Crossville city manager candidates number 15 with over 3 weeks left to deadline.

So far there are 15 candidates who have expressed an interest in the position of Crossville city manager. Two are from Crossville. The deadline to contact the city about interest is September 30, 2016.

Terence Arrington of Greenville SC whose last job is county administrator for Darlignton Co. South Carolina. Arrignton served in that position from 1-2015 through 8-2016. Arrington has a Masters of Public Administration and is working toward and MBA. He has government experience since 2011 including deputy city administrator of Salisbury MD from 1-2014 to 1-2015.

Wayne R. Bodie of Orlando Florida currently serves as a captain in the Orange Co. fire and rescue department. He has worked for the department since 2005. Bodie holds an MBA and also works as a fire instructor. He has previous experience in financial services.

Robert G. Bray, Jr. of Pinellas Park Florida is seeking the position after retiring as the Community Planning Director for Pinellas Park Florida between 1995 and 2016.  Prior to that Bray had additional planning experience from 1985-95.  He also has a Masters of Public Adminsitration.  

Steve Foote of Dunwoody Georgia serves that community as the Director of Economic and Community Development. He has served in that capacity as the employee of a contractor starting in 2014 and now as a direct employee of the city. Previously Foote served as director of planning for Mt. Juliet Tennessee from 2009 to 2014. Foote's education includes a BS in Geography and Biology and graduate work toward an Masters in Geography.

Bobby Goney of Crossville is a registered nurse that has worked in intensive care for the last several years, curently in Sparta and prior for Cumberland Medical Center. He holds an MBA in healthcare administration. In addition, Goney has previous experience in banking and accounting.

Jason Hall of Lyons Georgia where he has served as the current city manager since april of 2013. His previous experience includes serving as city administrator of Varnell Georgia between 2011 and 2013 and a codes enforcement officer for Ringgold Georgia from 2004 to 2011. Hall has an associates degree in education and additional course work in business management

Frank Horvath of Crossville whose resume lists his current position as business and project manager of Crossville Smiles since January 2013. Mr. Horvath holds an MBA from University of Indianapolis and previously worked as project manager for SciSaves, LLC

Daron E. Jordan of Madisonville Kentucky serves as that city's community development director, a position he has held since 2005. He holds a masters degree in organizational management, is a certified economic developer and also operates a consulting firm that specializes in grant writing and administration.

Catrina Maxwell of Milwaukee Wisconsin currently serves as the deputy clerk of the court for Milwaukee county. Ms. Maxwell holds a Master's degree in public service with a specialization in criminal justice administration.

Allen May of Urbanville IA last held the position of city administrator of Coal Valley Illinois. He started serving in that position in 2014. Prior to that position, May has zoning and planning experience back to 1974.

Louis A. Ogaard of West Valley City Utah holds a PhD in Botany and has 20 years experience with the state of North Dokota where he manage and environmental restoration program. His latest position was providing environmental support at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.

Adam R. Rabe of Marengo Iowa. Mr. Rabe has served as director of the Iowa Co. Iowa EMS since 2008. Part of his tenure was as a hospital employee then the EMS service became part of the county operation. In addition, Rabe served 8 years on the Marengo city council, currently serves on the local 911 board and holds a BS in public administration.

Christian Saxe currently holds the position of assistant public works director at Spring Hill Tennessee, a position he's held since October of 2015. From 2008 to 2015 Saxe was deputy director of public works for the city of Orange California. He holds a bachelors degree in public administration.

W. Jordan Shaw has been the assistant director of information technology for Franklin Tennessee since February 2015. Shaw holds a Doctorate of Business Administration from Argosy University.

Tina Tuggle of Kingston Tennessee is currently a municipal finance trainer and previously served as the city manager of Oliver Springs Tennessee from June 2012 to November 2014. She also served as Oliver Springs' city recorder from 2010 to 2012. She holds an associate degree in legal science.

Four new city manager applicants bring the total to 12 seeking the position so far.

Four additional candidates have expressed interest in the position of Crossville city manager bringing the total applicants so far to 12.  The deadline for applications is September 30

The latest 4 candidates include:

Wayne R. Bodie of Orlando Florida currently serves as a captain in the Orange Co. fire and rescue department. He has worked for the department since 2005. Bodie holds an MBA and also works as a fire instructor. He has previous experience in financial services.

