BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. – The Sullivan County Commission on Monday became the third local government to jump on board with its support for King College’s proposed medical school.
“We have so much to gain here, so much to gain,” Commissioner Mark Vance of Bristol said before he voted in favor of a resolution supporting the project during the commission’s meeting.
Officials with the Bristol, Tenn., college claim the proposed medical school could generate millions of dollars for the region and help address its shortage of specialists and other physicians. The plan is to have campuses in Kingsport and Bristol, Tenn., the leaders of which also have approved resolutions in support of the project.
It’s expected to cost $150 million – $50 million from private donations, $50 million from the state and the remaining $50 million from local governments.
Although the Bristol Tennessee City Council and Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen threw their support behind the proposal earlier this month, neither has committed any money.
Sullivan County’s resolution, approved in a 21-1 vote, also included no money for the project.
Commissioner John McKamey of Piney Flats cast the lone dissenting vote. He said the county has a shortage of doctors because it hasn’t done anything to keep the ones who graduate from programs like the Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tenn., from leaving the area.
“Over half the people who graduate [from Quillen] leave the area,” McKamey said as he challenged one of the reasons for supporting the school. “The solution to this thing is to keep the doctors here.”
McKamey said if the county supports the medical school now, it would commit itself to paying $100 million in taxpayer money. He said the $50 million in local taxes and $50 million in state taxes would be too large a burden for the region’s residents to bear.
Those remarks drew harsh criticism from Commissioner Bart Long of Bristol, who said McKamey acted as if he “had blinders on” and could not see the long-term benefits. Even if the school drew no students, Long said, its two campuses would boost the county’s coffers through increased property tax collections.
“This is a wonderful thing and I hope we stand behind it all the way through,” Long said.
He also said if the commission is not willing to support the school because of its high price tag, it could steer away other prospective investments by businesses. The commission must “be welcoming to any business that comes here,” Long added.
Prior to supporting the medical school resolution, the commission voted 21-1 in favor of a resolution creating a building code. Specifically, the resolution adopts the structural guidelines contained in the 2006 International Residential Code and the 2006 International Property Maintenance Code. It also would require county building inspectors to inspect a new home’s footing and frame during the construction process.
Currently, the county does not have a formal building code and its inspectors only check homes that are under construction to see if they meet the county’s zoning rules.
gmclean@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2518
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