Co. Commission turns down county wide referendum-with video

In a 12 to 4 vote, the Cumberland Co. Commission turned down the agreement with the city of Crossville to put a bond referendum on the Nov election ballot.  Commissioner Harry Sabine moved to turn down the deal that would let county voters approve or not the referendum that would increase the county tax rate by about 9 cents.

There were a few questions from the commission on the deal and what the county and city were responsible for.  Sabine commented that the county should have been consultTheed before the last minute.

 

The vote by the commission was:

Voted to oppose rec center referendum

Sabine

Isham

Hassler

Stone

Foster

Gibson

Lowe

Wilson (School funding first)

Turner

Clafin

Dutcher

Geisler

Voted to support the referendum

Scarborough

Hyder

Davis

Carter

Absent

Farley

Rimmer

Draft language of the Interlocal Agreement between the city and county on an indoor recreation center

A draft of an agreement between the city and Cumberland County on the operation of an indoor recreation center should the county commission agree to allow the bond referendum to be placed on a county wide ballot on the November 8 election.

This draft will be considered by the Crossville city council at their regular July meeting Thursday July 14 and if approved, will be forward on to the county commission for their possible consideration on Monday July 18.

Link to info on the city council meeting

The main points of the agreement are as follows:

1. Purpose of Agreement: The purpose of this Agreement is to memorialize the terms of the

Agreement between the parties for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the Crossville/Cumberland County Joint Recreation Facility and to enhance the quality of life for the Citizens of this great County/City. The terms of this agreement will only take effect in the event that the majority of citizens vote by county wide referendum in the November 2016 election to approve a county property tax increase to pay for the construction of the facility.

2. Real Property Transfer: The City of Crossville will transfer up to 18 acres of land to Cumberland County for a construction site necessary for the recreation facility.
3. Fiscal Responsibility: The County shall be responsible for the cost of construction of the facility which shall not exceed twenty million dollars and contemplated to be an approximate 66,000 sf facility that would include:

• 16,000 sf gym with two high-school size courts and one college size court
• Walking track
• Competition swimming pool with eight, 25-yard lanes
• Warm water pool
• Outdoor leisure pool with deck and water park-type amenities
• Wellness Center
• Martial arts/gymnastics room
• Dance and aerobics exercise room
• Locker rooms

4. The City will be responsible for operating the facility and the cost of such operation. The City of Crossville and Cumberland County shall share equally in the maintenance of the facility once constructed. This Agreement to share equally does not preclude the periodic contribution by either government to a special project on the property.
5. Grants: Grant applications shall be filed in the name of the respective government, i.e. grants funds sought for a program or facility in the City shall be filed by the City. Grant applications for funds sought for a program or facility in both the City and County may be filed by either government. Such applications, however, shall require the approval of both governments. Upon receipt, grant funds and any construction or purchasing required as part of the grant shall be administered by the applicant.
6. Effective Date and Duration: This Agreement shall not become effective until the first working date following the occurrence of all of the following events:

1. The approval of this Agreement, by resolution, motion or otherwise by the respective legislative bodies of the Parties; and
2. The approval of the resolution allowing a county wide referendum; and
3. The passing of a county wide referendum by a majority of the voters.

This Agreement shall remain in effect until terminated upon written notice to the other Party.

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. 

Reception cool to city indoor rec center proposal at county buildings and grounds committee

Cumberland Co. mayor Kenny Carey address the county commission buildings and grounds committee during a discussion of a countywide referendum for an indoor recreation center. 

The plan the Crossville city council had to put the indoor recreation facility on a countywide bond referendum appears that it may not be approved by the full commission.  The problem is lack of adequate information for the comfort level of commission members.

Questions from the county committee included how would operations and maintenance be funded, how would the land be paid for and who would oversee management of the building.  Engineers from Hart Freeland and Roberts that designed the facility at Manchester Tennessee that the city has looked at as a possible model and said the type of facility and amenities would determine the population that was attracted to the facility.  Generally what has been discussed is a multi-purpose gym, and indoor pool area plus other possible classrooms, a wellness center area and more.  Depending on the cost an outdoor water activity area may be considered.

Crossville councilman Pete Souza said that to get the matter ready for the referendum, and the deadline is short, the city and county need to agree on the funding mechanism in order to move forward.  Said Souza, the questions now is, "Does the city and county want to do this, what are the parameters and responsibilities and are we going to do it by August?"

Souza said his personal view was he didn't feel it should be done without a referendum because it was a lot of money and he felt the people should have a say in it.

The referendum wording must be approved by the state election commission and then turned in to the local election commission by August 25 for it to be on the November 8 ballot.
Should the deadline be missed, the next opportunity for the referendum would not be for another two years.

Crossville city attorney Will Ridley said that he hoped to get a definite offer to the county approved by the council at their July 14 meeting that would include the basic details of land donated, operations and funding.  Ridley said he hoped the commission would be willing to consider that offer at thier regular July Meeting on July 18.

County commissioner Harry Sabine had strong comments saying the matter was "completely premature. I don't see anything succeeding and my plan is to vote 'no' to anything coming in front of county commission."  Sabine, a city resident and city voter said, "I think the city ought to do it.  For any referendum to succeed, who ever is doing it, whether city or county or both, they've got to be behind it 100 percent, tell everybody what you're doing and support it. It is almost like, from what I've heard and seen, the city doesn't know what they're doing.  They haven't done anything."

Sabine said he felt the commission would almost unanimously vote the proposal down. "I'm a city resident," explained Sabine, "and I would love to see this.  I will support it and I will be delighted to pay extra taxes for the city to do it."  Sabine continued saying that he wasn't sure the city could even get the necessary package put together to get the referendum on the ballot by August either.