Steve Foote of Dunwoody Georgia serves that community as the Director of Economic and Community Development. He has served in that capacity as the employee of a contractor starting in 2014 and now as a direct employee of the city. Previously Foote served as director of planning for Mt. Juliet Tennessee from 2009 to 2014. Foote's education includes a BS in Geography and Biology and graduate work toward an Masters in Geography.

Daron E. Jordan of Madisonville Kentucky serves as that city's community development director, a position he has held since 2005. He holds a masters degree in organizational management, is a certified economic developer and also operates a consulting firm that specializes in grant writing and administration.

Adam R. Rabe of Marengo Iowa. Mr. Rabe has served as director of the Iowa Co. Iowa EMS since 2008. Part of his tenure was as a hospital employee then the EMS service became part of the county operation. In addition, Rabe served 8 years on the Marengo city council, currently serves on the local 911 board and holds a BS in public administration.

Previous manager applicants are:

Robert G. Bray, Jr. of Pinellas Park Florida is seeking the position after retiring as the Community Planning Director for Pinellas Park Florida between 1995 and 2016.  Prior to that Bray had additional planning experience from 1985-95.  He also has a Masters of Public Adminsitration.  

Jason Hall of Lyons Georgia where he has served as the current city manager since april of 2013. His previous experience includes serving as city administrator of Varnell Georgia between 2011 and 2013 and a codes enforcement officer for Ringgold Georgia from 2004 to 2011. Hall has an associates degree in education and additional course work in business management

The only local applicant so far is Frank Horvath whose resume lists his current position as business and project manager of Crossville Smiles since January 2013. Mr. Horvath holds an MBA from University of Indianapolis and previously worked as project manager for SciSaves, LLC

Catrina Maxwell of Milwaukee Wisconsin currently serves as the deputy clerk of the court for Milwaukee county. Ms. Maxwell holds a Master's degree in public service with a specialization in criminal justice administration.

Louis A. Ogaard of West Valley City Utah holds a PhD in Botany and has 20 years experience with the state of North Dokota where he manage and environmental restoration program. His latest position was providing environmental support at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.

Christian Saxe currently holds the position of assistant public works director at Spring Hill Tennessee, a position he's held since October of 2015. From 2008 to 2015 Saxe was deputy director of public works for the city of Orange California. He holds a bachelors degree in public administration.

W. Jordan Shaw has been the assistant director of information technology for Franklin Tennessee since February 2015. Shaw holds a Doctorate of Business Administration from Argosy University.

Tina Tuggle of Kingston Tennessee is currently a municipal finance trainer and previously served as the city manager of Oliver Springs Tennessee from June 2012 to November 2014. She also served as Oliver Springs' city recorder from 2010 to 2012. She holds an associate degree in legal science.   

Crossville News--Council candidates finalized, New city manager applicants, Blankenship appeal Monday

Crossville News Updates.

1) City council candidate list finalized

There is no change in the candidates for city council. Thursday at noon was the deadline for any candidate to drop out if they wanted to and no requests were made. All 8 of the candidates will appear on the November 8 ballot for Crossville city council and the two candidates who receive the most votes will gain a spot on the council.

The final list of candidates are:

• Jerry T. "J.J" Brownstead
• Charles Cooper, Jr.
• J. H. Graham, III
• Robert E. "Rob" Harrison,
• Terri L. Manning
• Jeanette W. Parsons
• Scot Shanks
• David E. Warner

2) New Candidates for Crossville city manager position

Three additional candidates have submitted letters and resumes for the Crossville city manager job currently being advertised.

New candidates include:

Terence Arrington of Greenville SC whose last job is county administrator for Darlignton Co. South Carolina. Arrignton served in that position from 1-2015 through 8-2016. Arrington has a Masters of Public Administration and is working toward and MBA. He has government experience since 2011 including deputy city administrator of Salisbury MD from 1-2014 to 1-2015.

Allen May of Urbanville IA last held the position of city administrator of Coal Valley Illinois. He started serving in that position in 2014. Prior to that position, May has zoning and planning experience back to 1974.

Bobby Goney of Crossville is a registered nurse that has worked in intensive care for the last several years, curently in Sparta and prior for Cumberland Medical Center. He holds an MBA in healthcare administration. In addition, Goney has previous experience in banking and accounting.

3) J. R. Blankenship Court appearance Monday on appeals

The appeal of two matters concerning J. R. Blankenship are scheduled to be before circuit court Judge Jonathan Young. Blankenship is represented by Nashville Attorney Joseph Johnston. The matter of the $1500 fine placed against Blankenship over “unsigned fliers” is under appeal along with an appeal of the issuance of a restraining order to city judge Ivy Gardener.

