Crossville city council selected 2 representatives for the oversight of the Horizon funding program
funded by private donations along with funds by the city and county
totaling $200,000 towards economic development.
During discussion of the item, the
chamber's Brad Allamong reported to the council that the chamber had
collected more then the full amount of $120,000 in the bank, one of
the requirements to receive the city $40,000 funding match. The
other requirement approved at a previous council meeting was the
appointment of one or two representatives to the oversight committee.
Council members L-R Danny Wyatt, Mayor James Mayberry, Pamala Harris, Jesse Kerley
While the funds have gone to the
chamber of commerce, the funds are reserved only for use on the
Horizon Initiative funding program spelled out in fund raising
efforts. According to Allamong, the funds will not be used for
general chamber operation.
The funding will be used for a target
market analysis costing between $100,000 and $150,000 to study the
area and determine industries that would be likely to find Cumberland
County a good match for their business.
Workforce development strategies would
be studied at an estimated cost of $15,000 to address the many issues
revealed by the visioning meetings held. Some expected projects
include supervisor training, study of daycare needs, work ethics and
mentoring and support for a community wide anti-drug coalition.
Up to $48,000 will be used to fund a
basic economic development office. Up to $30,000 would be spent on a
study looking at the feasibility of further fund raising for Horizon
programs.
A number of names were placed into
nomination to represent the city on the oversight committee of the
funding and with the votes of the four council members present, Anne
Looney and Ray Evans were selected.
A church sign spotted along 127-N near I-40 offers prayer for Crossville mayor James Mayberry and the city. This sign is a far cry from some of the political opinion signs that have been directed at the city elected officials recently.
DRUG RAID NEAR DAYCARE, IN GOVERNMENT HOUSING, NETS CASH AND DRUGS
PRESS RELEASE
July 29, 2016
On July 27, 2016 a joint narcotics operation led to the service of a Search Warrant at 153 Obed Street, in Crossville, TN. Crossville Police Department Narcotics Detectives were working together with the 13th Judicial Drug Task Force, the HIDTA / TBI Drug Task Force, the Office of the District Attorney General, Crossville Housing Authority and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office in the execution of a search warrant at an illegal narcotics distribution operation, located in government housing, within 680 feet of a daycare.
This search warrant comes after in-depth undercover investigations and drug purchases led to the discovery of the illegal narcotics operation. This illegal activity occurred at 153 Obed Street, near Home Away From Home Head Start and Day Care. Following the search of the property; Cash, illegal narcotics and an additional wanted person were discovered.
Following the operation, criminal indictments will be sought on the resident Henry Wilson - 45 years old, at an upcoming session of the Cumberland County Grand Jury.
A neighbor, Ashley England - 20 years old, was found in the residence and had an active Failure to Appear arrest warrant, with a 10 day hold, on file in Cumberland County. England was arrested and transported to the Cumberland County Justice Center, where she is awaiting a court appearance.
153 Obed Street Henry Wilson
Ashley England
The above information was provided by the Crossville police department.
One of the oldest buildings in the
downtown area has been used for the past several years as the
headquarters of Downtown Crossville, Inc (DCI) but action by the
Crossville city council may change that.
Known as the Snodgrass building, the
structure behind the courthouse was once the law office of Charles E.
Snodgrass who, in addition to being a lawyer served as a state
representative and as US congressman from the Fourth District of
Tennessee. The building predates the 1905 courthouse and was built
about circa 1890. It served as a law office until 1970, was
purchased by the county in 1989 and used as the veterans service
office until purchased by the city when the county considered tearing
it down.
Snodgrass building (right)
During the council's called meeting on
July 22, the topic of the DCI lease on the building was on the
agenda. Councilman Danny Wyatt said that DCI had used the building
for three years and that if notice on the lease wasn't given to DCI
90 days before October 31 it would automatically renew for another
three years. DCI pays a monthly rent of $75 and the city pays for
utilities.
Wyatt said he had just discovered the
renewal and thought the council needed a calendar of such contracts
and renewals for future decisions. Said Wyatt, “I feel like we
ought to go ahead and give notice, and I don't have a problem with
DCI and we get back to the issue of the office upstairs.” Council discussion on non-profit office space.
