Lee plans to aid distressed rural counties
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has issued his first executive order, requiring all 22 state executive departments to assess their current impact on distressed rural areas along with recommendations on how they will accelerate plans to serve rural Tennesseans better. The executive order issued Wednesday represents the first action by Lee, who campaigned for governor last year pledging to step up state efforts to focus on the state’s 15 economically distressed rural counties — a list that includes Grundy, Van Buren and Bledsoe counties.
The other distressed counties in Tennessee are Lake, Lauderdale, Hardeman, McNairy, Perry, Jackson, Clay, Fentress, Morgan, Scott, Hancock and Cocke.
The counties fall within the nation’s top 10 percent of economically distressed counties based on an annual index of unemployment, income and poverty levels. The index is issued annually by the federal Appalachian Regional Commission.
“My administration will place a high emphasis on the development and success of our rural areas,” said Lee, who was sworn into office Saturday. “Our first executive order sends a clear message that rural areas will be prioritized across all departments as we work to improve coordination in our efforts.”
Noting that health outcome problems, such as shortages in primary care, remain a “challenge for rural communities,” the executive order says educational attainment and labor workforce also is “continuing to lag” in the 15 counties when measured against the state’s 95 counties.
The administration “recognizes that achieving this policy will require a continued focus on the unique challenges and responses for rural Tennesseans,” the executive order says.
The order requires each department to submit a “statement of rural impact,” explaining the agency’s mission and how it may “uniquely impact rural Tennesseans.” Departments also will be required to state the number of “taxpayers or customers” served by the agency in rural areas.
Moreover, departments are to provide comprehensive descriptions of initiatives adopted or funded over the past four years to specifically address challenges unique to rural communities.
Lee wants departments to report back to him with the rural impact statements by May 31, with recommendations for service improvements due by June 30.
“Our state has reached historic levels of prosperity and I want to ensure that the 15 distressed counties in our state benefit from a concentrated mission,” Lee stated. “Each department has communicated full support as we move forward with putting this plan into motion.”
David Callis, executive vice president and general manager of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association, praised Lee’s executive order, saying: “Tennessee’s rural and suburban communities matter.”
Noting that 37 percent of the state’s residents, or 2.4 million Tennesseans, live in rural areas, Callis said they account for nearly 30 percent of personal incomes in the state and the contributions they make to Tennessee’s economy “are significant.
“A healthy and vibrant rural economy is critical to the state’s overall growth and prosperity,” he said.
He added that Tennessee’s electric cooperatives serve 71 percent of the state with more than 2.5 million consumers, many in rural areas.
“Electric co-ops have deep roots in these communities, and we support the governor’s focus on issues that impact rural Tennessee,” Callis said.