Crossville city manager candidates now up to 8. Deadline still 6 weeks off.

The search for a new Crossville city manager is off and running with 8 letters of interest and resumes received by the city so far. The deadline for those interested applying is September 30, 2016.

The applicants so far have a variety of backgrounds from a PhD in Botany to the former city manager of Oliver Springs, Tennessee. Copies of the letters of interest and resumes are being distributed to the council members as they come into the city's human resources department.

Crossville city hall building

Interested applicants so far in alphabetical order include:

Robert G. Bray, Jr. of Pinellas Park Florida is seeking the position after retiring as the Community Planning Director for Pinellas Park Florida between 1995 and 2016.  Prior to that Bray had additional planning experience from 1985-95.  He also has a Masters of Public Adminsitration.  

Jason Hall of Lyons Georgia where he has served as the current city manager since april of 2013. His previous experience includes serving as city administrator of Varnell Georgia between 2011 and 2013 and a codes enforcement officer for Ringgold Georgia from 2004 to 2011. Hall has an associates degree in education and additional course work in business management

The only local applicant so far is Frank Horvath whose resume lists his current position as business and project manager of Crossville Smiles since January 2013. Mr. Horvath holds an MBA from University of Indianapolis and previously worked as project manager for SciSaves, LLC

Catrina Maxwell of Milwaukee Wisconsin currently serves as the deputy clerk of the court for Milwaukee county. Ms. Maxwell holds a Master's degree in public service with a specialization in criminal justice administration.

Louis A. Ogaard of West Valley City Utah holds a PhD in Botany and has 20 years experience with the state of North Dokota where he manage and environmental restoration program. His latest position was providing environmental support at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.

Christian Saxe currently holds the position of assistant public works director at Spring Hill Tennessee, a position he's held since October of 2015. From 2008 to 2015 Saxe was deputy director of public works for the city of Orange California. He holds a bachelors degree in public administration.

W. Jordan Shaw has been the assistant director of information technology for Franklin Tennessee since February 2015. Shaw holds a Doctorate of Business Administration from Argosy University.

Tina Tuggle of Kingston Tennessee is currently a municipal finance trainer and previously served as the city manager of Oliver Springs Tennessee from June 2012 to November 2014. She also served as Oliver Springs' city recorder from 2010 to 2012. She holds an associate degree in legal science.   

Resumes coming in for Crossville city manager search

The search for a new Crossville city manager is off and running with 7 letters of interest and resumes received by the city so far. The deadline for those interested applying is September 30, 2016.

The applicants so far have a variety of backgrounds from a PhD in Botany to the former city manager of Oliver Springs, Tennessee. Copies of the letters of interest and resumes are being distributed to the council members as they come into the city's human resources department.

Crossville city hall building

Interested applicants so far in alphabetical order include:

Jason Hall of Lyons Georgia where he has served as the current city manager since april of 2013. His previous experience includes serving as city administrator of Varnell Georgia between 2011 and 2013 and a codes enforcement officer for Ringgold Georgia from 2004 to 2011. Hall has an associates degree in education and additional course work in business management

The only local applicant so far is Frank Horvath whose resume lists his current position as business and project manager of Crossville Smiles since January 2013. Mr. Horvath holds an MBA from University of Indianapolis and previously worked as project manager for SciSaves, LLC

Catrina Maxwell of Milwaukee Wisconsin currently serves as the deputy clerk of the court for Milwaukee county. Ms. Maxwell holds a Master's degree in public service with a specialization in criminal justice administration.

Louis A. Ogaard of West Valley City Utah holds a PhD in Botany and has 20 years experience with the state of North Dokota where he manage and environmental restoration program. His latest position was providing environmental support at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.

Christian Saxe currently holds the position of assistant public works director at Spring Hill Tennessee, a position he's held since October of 2015. From 2008 to 2015 Saxe was deputy director of public works for the city of Orange California. He holds a bachelors degree in public administration.

W. Jordan Shaw has been the assistant director of information technology for Franklin Tennessee since February 2015. Shaw holds a Doctorate of Business Administration from Argosy University.

Tina Tuggle of Kingston Tennessee is currently a municipal finance trainer and previously served as the city manager of Oliver Springs Tennessee from June 2012 to November 2014. She also served as Oliver Springs' city recorder from 2010 to 2012. She holds an associate degree in legal science.   