Wyatt continued, “I'd like to make a
motion that we terminate the lease and then put it back on the agenda
in August and let the council decide if they want to renegotiate it
or sell the building or give another agency a chance to be in there
for three years.” Councilwoman Pam Harris supported Wyatt's
motion.
Mayor James Mayberry pointed out the
funds DCI has invested into the building as part of the contractual
agreement of $17,000 over and above the rent paid. “I think they
are doing a great job,” added Mayberry.
Further discussion on the issue of the
lease will come up on the August council agenda. The motion passed
with yes votes from council members Wyatt, Harris, Jesse Kerley and a
no vote from Mayor Mayberry.
The city of Crossville is advertising for three positions including 1 position in the water resources department and two in the street department. The following information from the city's website.
POSITION OPEN
City of Crossville
Water Resources Department
Operations Technician
The City of Crossville is now accepting applications through the Department of Labor Tennessee Career Center located at 60 Ridley Street, Crossville, TN. This is a full time position, with benefit package. Starting annual salary is $22,065.97 without Water Treatment License. Salary is negotiable for qualified applicants with Water Treatment License. This employee is responsible for maintaining the water treatment plant by keeping watch on the plant computer, filtration systems, collecting samples and conducting tests. A complete job description is available with application request. High school diploma, or equivalent, is required and applicant must be able to pass the Grade III Water Certification test within three (3) years of the date of hire. Applicants will need proof of identity, eligibility for employment, automobile liability insurance, a valid TN driver’s license and able to pass a drug screening and physical. Deadline for accepting applications will be close of business on August 11, 2016. The City of Crossville is an EEO/Affirmative action employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, sex, religion, color, disability or national origin.
POSITION(s) OPEN
City of Crossville
Street Department
Utility Worker
The City of Crossville is now accepting applications through the Department of Labor Tennessee Career Center located at 60 Ridley Street, Crossville, TN. This is a full time position, with benefit package. Starting annual salary is $22,065.97. This employee will work as part of a crew to install, repair and maintain all aspects of city streets, sidewalks, storm drains, catch basins and right of ways. A complete job description is available with application request. High school diploma, or equivalent, is required. Experience in similar field preferable. Applicants will need proof of identity, eligibility for employment, automobile liability insurance, a valid TN driver’s license and able to pass a drug screening and physical. Deadline for accepting applications will be close of business on August 12, 2016. The City of Crossville is an EEO/Affirmative action employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, sex, religion, color, disability or national origin.
Cumberland County mayor Kenneth Carey
addressed to topic with the Crossville city council during their
called meeting on July 22 including a proposed shooting sports park
and the status if dispatcher salaries in the emergency communications
operation.
Cumberland Co. Mayor Kenneth Carey
Mayor Carey told the council that the
shooting sports park was moving forward slowly. (The project was
originally approved just over a year ago would include funding from
the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency TWRA.) He said the plan had
gotten through most of the environmental process including a check
for endangered bats. Carey said no bats were found.
The next step is working with the
Tennessee College of Applied Technology to get some drawings and
plans. Carey said if they can get those items completed by next
month, the project will be submitted to the TWRA board for a funding
decision.
Mayor Carey also addressed the issue of
dispatch salaries explaining to the council that the county had done
“a fairly extensive salary wage scale” adding that the city and
county share the costs of the operation. Carey added, “The
dispatch pay has been so low that literally, we've had a revolving
door with training folks and then they go somewhere else to work for
quite a bit more money. They wanted me to pass that along to you
folks.”
According to Carey, the new wage scale
was adopted by the county commission budget committee. He added it
still had to go through the full county budget adoption. He said the
ball park numbers would add about $20,000 more each year for the city
and county to fund the additional salary.
“Our emergency services are only as
good as the information they get before they go to a call,”
stressed Mayor Carey. Carey said he would get a copy of the study to
the city for their review.
Co. Mayor Carey addresses Crossville city council on shooting sports park
During their recent called meeting, the
Crossville city council discussed the use of city hall office space
by the Cumberland Rising drug alliance that came out of the Visioning
Horizon project.