Councilman Souza responded, "Thank you Harry for your candid opinion."

The meeting ended without much consensus other than what Sabine said.

Councilman Jesse Kerley said if the city alone took on the project the tax increase on city residents was estimated at a 35 cent tax increase.  Kerley said the city pays about $6 million a year to the county and added that he doesn't really know what he gets from the county for the taxes he pays.  Kerley continued, "I came up with this idea.  All you are doing is giving people the chance to vote."

Kerley said if the city does it he and his neighbors will have to "pay $20 million so county residents can use this for a smaller fee and I don't think that's fair."  He added that if the project is put off another two years it could be $5 million more.

The item will be on the city agenda for July 14 and the following information was released with the agenda today:

The Cumberland County Buildings and Grounds Committee has requested a proposal from the City Council regarding the potential county-wide referendum on an indoor recreation facility. In order for them to pass a resolution calling for the referendum, they need a proposal from the City Council that addresses the following:
1. What size facility is proposed and what would it include?
2. What is the maximum amount to be spent? (Range)
3. Who would own the facility?
4. Who would operate the facility?
5. Who would provide the land and how much land will be provided?
6. How would the capital costs be funded?
7. How would the operational costs be funded?

This 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. 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.

The City Council has previously discussed a $20M referendum and an approximate 66,000 sf facility (similar to Manchester) that would include:
* 16,000 sf gym with two high-school-size courts and one college-size court
* Walking track measuring 1/12 mile
* Competition swimming pool with eight, 25-yard lanes
* Warm water pool
* Outdoor leisure pool with deck and water park-type amenities
* Wellness center
* Martial arts/gymnastics room
* Dance and aerobics exercise room
* Locker rooms

Paid Political Announcement

Council invited to discuss indoor recreation facility with county building and grounds committee

The Cumberland County commission's building and grounds committee will meet at 4:30 Wednesday afternoon July 6 and have invited the Crossville city council to discuss the proposed indoor recreation facility that is expected to be on the November ballot for a county wide bond referendum.

The meeting will be in the Cumberland Co. Courthouse third floor small meeting room and starts at 4:30 PM.  The public is invited.

The meeting is to discuss the joint operating agreement between the two governments so that the respective attorneys can draft an agreement.  Some basic provisions need to be worked out to move forward with wording the referendum for the ballot.

The referendum  would be capped at a maximum of $20 million expenditure for construction and, if approved countywide, the expected property tax increase would be about 10 cents. The facility would have similar features as the design below but without the outdoor water park.

Long Planned Indoor Water Rec Center Referendum Expected on November Ballot

Crossville city council has studied an indoor recreation center with a swimming pool off and on for 15 years.  As the years have passed, the estimated cost has increased.  The total now expected to be between $19 and $20 million. 

The city council discussed the matter in a work session June 16 and it came before the county commission at their regular meeting on June 20 to ask that the referendum be put to citizens countywide.

The proposal is to put the matter before voters and give them a chance to decide if they are willing to support a bond issue to borrow the money necessary to build the project with the tax increase that would be required to fund the payments for the community amenity. Previous surveys and public meeting have shown a high level of support by citizens for such a facility but when the question becomes approval of a tax rate increase, officials are unsure if such a measure would continue to still have that level of support. 

The referendum  would be capped at a maximum of $20 million expenditure for construction and, if approved countywide, the expected property tax increase would be about 10 cents.  If the referendum is put just before city voters, the city tax rate would increase by about 38 cents and residents out side the city would then be required to pay a higher fee to use the facility.  Neither of these amounts includes the funding necessary for operation of the facility estimated to be $1.3 million.  A portion of that cost would be offset by membership and use fees while the balance would come from tax funds.

City council discussed a project that would be similar to a facility at Manchester Tennessee to include a 16,000 sq. ft. gymnasium with a second level for a walking track, locker rooms, classrooms, racquet ball courts and a full size competition indoor pool.  In addition to the 66,000 square foot building, the Manchester facility also has an outdoor water park feature with slides, a lazy river and splash pads.  The outdoor water feature may or may not be included in the Crossville facility as it would add another $3 million to the total cost.  

Crossville city councilman Jesse Kerley said it was time for the people to decide if they wanted it or not.  Cumberland county agreed and gave permission for the matter to be put before countywide voters with approval to come on the actual language of the ballot question to come back before the county commission for final approval.  

One possible location for the facility is next door to City Hall on Main Street on the site of the current Villager Inn.  City officials say the property is available for sale but no price has been quoted and it would also require additional parking.  The photo below shows a footprint of how a facility similar to Manchester would fit on the property.  

The deadline to have the matter turned into the election commission for inclusion on the November ballot is August 25.

Council to meet in work session on emergency radios and indoor recreation facility

The Crossville city council holds a work session Thursday evening June 16 to discuss two items of business.  The meeting will be in the third floor conference room 317 and starts at 5 PM.

The council is considering the purchase of new radios for police fire and city employee use that would allow them to access the county's current radio system.  Currently the city has separate VHF radio system and according to Police Chief Rod Shoap and Fire Chief  Mike Turner at previous meetings they have tested the new county digital radio system and found it to be superior to the system they currently use.

In addition to better coverage, the system will allow the city to communicate directly with county units, something difficult to do with the current system.  Chief Turner said FCC regulation changes have dropped the power out put from 100 watts down to 15 watts on portable radios.

During the work session, there will be both types of radios at the meeting and council will be able to see the difference between the two systems.  The cost of the change over is estimated to be $1,135,000.

Estimated costs for an indoor recreation facility similar to the one at Manchester TN will be presented to the council.  The council will discuss the type of facility and costs that might be put on the ballot as a referendum for city voters in November.