Resumes for Crossville city manager applicants starting to come in--Application deadline September 30

Advertisements have gone out for the position of full time Crossville city manager and have been run in local media as well as posted to the Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) site.  The deadline for applications to be submitted is September 30, 2016.

Several resumes have already been received by the city and copies distributed to council members.

The position description follows:
POSITION OPEN
CITY MANAGER
CITY OF CROSSVILLE

The City of Crossville (pop 11,246) is seeking letters of interest and resumes for the position of City Manager. Starting annual salary is market competitive DOQ/DOE (minimum $69,166.37, maximum $110,572.83). A benefit package is offered including group health, dental and life, retirement 401A, vacation and sick leave provisions. This position is under the general guidance of the Crossville City Council consisting of a Mayor and four (4) councilmembers. The City Manager shall be responsible to the City Council for the administration of all City affairs placed in his/her charge by/under City Charter. The City of Crossville will operate under a general fund budget of $20,626,000 for the 2016/2017 fiscal year. The City Manager is responsible for overseeing the annual budget and exercises responsibility for planning, organizing and leading, through Department Supervisors, the activities of 170-180 full time employees. Employee services are provided through the departments of City Administration, Finance, Central Staff, Police, Fire, Public Works, Engineering, Recreation, Marketing, Human Resources, Water Resources and Customer Service. The City of Crossville is seeking an individual that is accomplished, assertive and has current knowledge of municipal government and economic development; is able to interface with the public, media, industry heads and a variety of governmental boards and organizations. Requirements for this position are as follows:
• Graduation from an accredited four year college, or university, with a major in Public Administration, Business Administration, Economics, or related field.
• Five to ten years of increasingly responsible experience in a general business environment, of which three years must have been in a responsible administrative, supervisory or consultative position.
• A Master’s Degree in Public Administration (MPA), Business Administration or related field is preferred, but not required.
• Able to pass a background check, post-employment offer physical and drug screening.
• Residency within Crossville within six (6) months of the date of hire.

Reasonable relocation expense reimbursement may be negotiated.

Letters and resumes are to be submitted to Leah Crockett, Human Resources Administrator, City of Crossville, 392 North Main Street, Crossville, TN 38555 or leah.crockett@crossvilletn.gov. Letters and resumes will be accepted until September 30, 2016. Qualified candidates will be contacted with an invitation for interview. 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.

Crossville city council votes to move forward on hiring a new city manager.

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

Very busy called meeting agenda set for noon Friday July 22 includes city manager, sidewalks, shooting sports park

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

July Regular city council meeting to consider indoor recreation facility and hiring city manager

The Crossville city council meets for their regular July meeting Thursday evening and the schedule includes the audit committee at 5:30 and the regular meeting at 6 PM.

Crossville city council members, left to right, Pete Souza, Danny Wyatt, Mayor James Mayberry, Pamala Harris & Jesse Kerley. 

Council will discuss the indoor recreation center as they attempt to interest the county in sponsoring the funding for the project in a county wide bond referendum. The referendum would likely eventually lead to a 10 cent property tax increase and if the referendum was only voted on by city voters, the city tax rate could rise as much as 35 cents to cover the bond costs and possibly more for operations.

City representatives attended the recent building and grounds committee meeting but at least one member, while he said he supported the city doing the project, felt that there was inadequate information for the county to approve the referendum.

The city is working to put together a joint agreement between the city and county concerning the ownership and operation of the recreation center. The basic framework would be contained in the resolution adopted by both the City and Council so that, if the referendum is approved by the voters, both the City and County know how to proceed.  Language in the draft agreement

Without these basic questions agreed on in advance, an adopted county-wide referendum would make it totally a County facility and responsibility, with no involvement by the City. The County Commission meets on July 18. Their next meeting would be August 15, which leaves little time to get the proposed referendum question to the State Election Commission for approval to submit to the Cumberland County Election Commission by August 25.

Council will consider the request for the $40,000 from the Chamber of Commerce as part of the fund raising that includes $120,000 raised by the chamber and another $40,000 from each of the city and county that would total $200,000 to be used for a target industry analysis, workforce development strategy, feasibility study for a multi-year fund raising campaign and operations of a basic economic development office.

The letter from the chamber requesting the release of the funds indicates that the industry target analysis would be a companion study to go along with the property evaluation program awarded to the community by the state late last year that looked at potential industrial sites.