Council Member Pamala Harris asked that
the itme be put on the agenda and started the discussion saying she
was not so concerned about the entity using the space as she was
about the fact that council was not notified about the use or given
the opportunity to have input on the use of the office space.
Another concern Harris mentioned was if the city had any liability
from the use of the office by non-city employees.
City Attorney Will Ridley
Even though no motion was made, the
discussion continued on the matter.
City attorney Will Ridley said that the
city was covered for the liability under their insurance policy now.
Ridley said currently community groups use the building for meeting
now and there is coverage. Ridley said he was unable to find a city
policy on use of the building and he felt it should be a council
decision on use of rooms and offices. Ridley added there was no
lease and the group was not paying any rent.
Mayor James Mayberry said agencies use
the Palace Theatre green room to meet and other spaces in city hall
to hold small meetings. The space had been used by other entities
without it coming to the council and he felt that unless the council
wanted to make a policy it should be at the discretion of the city
manager.
Councilman Jesse Kerley asked interim
manager Steve Hill if he knew about the use of the office and Hill
responded that he knew after the fact and thought the previous city
manager David Rutherford and given the permission. Kerley said he
thought the drug colaition was formed after Rutherford left and was
unsure how he could give authority for that use after he left.
City clerk Sally Oglesby said that the
coalition had started last summer over a year ago but only recently
received their charter and 501c3 status.
Ms. Harris said she was not concerned
about meetings but the coalition had a name on the door, something
Mayor Mayberry said he was unaware of.
Councilman Danny Wyatt moved that the
city manager should regulate the use of offices. Wyatt added that he
didn't feel outside agencies should set up permanent office space.
The motion was approved with all four
council members present voting in favor of the motion.
Two city council seats are up for election on the November 8 ballot and the deadline for candidates to qualify is August 18 at noon.
Candidates who have qualified as of July 26, 2016 include:
1) J. H. Graham, former mayor and councilman 2) Robert E. "Rob" Harrison, 3) Terri L. Manning 4) Jeanette W. Parsons 5) Scot Shanks
Additional potential candidates who have taken out petitions but not turned them in yet include:
1) Jerry T. "JJ" Brownstead 2) Barry Field (Field actually lives outside of the city limits and appears to be ineligible to run.) 3) Jesse Kerley, currently holding one of the council seats up for election 4) Jack E. Miller, former Crossville city manager 5) David E. Warner, former city councilman who served from Jan 1985-Dec 1992 6) Ronnie D. Wyatt, owner of Wyatt Construction
Candidates who qualify do have one week after the August deadline to remove their name form consideration if they choose to do so.
Here are several examples of some of the problems facing citizens, visitors and businesses owners on Main Street with long neglected sidewalks downtown. For more on what plans are to work on these problems, see this article on action by the council last week.
Along North side of Main Street between 4th and 5th Streets
In front of the Triangle Building (currently a private residence)
In front of French's Boots
At the corner in front of French's Boots
Crosswalk that needs repainted. There are several in this condition.
2 City of Crossville Police Department officers have received recognition with the issuance of “Officer of the Month” awards for June, 2016.
Story and photos provided by Crossville Police Dept.
On June 13, 2016 Sgt. Dustin Lester and Ptl. Daniel Coleman responded to a suspicious vehicle at the Peavine Road McDonalds. Upon their arrival they made contact with an individual in a stolen vehicle. This individual was entered into NCIC as a wanted felon from the state of Virginia and as a “Suicidal person”. Both officers noticed the individual had several cuts on his bgt.ody and had lost a large amount of blood. These officers secured the scene and applied first aid to the individual, until EMS arrived. Their actions stopped the mam’s bleeding saved him from further harm. They also removed a dangerous individual from the public and recovered a stolen vehicle. These officer’s dedication and professionalism has been rewarded with officer of the month recognition for the month of June, 2016.
K9 SGT. LESTER, MAYOR MAYBERRY PTL. COLEMAN, MAYOR MAYBERRY
The majority of the Crossville city
council agreed to downsize work on the downtown sidewalks project one
more time moving to a plan that will repair much of the area and
replace about 30 to 35 percent.
