambling on Monday after it declared the red light camera administrative hearing process in the city of Springfield to be void. The high court moved with unusual speed, handing down a strongly worded, unanimous decision about one month after hearing oral arguments in the case.

"This is a $100 case," Judge Michael A. Wolff wrote for the court. "But sometimes, it’s not the money — it’s the principle."

At first glance, the court’s decision appeared to be limited to a technical legal issue regarding Springfield’s authority to adjudicate a photo ticket against motorist Adolph Belt in an administrative hearing. The court indicated that this was plainly not permitted under state law. Section 479.010 of the Missouri Code requires ordinance violations of this type to be heard in a circuit or municipal court. Springfield had argued that its administrative hearing officer was the first and last word on all judgments, with no appellate courts — not even the supreme court itself — having any jurisdiction over the matter.

A closer look at the ruling shows that the high court judges expressed a dim view toward the legal arguments often cited by municipalities to justify their red light cameras programs. For example, the court made it clear that no city had any authority to treat red light violations in the same manner as a parking ticket.

Read  more via “The Newspaper.com”

• Are red light camera tickets done?
• Arizona Group Launches Statewide Referendum to Ban Photo Enforcement
• Arizona, Tennessee, UK: Speed Cameras Catch Fire, Crash
• Arizona: City Dumps Money Losing Traffic Cameras
• Arizona: Peoria Cameras Increased Accidents

Speed cameras burn in UK and Tennessee while an Arizona photo radar van mysteriously crashes.

A speed camera van in Mount Carmel, Tennessee burst into flames at around 3am on February 21, burning down a barn near which it had been parked. Officials did not immediately blame vigilantes for the incident, instead suggesting the van, owned by Australia’s Redflex Traffic Systems, may have caught fire on its own.

“There’s a lot of wiring in that vehicle, and there’s a chance it wasn’t arson,” Mount Carmel Police Chief Jeff Jackson told the Kingsport Times-News.

There is no question that vigilantes were behind ten attacks on speed cameras in Dorset, England in the past year. Automated ticketing machines in Ferndown, Bear Cross, Longham, Verwood and Three Legged Cross have all been burned, the Bournemouth Echo reported.

Even a fake speed camera has felt the wrath of vigilantes. Former police officer Bill Angus, 64, constructed a faux automated ticketing machine and mounted it outside his home in Sunderland, England. Angus was upset last week when his false device was smashed with a hammer.

In Phoenix, Arizona, the group CameraFraud.com spotted the mangled wreckage of a freeway speed camera van being de-striped in the Redflex parking lot on Friday. The Australian company has issued no statement on the cause of the van’s destruction, but the anti-photo organization offered the suggestion that perhaps another of the company’s employees has been driving under the influence of alcohol. Roderick Ruffin was charged with DUI in 2008 while behind the wheel of a Redflex van.

via Arizona, Tennessee, UK: Speed Cameras Catch Fire, Crash.

• AAA alerts drivers to speed cameras
• Are red light camera tickets done?
• Arizona Group Launches Statewide Referendum to Ban Photo Enforcement
• Arizona: City Dumps Money Losing Traffic Cameras
• Arizona: Peoria Cameras Increased Accidents

Largest photo enforcement vendor reports that opposition groups have cut into company profits.

The number one speed camera and red light camera operator in the US today reported that its profits plunged by 32 percent in the first half of fiscal 2010, due in large measure to rising public discontent with automated enforcement. Redflex Traffic Systems told Australian shareholders that after adjusting for exchange rates, the company lost A$8 million, primarily as a result of citizen activists taking action against photo enforcement.

“The business, particularly in the US, has become more difficult over recent years, and the results reflect the influence of a range of adverse issues and circumstances on the business, including… the rise of opposition from various groups opposed to photo enforcement, resulting in challenges to programs through citizen initiated referenda,” a company statement explained. “A state wide ballot initiative [in Arizona] could result in negative impact.”

