Aug. 20– Tennessee homeowners and business owners affected by historic floods this spring have 12 days to seek relief on their local property taxes.

Gov. Phil Bredesen signed into law a bill unanimously approved by lawmakers in May that allows local taxing districts in the 46 counties that were declared federal disaster areas to reassess homes that were damaged in the storms.

Hardin and McNairy counties are included.

Under the new law any home that has been deemed unfit for use for more than 30 days or any home that sustained damages equal to more than 50 percent of the home’s pre-flood value would be eligible for an assessment reduction.

The law is only applicable in communities where the local governing bodies chose by two-thirds vote to participate in the tax relief program.

Hardin County Assessor of Property Calvin Hinton said the county chose to participate, but the city of Savannah has not.

Monday, the Hardin County Commission approved the measure authorizing reassessments for county flood victims.

That means owners of flood-damaged homes in Savannah are eligible for possible assessment reductions resulting in lower county property tax bills, but not city property taxes.

Applications must be filed with the local property assessor’s office by Sept. 1.

Aug. 20– Middle Tennessee State University’s aerospace department and a private company are set to sign a memorandum of understanding to create a Center of Excellence in Unmanned Aerial Systems research, training and education.

Officials from the university and Savannah-based ISR Group say the signing will be today at 9 a.m. at the university.

Aerospace Department Chair Wayne Dornan described ISR Group as the leading provider of unmanned aircraft system training services.

As Middle Tennessee State and the aerospace department pursue a new concentration in unmanned aerial systems, IRS Group has agreed to provide equipment, personnel and an opportunity for MTSU students to spend time in Savannah flying the unmanned vehicles.