The outcome might have been different
if all the council members had been present. The called meeting was
set earlier in the week and councilman Pete Souza had informed the
other council members that he was not available for a called meeting
during the week. The meeting was held anyway.
The matter was put on the agenda by
councilman Danny Wyatt and the council had been waiting for a report
on the costs of some alternatives to hiring a contractor to come in
and replace all the sidewalks over a time frame of about 6 months.
Said Wyatt, “This has been talked
about a long time and I feel like it is time to make a decision and
stick with it.” Wyatt said he really didn't care what the decision
was and he didn't have much fight left in him, but he didn't see
spending millions of dollars when it can be repaired for $450,000.
Wyatt moved that the sidewalks be
repaired where needed and hire an engineering firm to tell the city
what is needed to bring the sidewalks up to ADA standards. The
motion would also add a two man crew to the city staff and implement
a 10 year sidewalk plan when Main Street is finished. Wyatt added
that the city should turn Tennessee Department of Transportation
(TDOT) loose to pave Main Street right away. Councilman Jesse Kerley
supported Wyatt's motion.
Council member Pamala Harris spoke
saying that she had spent the last week walking Main Street, looking
at the sidewalks and talking to people as well. Ms. Harris said she
had talked to 19 people and 4 were in favor of the full project to
replace all the sidewalks, 4 were non-committal and 11 were in favor
of the repair process proposed by Mr. Wyatt.
Mayor James Mayberry said the project
had been under consideration for many years and millions had been
spent on the project plus $3.5 million in grants and funding that was
returned. Mr. Mayberry reminded the council that economic
development consultants had said how important a vibrant downtown is
to a community. “I think this patching up is totally different
then what the plan is,” said Mayberry.
A question on how to proceed with the
motion was asked to the city attorney Will Ridley. The last motion
on the project was made in May of 2015 to move forward with the full
project using contractors and install new light poles with the
current metal downtown poles to be used at Centennial Park. The
following month a contract was approved with engineers to designe the
project for bidding at a cost of some $100,000.
Ridely said, “This motion would be
essentially amending that one and so it would need a three fourths
vote of the members present so with this council today it would take
three votes.”
Had all five council members been
present the vote would have required 4 votes to pass.
Mr. Wyatt had some questions for city
engineer Tim Begley about the alternative plan to repair the sidewalk
corners to ADA compliance and replace sidewalks that need replaced.
Mr Begley said that he estimated that some 35 percent of the
sidewalks would need to be replaced but he stressed that that was
only an estimate. Begley added that the time line for the repair
project would be between 6 and 12 months. Because the changes
proposed will require TDOT approval and Begley estimated it could be
up to a year before the city could start on such a project.
Crossville city engineer Tim Begley
One complication is the intersection of
Main Street at Lantana Road because of problems with the placement of
the poles holding the street lights. According to Begley, the staff
has been waiting for direction from the council on how to deal with
the situation. The funds could be pulled from planned work on the
West Avenue and Fourth Street intersection work or left out of the
plans. It was also mentioned that the city needed to provide a
decision to TDOT on the intersection by the end of September. Mr.
Wyatt called that intersection one of the worst and it would be
difficult to convert to ADA accessible corners.
The repair project as proposed would
not include replacement of street light poles and according to
Begley's memo, the repair project would only make the corners ADA and
it would not make entrances to some of the businesses ADA accessible
and he added during the discussion that some of the sidewalks were
so slanted left to right that they were not ADA acceptable. In
addition, there are trip hazards where the sections are not quite the
same height. Begley wrote in his memo that the incomplete work to
upgrade to full ADA compliance could cause problems for the city down
the road.
Ms. Harris commented that several
people had mentioned to her the need to repaint crosswalks and curbs
since those had been left alone while waiting for the project to get
underway.
Mayor James Mayberry said he was in
favor of biting the bullet and doing the sidewalk project as
previously agreed to.
Ms. Harris asked of the project was
equivalent to about a 4 cent tax increase to pay for the more
expensive work? Mr. Mayberry responded, “Actually you've got money
in the bank. You could just cut a check and pay for it.” Mayberry
said the city had $7.5 million in the rainy day fund and another $4.5
million in other funds adding the city could get pretty good interest
rates to borrow the funds.
