Animal Shelter workshop set for May 5
Anderson County Commissioner Phil Yager, Vice Chairwoman Shelly Vandagriff and Chairman Tyler Mayes get ready for the April 21 meeting. (photo:Ben Pounds )
County Commissioner Tracy Wandell made the motion, and Commissioner Ebony Capshaw seconded.
The commission did not vote on a time or location for that meeting, and it is not on the calendar yet.
Wandell said he was “excited” about the upcoming discussions and ready to “see if they can move the needle forward and we can figure out a way to help the mayor help the animal control staff to provide better services to our county and our animals.”
Rezoning
In the evening’s most controversial action, the commission voted 10-6 to rezone an area along Oliver Springs Highway, on which developers want to build a campground.
Joel Parker and Mindy Black requested that the commission rezone 11.5 acres close but not directly adjacent to Tri-County Boulevard, from Suburban Residential to a General Commercial district.
Commissioner Jerry White echoed concerns some citizens raised during a public hearing about the campsite altering soil and causing flooding of a nearby stream.
“I think the creek is very fragile,” he said. He also spoke of the campsite causing traffic issues.
However, Commissioner Michael Foster said issues like flood control were part of the site plan process, not criteria for whether or not to rezone.
Foster made the motion, and Sabra Beauchamp seconded. The two of them along with Commissioners Steven Verran, Capshaw, Tim Isbel, Phil Yager, Shelly Vandagriff, Tyler Mayes, Robert Smallridge and Denise Palmer voted yes. Commissioners Shain Vowell, Wandell, Joshua Anderson, Robert McKamey, White and Anthony Allen voted no.
New River water
Areas in the New River region may still lack clean water, but the Anderson County Commission is pursuing options to get help from the state.
Related to that project, County Commission voted to send a resolution to Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, Congressman Chuck Fleischmann and other elected officials to use recently provided federal Department of the Interior funds, generally intended for former coal communities, to help county New River water projects. It also passed a resolution to apply for a small underserved disadvantaged communities Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WINN) grant from the state, making a request to both Fleischmann and the state.
Commissioner Sabra Beauchamp said that she had spoken to Fleischmann and planned to follow up with him over dinner. She said he planned to look at available funds.
Claxton School
The Anderson County Commission unanimously designated $2 million for the construction of a new Claxton Elementary School.
Oliver Springs crosswalks
The Tennessee Department of Transportation and Anderson County are working on a sidewalk and crosswalks near Norwood Elementary School and Middle School in Oliver Springs. The Anderson County Commission unanimously approved an amendment updating the agreement which had begun in 2023. Under the updated version, the total estimated cost is $1,147,275 counting both state and local funds.
The project in its current form involves putting a 10-foot-wide path on both sides of East Tri-County Boulevard also known as State Route 61 from Browder Circle to Midway Drive. Two improved crosswalks will help people cross at the sites of Norwood Elementary School and Norwood Middle School. Mayor Terry Frank said one of them was likely to have a signal but she was not sure yet which one. She said a child had been hit by a car and hospitalized after trying to cross in that area.
Hotel/Motel tax
The County Commission voted to set the hotel and motel occupancy tax to 4% across the board for all the county’s lodging. The new rate would put the county in line with Roane County and be lower than the county’s previous 5%. However, due to the lack of exceptions, it will be stacked with whatever local rate each municipality developed, making the total rate higher in some places.
made the motion, and Vowell seconded. Verran cast the sole dissenting vote due to his concerns about the stacked structure raising rates for visitors staying in Oak Ridge which he said might causing them to spend less money in the city.