To date, citizen groups nationwide have succeeded in putting the question of photo enforcement on the ballot in nine cities. All nine voted to ban automated ticketing, with margins as high as 86 percent against the cameras (view list of cities). The largest citizen-led revolt so far is happening in the state of Arizona where the group CameraFraud.com has used a continual stream of protests, a Facebook page and other techniques to educate drivers that citations mailed from the program could be thrown away, unpaid. Only personally served notices are valid in the state. Redflex reported that the Arizona program so far has lost $4.9 million..

“Citation payment rates remain low due to the inability to achieve acceptable payment rates from violators,” the company explained. “Our push to reform the laws governing traffic enforcement with the Arizona Legislature and with the Arizona Supreme Court makes 2010 a critical year for our Company in Arizona…. Once corrective legislation is passed payment rates are expected to rise to the average historical payments rates typical for the Arizona business model.”

Discontent with photo ticketing has spread nationwide as politicians fear they may lose their jobs if they are responsible for bringing cameras into their community, although Redflex suggests the recession may also play a role.

“The rate of new contract signings has clearly decreased since a year ago,” Redflex admitted. “It is not clear at this stage whether this is driven by the economic environment, by the level of opposition, or by a slowdown in the rate of growth in the industry as a whole.”

A number of cities that use Redflex or a competitor have dropped the use of automated ticketing machines entirely. In California, Maywood and Moreno Valley dropped red light cameras while Loma Linda and Upland discussed the possibility of doing so. Avondale, Arizona and Dalton, Georgia also canceled their programs.

“As has been experienced over prior years, there is no guarantee that all contracts will be renewed at completion of their base contract term,” a Redflex statement explained. “Some cities have decided not to continue, and we have experienced early shutdowns in two cities.”

The company’s other major financial burden has been a lawsuit filed by American Traffic Solutions has cost Redflex another $1.3 million (more info). A shareholder revolt also cost the company $197,000 in expenses related to a change in the board of directors. Source

via Red Light Camera Giant Redflex Loses $8 Million From Opposition.

• Career Centers Ready To Assist Job-Seekers
• Microsoft Lays Off Thousands, Hints at More to Come – Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News
• Most of Georgia emerges from drought
• Ron Ramsey, Tennessee governor hopeful, offers changes
• $17.1 Million proposed spending for expansion of sports facilities in Kingsport, TN

Miami-Dade County, Florida judge rules red light camera program violates state law.

A Miami-Dade County Circuit Court judge has ruled that red light cameras may not be legally used to issue traffic citations in the state of Florida. Judge Gerald Bagley yesterday dismissed charges against motorist Richard Masone who had received a red light camera ticket in the mail from American Traffic Solutions (ATS). The company operates the program on behalf of the city of Aventura.

"What I’m doing is pretty much tracking the advisory opinion offered by the attorney general that tickets should be issued by a law enforcement officer who has observed the action on the part of the alleged violator running a red light," Judge Bagley ruled from the bench. "So the fact that there is not any other components, if you will, to this unmanned camera, such as an officer or any other mechanism for observing the actions of the alleged violator, I find that to be invalid

Read more via Florida Court Rules Red Light Cameras Illegal.

• Career Centers Ready To Assist Job-Seekers
• 1 in 3 Buyers Now Come From The Internet: Newspaper vs. Internet
• 2008 Top 10 Best Cities For Job and Wage Growth on United States
• 2009 Tennessee Pork Report
• 5 Work-at-Home Scams to Avoid

 Avondale, Arizona cancels photo enforcement after it failed to generate accident reduction or profit.

Avondale, Arizona last week decided to terminate its contract with American Traffic Solutions (ATS) for the operation of red light cameras and speed cameras. The city council made its decision primarily on financial grounds after the program failed to deliver on its promise of enhanced safety and substantial profit. With Avondale facing a $3.8 million budget deficit, officials decided the cameras had to go.