Clarification of the motion included
the hiring of two full time employees at a cost of $90,000 a year,
two part time employees at $35,000 a year along with necessary
equipment and a truck at a cost of some $80,000 and $40,000 for
concrete and rock.
The vote included yes votes from
council members Wyatt, Harris and Kerley. Mayor Mayberry voted no
and the motion was approved.
A majority of the Crossville city
council approved with moving forward to hire a new city manager
without waiting until after the November council election as
previously approved.
The agenda item on the special called meeting Friday July 22 was proposed by mayor
pro-tem Pamala Harris and she said she had a comment to make at the
start of the agenda item.
Council members Danny Wyatt, Mayor James Mayberry, Pamala Harris and Jesse Kerley
Said Harris, “It has come to my
attention that there are rumors floating around regarding this agenda
item. I will caution you not to listen to rumors. There are some
people who thrive on rumors and conspiracy theories and who frankly
have harmed our city by spreading misinformation and making
accusations against this council and other citizens that are
unfounded. I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm tired of this
nonsense. So I'm going to ask everyone to join me in rejecting the
rumors and gossip. Let's get on with the business of this city and
make Crossville an even better place than we know it is today.”
Harris did not specify who and what the
rumor was she was discussing, but in one email that circulated prior
to the meeting, councilman Pete Souza wrote in an email Monday July
18 that there was a rumor that J. H. Graham was going to apply.
Wrote Souza, “That would truly be a coincidence. I look forward to
see how this is going to play out, especially the reaction from our
constituents.
While Mr. Souza advised the council
that he would be unable to attend a called meeting scheduled for the
week, the meeting was scheduled and Mr. Souza was absent.
Ms. Harris moved on with her item
saying, “The hiring of a city manger is incredibly important. I
personally would like to take my time when reviewing resumes and
vetting candidates to ensure that who ever we hire is qualified, is a
leader, and desires to work well with the full council, and I stress
full council, and wants to become a part of our community.”
Harris moved to rescind the previous
action of April 14, 2016 to wait until after the election to recruit
and hire a new city manager. Harris' motion received a second from
councilman Jesse Kerley.
Mayor James Mayberry asked city
attorney Will Ridely on the necessary vote count to rescind a
previous motion and Ridley told him because the item was properly
listed on the agenda only a simple majority was necessary but under
Robert's rules, if it was not listed on the agenda it would require a
2/3 majority.
Ms. Harris said that she did not know
if the city could hire a manager before the election, but she wanted
to start the process. Councilman Wyatt said that at least three
members of the current council would still be on the council after
November so he didn't see it as an issue.
Mr. Kerley said the only reason he
supported a delay in looking for a manager was to see where the
recall effort went. Said Kerley, “Since it failed miserably, I
think it's time to move on.”
The motion passed with all members
present voting in favor.
Harris then moved to move forward with
contacting the Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) for
assistance with recruiting a city manager, and accepting resumes over
the next 60 days, and to direct the city attorney to review and edit
the current job description, and the council is to be given copies of
the resumes as they are received.
Councilman Danny Wyatt gave the second
on the motion and asked about using MTAS and Mayor Mayberry read from
information provided by MTAS about the services they provide. Those
services are listed below.
Motion was approved with all four
council members present voting in favor.
Video of the city manager discussion during the called meeting held July 22, 2016
SERVICES MTAS CAN PROVIDE TO THE CITY:
Advertisements
Offering suggestions on where to advertise
Placing notices on the MTAS website
Requesting other state’s city management associations to post job notices
Using MTAS consultants to help recruit former colleagues and current and past clients
for positions
Applications
Accepting applications
Handling application correspondence
Ranking applications
Supplying a ranking system of applications for the elected officials to use based on the
advertisement and/or qualities the board desires to have in an administrator
Interviews
Facilitating discussions with the governing body on narrowing the list of applicants to
invite for an interview
Scheduling interviews with candidates
Writing interview questions specifically tailored for the town that address current issues,
criteria specified in the advertisement, and core competencies
Supplying a ranking system for interviews
Conducting and ranking interviews with a senior staff member to assist the governing
body in making its decision on who to bring back for a second interview
Supplying a list of generic interview questions for the governing body to select from
Proctoring interviews
Providing cost estimates of hosting interviews
Developing and proctoring assessment centers
Employment
Providing sample employment contracts for the governing body to consider
Providing comparable salary and benefit information
While the temperature tries to find a record, you can find some great old cars along Main Street today. The cars are cool, but maybe that will help. Here are a few examples of what you'll find.