Councilman Jesse Kerley has requested that an item concerning the hiring of a full time city manager be placed on the agenda. Council had previously voted in April to put off hiring a regular manager until after the November election and to use the help of the Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) in seeking candidates for the position.

Kerley's request for the city manger action came out of series of emails in which Kerley accused Mayor James Mayberry of violating the city charter over asking council members to share their thoughts on hiring now former interim police chief as the regular police chief. Story on emails between council members over Shoap hiring 

Once again, an item to discuss rescinding the last changes to the council's standing rules has been requested to be placed on the agenda by councilman Pete Souza. This itme has been on the agenda for the last several months and councilman Souza has stated he will out in on every month until the rules are changed or he is no longer on the council.

Council will also consider authorizing repairs to Crossville fire engine # 18 that was damaged in a wreck while responding to a fire recently. The repairs are estimated at $29,367.37 and insurance will cover all but the $5,000 deductible.

Under the council's consent agenda, items to be considered include approval of payment for the sponsorship of the Tennessee Women's Open golf tournament, approval of $1.2 million in capital outlay notes for the radio system upgrades along with several upcoming road closures for downtown area events.

It appears that discussion on the downtown sidewalk project may be put off until a future work session on the costs of having a contractor do the work versus hiring additional city employees for a dedicated sidewalk construction/repair crew. 

Crossville City Council to hold budget work session Thursday June 2 at 5 PM

The City of Crossville's 2016-17 budget could get some additional finishing touches at a work session on the budget set for Thursday June 2 at 5 PM. The meeting will be held in the city hall conference room 317 and is open to the public.

The the city will hold a public hearing on the budget and, in addition, the second reading the budget ordinance are scheduled for the regular council meeting on Thursday June 9.

The budget started at $2.4 million in the red and at last tally according to city finance director Fred Houston stands at a much lower $577,641 in the red.  The city also holds a fund balance of well over $10 million. The budget as it stands includes a 3 percent raise for city employees and a continuation of the wellness program. Final decisions on the funding of outside agencies or non-profits remains to be determined.

With a change in city managers at a critical point of the budget the process has appeared to stay on track and be close to completed.  

Photos from Crossville council's first budget work sessions

Crossville Mayor James Mayberry consults with interim city manager Steve Hill before the meeting.

Members of the council review the 2016-17 budget looking for possible cuts 

to the $2.4 million in red ink.

Police chief Rod Shoap explains part of his budget request to the council.

Crossville city council recall battle keeps escalating (part 1)

Signs have been put up by the political group that calls itself Crossville Citizens for Good Government asking people to sign the recall petitions as they try to collect 2225 registered city voter's signatures on each petition to get the questions included on the November ballot.  The deadline for the group is June 24.

This sign pictured above is located at the entrance to Crossville's Walmart and a different sign is located at the intersection of 127-N and Industrial Boulevard.  

The group's website asks a series of questions and makes several accusations but presents no evidence of the allegations they make.  

Souza calls council “toxic” as hiring a new city manager put off until after November election

The Crossville city council agreed to put off hiring a new city manager until after the dust has cleared from the city election in November.

In addition to the council seats of Pete Souza and Jesse Kerley being up for election, it looks like a strong possibility that the recall votes for Danny Wyatt and Pam Harris will also take place on the November ballot.

Mr. Souza stated that since 2007 the city has had ten managers and interim managers. “We have a toxic city council. That's a fact. We need to wait. I don't think we could get anybody right now, that's any good as a professional manager that would even come here.”

While preliminary work on recruiting and vetting potential city manager candidates is expected to take place prior to the election, the final decision on who will become city manager will wait until new members, if any, are sworn in.

The council agreed to move forward using the UT Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) to provide the recruiting service at no cost to the city. Crossville mayor James Mayberry said that MTAS had recommended, and he agreed, that the final selection should be delayed until after the election.

Mayor Mayberry moved to let MTAS begin the process and to put off hiring until after the election and councilman Pete Souza supported the motion.

Councilman Jesse Kerley asked city attorney Will Ridely about the legality of putting off hiring a manager. Ridely responded that the motion was fine, but there was nothing stopping another council member from making a motion to hire a manager in the future before the date set in the motion.

The motion was approved unanimously by the council.

Council also approved an employment contract with interim city manager Steve Hill. Hill is to be paid $75,000 annual salary plus benefits offered to other city employees while he serves in the position.

The contract was approved with councilman Souza opposed. Souza felt that the agreement in place when Hill was originally appointed should not be changed.