"The largest reduction in budgeted appropriations comes from the camera traffic enforcement program," Avondale Finance Director Kevin Artz wrote in a February 8 memo to the council. "The police department has assessed the effectiveness of the program and determined that potentially the program costs outweigh the benefits. With the total costs of the program exceeding the revenue and little change in accident rate, staff recommends that council consider eliminating or suspending the program."

The city allowed ATS to deploy two red light cameras and one mobile speed camera van. Over the past two years, ATS issued 6326 photo citations, with the number of tickets issued down 46 percent in 2009. While some cities would trumpet this reduction as evidence of the benefit of camera use, Avondale provided a different explanation.

"In June 2009 the decision was made to discontinue photo enforcement at intersections for failing to stop turning right on a red light," Police Chief Kevin Kotsur wrote. "This was based on a review of the previous year’s accident rate that revealed there were no traffic accidents caused by a vehicle failing to stop on a red light turning right at an intersection… This decision appears to account for the majority of this decrease."

Since the economic recession took hold in 2007, traffic volumes have dropped nationwide. As a result, traffic fatalities have hit all-time lows. Since the beginning of the recession, fatal crashes have dropped 14.7 percent across the country. The half-mile radius surrounding Avondale’s camera locations only saw a 7 percent drop in accidents. Areas farther from the cameras experienced a more significant drop in the number of crashes.

The city budget did estimate that cameras would generate $318,610 in net revenue for the city, but Kotsur noted that indirect costs associated with the program would mean the city would wind up losing $80,000. Avondale’s contract was set to expire on September 19, 2010, but an early termination clause allowed cancellation without penalty to the city. A copy of the city council memo is available in a 260k PDF file at the source link below.

 Source: Budgetary Update and Strategy Discussion (City of Avondale, Arizona, 2/8/2010)

via Arizona: City Dumps Money Losing Traffic Cameras.

• Career Centers Ready To Assist Job-Seekers
• EPA Releases third National Assessment of Toxic Air Pollutants
• More Tennessee kids born to unwed parents
• Most of Georgia emerges from drought
• Ron Ramsey, Tennessee governor hopeful, offers changes

Straight through violations drop 92 percent after yellow lights are extended by one second in Loma Linda, California.

Dr Rhodes RigsbyRedflex Traffic Systems of Australia succeeded last week in blocking efforts to end red light camera ticketing in Loma Linda, California. While several members of the city council expressed a desire to uproot the automated ticketing machines, Redflex insisted that could not be done unless the city paid $534,558 in early termination penalties. The council declined to take any action at its February meeting.

The problems began after the city extended the duration of yellow lights in November. This engineering enhancement reduced the number of straight through violations to drop to near zero with the consequence that only citations for rolling right-hand turns remained. With a pricetag of $456 for each of these citations, the council had been hit with complaints about such a stiff fine for a type of violation that does not cause accidents.

"I have received a number of complaints and emails from individuals," Councilman Ovidu Popescu said. "They teach you in business that for one complaint, that’s at least ten individuals who are very upset."

Popescu and Councilman Rhodes Rigsby led the charge to terminate the camera contract immediately because the program enraged constituents without providing any safety benefit.

"I’m not sure the statistics when it comes to auto accidents — it doesn’t show a decrease in accidents," Rigsby said. "If we’re going to fine our visitors and our citizens $12 or $14 million over four years, we should at least expect a safety benefit, and I just don’t see it."

The council, on the other hand, was extremely pleased with the results of lengthening yellow lights by one second in November. The number of left-turn violations dropped 80 to 85 percent from about 240 monthly violations to about 25 or 30 a month immediately after the change. Straight through violations were reduced 92 percent.

"Lengthening yellow lights has produced a tremendous drop in violations," Rigsby said. "The statistics from January are very telling. For four intersections, there were five straight through violations in total. That is tremendous improvement in safety. We’re talking about huge success of lengthening the yellow lights… We could have had that safety with lengthening the yellow four years ago instead of installing red light cameras."

Councilman Floyd Petersen wanted to know why city staff never tried lengthening yellow before.