New and old muscle cars are included.
When's the last time we had a Rolls Royce on Main Street?
This was the Crossville city council when I first started covering city politics back in 1985.
Pictured are, front row, left to right: John Dooley, Mayor Willis Cox, and Elmo Lewis.
Back Row Dave Warner left and Jim Turner right.
This council was elected in December 1984 and again in December 1986 and served from January 1985 to December 1988. In these days, the term was 2 years on the council and all candidates ran on a single ballot with the candidate receiving the most votes being elected mayor and the next four serving on the council.
On Thursday July 21, 2016, Officers with the City of Crossville Police Department arrested another Cumberland County resident, following the actions of The Cumberland County Grand Jury, in which indictments were handed down for various charges. Crossville Narcotics Detective’s efforts led to the charges being presented to the June 27, 2016 session of the grand jury.
With this most recent effort:
WANTED - Pamela Kay Neal – 44 years old, Charges: Sale and Delivery of Oxymorphone and Oxycodone (2 counts ea.), Sale and delivery of counterfeit substance and possession of over ½ oz. of marijuana with the intent to sell and deliver. Neal is currently WANTED and will have a $40,000.00 bond.
Kurt William Vanmeter – 22 years old, Charges: Sale and delivery of a counterfeit substance and possession of over ½ oz. of marijuana with the intent to sell and deliver. Vanmeter is currently being held on $15,000.00 bond.
WANTED – Walter Duane Simons – 63 years old, Charges: Employing a firearm during the commission of a felony,Sale and Delivery of Oxycodone (3 counts) and possession of Oxycodone and Oxymorphone with the intent to sell and deliver (1 count ea.). Simons is currently WANTED and is believed to have absconded to Michigan. Simons will have a $40,000.00 bond.
Vanmeter was arrested and taken to the Cumberland County Jail for processing. Neal and Simons remain at large. These latest actions by the Crossville Police Department’s Narcotics Detectives and Police Officers demonstrate the Department’s resolve to eradicate illicit narcotics in our community.
A number of community leaders attended
a training session Wednesday evening July 20 on the topic of economic
development incentive programs.
Nashville attorney Thomas Trent explains about economic development
incentives to community leaders.
The program was put on by Nashville
attorney J. Thomas Trent, partner with the Bradley law firm where he
serves as the chairman of the firms economic development practice
group. Trent talked about payment in lieu of tax or PILOT programs
and tax increment financing or TIF programs.
Trent stressed that incentives do not
get the company to come, they help you win when you make it to the
short list of locations. He explained that the most important thing
was to have sites ready to go and that when a prospect made a
decision, they wanted to get buildings built and opened as soon as
possible as the company wants to speed into the market.
He added that it was important to find
the flattest property and have it tied up so when a company is ready
so is the property they need.
The next most important thing according
to Trent is having a workforce with the right training. He said that
the states Drive to 55 program is currently the most impressive
education program in the county. He said it was important to sell to
prospects and to local residents.
He also talked about some other
incentives that can save small companies money on state franchise and
excise taxes based on hiring 25 or more employees and investing at
least $500,000. He said all these programs are important especially
those that help companies that are already located in a community.
Thomas Trent makes a point during the training.
The meeting was sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and held at Crossville city hall.
Tonight's Thursday at the Amp show at the Spirit Broadband Amphitheater will feature the local group the Humanaires. The group, based out of Grassy Cove plays a mix of original and Americana/Rock music and are a talented group.
The show starts at 6:30 PM central time and is sponsored by Downtown Crossville, Inc.. The venue is located behind the Cumberland County Courthouse and in front of the Art Circle Public Library.
