Norris plans special meetings on grants, peddlers, and facilities
-
The future of the Norris Community Building will be one of the topics of a special Norris City Council workshop coming up at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, to discuss needs and potential upgrades to city facilities. The workshop will be held here, where all City Council meetings take place. - G. Chambers Williams III
-
A family gets warm by the fire at the Museum of Appala- chia during the Candlelight Christmas program. - G. Chambers Williams III
-
VisitingboothsattheMuseumofAppalachiaisWilliam Whitacre, left. Looking on are, seated from left, Oedro Castaneda, Sam Venable and Archie Liggett. - G. Chambers Williams III
-
Eric Ashton, left, and Keeghan Norris of Yee-Haw Brewing Company serve customer Yazmin Woods at the food and drink bar in the Museum of Appalachia during the recent Candle- light Christmas event. - G. Chambers Williams III
The city of Norris will kick off the new year with some special meetings of the City Council that could have long-term effects on the community, including strict new rules on door-to-door sales, planting of trees on city right-of-way, upgrading facilities, and handling of recreation grants, among other issues.
City Council workshops are planned for:
• 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, to discuss city employee pay and benefits to be included in the coming fiscal year budget, which goes into effect July 1;
• 6 p.m. the same day (Jan. 9) to discuss potential ordinances specifying duties of the Tree Commission and what can be done by citizens on city right-of-way that borders their property.
• 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13, prior to the 6 p.m. City Council regular meeting, on the priorities for the city’s initial $750,000 recreation-improvement projects, for which a $375,000 state Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant has been received. The city must match that grant.
• In addition, there will be a public hearing at 5:45 p.m. that same day, as a prelude to the second and final reading of an updated peddlers ordinance at the 6 p.m. council meeting.
• An additional council workshop will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, to discuss the future needs of city facilities, including possible upgrades to the Community Building.
As for the peddlers ordinance, on Dec. 9, the council passed on first reading the proposed update, which would amend the city’s current restrictions on door-to-door salespeople, primarily by allowing residents to add their addresses to a “no solicitors” list that would be maintained at city hall and provided to any salespeople seeking permits to sell products, but not services, door-to-door.
Such a move, which was suggested during the November council meeting, would make it illegal for a commercial solicitor to approach the home of anyone whose address is on that list, similar to the way the federal “Do Not Call” list is supposed to work.
This issue arose primarily in response to a pest-control company’s recent door-to-door solicitations in Norris, which brought some complaints to the city offices by residents.
Mayor Chris Mitchell said at the time that there was “a bug man” making “aggressive” solicitations at residents’ homes, but that because the man’s company had obtained a city soliciting permit, did not violate the existing ordinance.
Assistant City Manager Bailey Whited suggested the idea of the no-solicitations list.
In January 2024, the council approved the first peddlers/solicitors ordinance to help control door-to-door sales.
The amended ordinance still needs to be approved on second and final reading, which is expected to occur during the Jan. 13 meeting.
“I think we will have almost no peddlers [with approval of the ordinance],” Mitchell said last month.
Other city meetings this month:
• Jan. 6, 6 p.m., Planning Commission.
• Jan. 16, 6 p.m., Watershed Board.
• Jan. 16, 6 p.m., Little Theatre Board.
• Jan. 20, 7 p.m., Animal Shelter Commission.
• Jan. 21, 6 p.m., Water Commission.
• Jan. 21, 7 p.m., Recreation Commission.
• Jan. 23, 6 p.m., Community Development Board.
• Jan. 27, 5:30 p.m., Tree Commission.