"Councilman Rigsby brought up the issue and pushed on it really hard," Petersen said. "We have a whole profession out there called traffic engineers. We pay these people a lot of money to figure out the best way to set up the lights. Where are these people? Why haven’t they ever suggested lengthening the yellow light? What’s the deal? They aren’t being paid off by the camera people, are they?"

City staff defended the idea of keeping the cameras and endorsed short yellows.

"If you lengthen the yellow light, you reduce the green light," Public Works Director T. Jarb Thaipejr said. "So then I will get a call from someone who said, “I waited so long at the red light";” The whole idea of traffic engineering is to move the traffic."

Popescu vowed to bring early termination to a vote next month. The contract will expire on its own in December.

via California: Longer Yellows Nearly Eliminate Violations.

• Career Centers Ready To Assist Job-Seekers
• EPA Releases third National Assessment of Toxic Air Pollutants
• Microsoft Lays Off Thousands, Hints at More to Come – Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News
• Most of Georgia emerges from drought
• $17.1 Million proposed spending for expansion of sports facilities in Kingsport, TN

I wonder how our elected leaders will “spin” this study to make themselves look good.  Maybe, they might try even more to spend more money to help their cause.  So far the out of control spending for pet projects by our local elected officials has not seemed to work.

The Kingsport area has managed to get lots of national media attention with this study.

Nashville-area residents have the highest well-being among Tennesseans, although the state as a whole continues to rank near the bottom nationally when it comes to overall quality of life.

That’s the conclusion of two reports published today by Gallp and Franklin-based Healthways Inc. The reports are based on more than 350,000 surveys completed in 2009 that measure how respondents are faring in all aspects of their daily lives: physically, emotionally, socially and professionally.

Nashville ranks 63rd among 185 cities nationwide in the city-level report, up 22 spots from 2008. In report-card terms, that’s the equivalent of a B. Memphis and Knoxville scored Ds, while Chattanooga and Kingsport both graded an F.

In fact, Kingsport ranks among the bottom 10 cities nationwide in overall well-being, scoring dead last in the categories of life evaluation and physical health. Fort Smith, Ark., came in last overall, while Boulder, Colo. topped the list.

In the state-level report, Tennessee ranks 42nd, the same as in 2008. The bright spot was work environment, where the state ranks 12th. Hawaii had the highest well-being among states, while West Virginia had the lowest.

Gallup and Healthways published state and congressional district rankings for 2008. But this is the first time since polling began in January 2008 that city rankings have been announced.

“It’s our hope that these rankings are not treated as competition, but as a wake-up call,” said Anne Wilkins, Healthways’ chief strategy officer. “Even the highest-ranked cities and states have room for improvement, and hopefully communities can look at these rankings and figure out how to improve the lives of their citizens.”

Gallup and Healthways entered into a 25-year partnership in 2008 with the goal of creating an official statistic for the daily state of health and well-being in the United States.

Aggregating 1,000 calls a day, 350 days a year, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index is the largest behavioral economic database ever created and is expected to generate more than 9 million individual responses over the next quarter-century.

Healthways provides specialized, comprehensive medical solutions for insurers and employers to help patients manage and improve their health and reduce health care costs.

The company ranks No. 16 on Nashville Business Journal’s list of largest public companies in Middle Tennessee with revenue of $789.5 million in 2008.

Best and worst

Top 10 Cities Overall 1. Boulder, Colo. 2. Holland, Mich. 3. Honolulu, Hawaii 4. Provo, Utah 5. Santa Rosa, Calif. 6. Santa Barbara, Calif. 7. San Jose, Calif. 8. Washington, D.C. 9. Ogden, Utah 10. Oxnard, Calif.

Bottom 10 Cities Overall 1. Fort Smith, Ark. 2. Huntington, W. Va. 3. Lake Havasu City, Ariz. 4. Johnstown, Penn. 5. Modesto, Calif. 6. Charleston, W.Va. 7. Flint, Mich. 8. Youngstown, Ohio 9. Kingsport, Tenn. 10. Shreveport, La.