For more about the group, check out their FACEBOOK PAGE!
The meeting started out to be about moving up the process of hiring a new city manager rather then wait until after the council election in November but the agenda has grown.
The meeting will be held without councilman Pete Souza who previously advised he was unavailable to meet.
In order to move up the city manager hiring time line the council will have to rescind a previous action agreeing to put it off until the city election is held. No reason for the change in plans has been released. Emails this week from one council member sought to keep the applicants secret though city attorney Will Ridley advised that was not allowed under the open records law.
Also on the agenda is appointment of two members of an oversight committee for the economic development funds to the Chamber of Commerce and two appointments to the health and education facilities board.
A discussion of the use of city office space by the non-profit group Cumberland Rising, the drug alliance that came from the Horizon Initiative has been requested by council member Pamala Harris. The partnership group has a temporary space on the fourth floor used by its director.
Cumberland County mayor Ken Carey will be at the meeting to discuss topics to include the shooting sports park that was discussed just over a year ago. Carey will update the council on the project. 2015 story on the Shooting Sports Park
Carey will also talk to the council about the pay for 911 dispatchers. The county's recent salary study showed that the dispatchers are below the average pay for the classification. The city and county share the costs of the communications operation.
The long expected council discussion of the downtown sidewalk project and how to handle it will also be part of the called meeting. The project has been looked at for bidding by a contractor and a study done by city staff to see what the cost and time frame would be to do the project with a dedicated city crew. City engineer Tim Begley and street supervisor Kevin Music are expeted to report to the council as they try to decide the best way to proceed.
Council will also discuss the lease between the city and Downtown Crossville, Inc on the building known as the Snodgrass building. The initial term of the lease expires October this year and DCI is requesting a three year extension. The city and DCI worked on repairs and upgrades to the building and all those have been completed according to the letter from DCI president Bob Schwartz
An item on a project to convert old council audio tapes to CDs
Council in favor of Shooting Sports
Park partnership with County
(Originally from June 2015)
The Crossville city
council appears to like the idea of a shooting sports park as
proposed by Cumberland County Mayor Kenneth Carey that would be built
on part of the city's old Dorton Landfill property with funding from
the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).
The proposal was
first presented by Mayor Carey to the council at a work session held
on June 4 with discussion and possible action set for the the regular
June council meeting agenda.
City manager David
Rutherford reminded the council about the previous discussion and the
partnership with the TWRA and that the park would be utilized by
folks in middle Tennessee, possibly from across the state and maybe
other states. Rutherford explained, “The county mayor has been
working with TWRA and hopefully we'll be able to know something for
funding, but one of the requests is they have to have a piece of
property.”
Rutherford pointed
out the map of the property that identified about 116 acres of
property referred to as the landfill site off of Chestnut Hill Rd.
The 116 acres does not include the part of the property previously
used as a landfill, another 34 acres that could possible be used as a
competition range depending on how everything is permitted by the
state concerning the use of the actual landfill property.
“The request from
mayor Carey is that we consider making that property available,”
said Rutherford and added, “This is by no means turning everything
over. There's still lots of agreements and contract work we'd have
to do with the county and TWRA as we move forward, but right now
knowing the property is available will allow mayor Carey to move
forward with TWRA if we can get more traction on this project.”
Mayor pro-tem Pam
Harris commented saying, “I have no issues with letting the TWRA
work on the project, but I would like to say that I want the language
of any agreements to ensure that the city does not end up having to
maintain the facility going down the road.”
Councilman Pete
Souza commented saying that he had talked to the operators of Dave's
Pawn Shop, that operates an indoor shooting range, and said the
owners did not have any problems with the project and thought it
would even help their business. Souza continued saying he saw in the
project the potential to attract more people from outside the area to
come a visit.
“I see a lot of
potential,” said Souza, “and I'm going to support this but I also
believe that a committee needs to be organized between the county and
the city to develop this thing and a business plan be made up.”
Souza then made a
motion that the land specified be designated for the use as a
shooting range subject to an acceptable contract. His motion was
supported by councilman Jesse Kerley and the motion was approved
unanimously.
