Calling the current budget draft too ‘optimistic,’ and trying to avoid raising property taxes, Mayor Mike Ragsdale has recommended that the 160-acre Ijams Nature Center be opened for oil and gas drilling.
According to a statement on Mayor Ragsdale’s MySpace page, “In order to balance the Knox County budget, provide a proper education to your youth, and buy me some more wigs from that there J’s Mega Mart, a new revenue source must be found. We are well aware of the plans at Ijams to serve as a refuge for whooping cranes, as well as the importance of the park for other animals, and this will not have any negative impact on the animals…they have absolutely no use for the oil or the gas. Considering Bill’s love for oil, I’m almost certain we’ll have the full support of the City on this initiative.”