Top 10 States Overall 1. Hawaii 2. Utah 3. Montana 4. Minnesota 5. Iowa 6. Vermont 7. Colorado 8. Alaska 9. North Dakota 10. Kansas

Bottom 10 States Overall 1. West Virginia 2. Kentucky 3. Arkansas 4. Ohio 5. Nevada 6. Alabama 7. Indiana 8. Mississippi 9. Tennessee 10. Louisiana

Source: Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index City and State Reports

via Healthways, Gallup: Tennesseans’ well-being lags, boosted by Nashville – Nashville Business Journal:.

Note the rankings below for Kingsport.  The number of cities studied in 185.  Kingsport came in dead last in “Life Evaluation” and “Physical Health”.  Kingsport’s overall score is 179 out of 185.  Click on the link below for more information on the Tennessee study.

2009 City, State & Congressional District Well-Being Report for Tennessee

• Career Centers Ready To Assist Job-Seekers
• EPA Releases third National Assessment of Toxic Air Pollutants
• Microsoft Lays Off Thousands, Hints at More to Come – Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News
• More Tennessee kids born to unwed parents
• Most of Georgia emerges from drought

NASHVILLE – Tennessee sales tax collections continue to be a concern for the state’s general fund. Negative growth in sales tax collections continued in January, with overall January revenues coming in at $947.4 million, which is $16.1 million less than the state budgeted.

“January is the 20th consecutive month in which sales taxes have recorded negative growth.” Finance and Administration Commissioner Dave Goetz said. “January collections represent December holiday sales, which brought reports of positive growth at the national level, so it’s very disappointing that we didn’t have a similar experience in Tennessee.

“Despite the severe national recession, the state will continue to monitor spending in order to end the fiscal year with a balanced budget as required by the state’s constitution,” Goetz said.

On an accrual basis, January is the sixth month in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

The general fund was under collected by $5.2 million and the four other funds were under collected by $10.9 million.

Sales tax collections were $20.4 million less than the estimate for January.  The January growth rate was negative 1.86%. For six months revenues are under collected by $159.0 million. The year-to-date growth rate for six months was negative 5.72 %.

Franchise and excise taxes combined were $11.3 million above the budgeted estimate of $128.5 million. For six months revenues are over collected by $5.9 million.

Gasoline and motor fuel collections for January increased by 5.77 % but were $4.2 million below the budgeted estimate of $71.2 million.  For six months revenues are under collected by $14.1 million.

Tobacco tax collections were $451,000 above the budgeted estimate of $21.9 million, and for six months they are $4.3 million over the budgeted estimate.

Inheritance and estate taxes were over collected by $1.8 million for the month.

All other taxes were under collected by a net of $5.1 million.

Year-to-date collections for six months were $185.1 million less than the budgeted estimate. The general fund was under collected by $152.3 million and the four other funds were under collected by $32.8 million.

The budgeted revenue estimates for 2009-2010 are based on the State Funding Board’s consensus recommendation adopted by the first session of the 106th General Assembly in May of 2009, and are available on the state’s Web site at http//www.tn.gov/finance/bud/budget.html.

The State Funding Board met again on December 18, 2009 and adopted revised revenue ranges for 2009-2010. The revised ranges reflect growth rates ranging from -1.50 % to -0.25 % in total taxes, and -2.35 % to – 0.85% in general fund taxes.

Based on the funding board’s consensus recommendation, the official budgeted estimates for 2009-2010 were revised in late December. The revised estimates are reflected on pages A-70 and A-72 in the 2010-2011 Budget Document. The revised estimates assume an under collection in total taxes in the amount of $161.3 million, and an under collection of $153.2 million in the general fund.

View Revenue Collections

• Career Centers Ready To Assist Job-Seekers
• More Tennessee kids born to unwed parents
• Ron Ramsey, Tennessee governor hopeful, offers changes
• $17.1 Million proposed spending for expansion of sports facilities in Kingsport, TN
• $250,000 local matching funds needed for Riverwalk grant