A training center
building would be part of the project and law enforcement could use
the facilities for training. It could also host hunter education and
safety classes, handgun carry permit classes and more for the general
public. In addition, the facility could also host local, regional
and state events and competitions that would boost the local economy.
Mayor Carey was
also at the meeting for the councils decision on the transition plan
for building permits and inspections to be transferred from the city
to the county. The city has provided the building inspections for
the county for several years and had come to the point they would
have to either add additional personnel or turn the work over to the
county.
The county has
opted to take over the inspections but does not plan to do this until
October this year. Councilman Souza has pushed for the county to act
faster to free up the city codes enforcement personnel to be able to
work on problems inside the city including derelict houses that need
to be condemned.
Manager Rutherford
had met with Mayor Carey and worked out a transition plan that would
pass any building permits and fees along to the county if work has
not started by October first. Construction that was underway by the
transition date would stay with the city through the completion of
the building.
After numerous
discussions with other council members stating their willingness to
work with the county until they are ready to take over the work, Mr.
Souza stated, “I've worn out my position this. It's time for me to
move on so I'll make that motion.”
The motion was
supported by Mr. Kerley and passed unanimously.
For several months, councilman Pete Souza has put an item on the agenda to try and reverse changes to the standing rules that would reinstate regular monthly work session and public comments during discussion of an agenda item.
It did not go as planned.Wyatt moved to change the standing rules so as not to allow an item to be on the council's agenda for 90 days after an item fails to pass. Before receiving a second, the motion was cleared with city attorney Will Ridley who said it would be legal for the council to put on itself.
Councilman Jesse Kerley seconded the motion.
Mr. Souza said, "I want to bring to the council's attention that this has far reaching effects, not just for what I've brought here today, If this motion is just to censor Pete Souza, it has far reaching effects on every member of this council."
Mayor Mayberry said he recalled the first motion to come back to the council during his term was on the sponsorship of a golf tournament.
The motion passed with council members Wyatt, Kerley and Pam Harris voting in favor. Mr. Souza and Mayor Mayberry were opposed.
One recent example of bringing an item back to council after being voted down was the Community Development Block Grant for $500,000 that the council voted down on a Thursday and called a special meeting the next Monday to reconsider and approve after reconsidering the action.
Cumberland County Commission voted to begin the process of cancelling the lease with the Youth Center and declaring the property surplus to sell.
While the Youth Center has long served the community, the organization has all but shut down though recent efforts to restart the operation included a proposal seeking funding from the city of Crossville.
There is a loan against the property with Highland Federal Savings and Loan that will have to be handled in the sale. It is unclear how long the process will take to sell the property.
Cumberland County Youth Center property off of Dayton Avenue and Hayes St.
We will have video of the discussion to add to this post a bit later, but the county commission soundly defeated a resolution that some called zoning that would have given the county the right "to regulate the use of property where such is found to be detrimental to the health, morals, comfort, safety, convenience or welfare of the residents.
This resolution was put forth by 9th district commissioner Sandra Dutcher. After some heated public comment at the start of the meeting and discussion about the resolution it was soundly defeated with only three commissioners voting in favor. Those included Dutcher and 9th district commissioner Woody Geisler and 3rd district commissioner Rebecca Stone.
Video of resolution on proposed land use regulation.
A second resolution also failed that was a non-binding resolution that had been previously passed by the Farifield Glade Community Club and the Crossville city council. It failed in a vote of 6 commissioners in favor and 10 opposed. Commissioners voting for the resolution included Rebecca Stone, Allen Foster, Terry Carter, Tim Claflin, Sandra Dutcher and Woody Geisler. Sonya Rimmer and Elbery Farley were absent. Other members voted against the resolution.
As the group opposed to the windfarm left the meeting following the second vote a shouting match broke out and required Cumberland County Sheriff Casey Cox to go into the audience to try and calm things down.
Video of resolution opposing windfarm and aftermath.
Opponents of the Crab Orchard Windfarm filled the courtroom as the county commission met to consider two resolutions on the windfarm. Both resolutions failed
Wearing "Stop the Turbines" shirts, some of those who attended the meeting discussed what they could do next after the meeting.
