Rocky Top sewer system upgrades completed
Rocky Top Mayor Kerry Templin, center, conducts the City Council meeting on Thursday, July 17, as three council members and City Manager Mike Ellis, left, look on. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
This was the latest step in a multi-year project to eliminate environmental concerns with the system, and there were some cost overruns and some delays as the work progressed.
The contract ended up more than $1.1 million over the city’s budget, so Rocky Top had to seek a higher loan amount from the state of Tennessee through the State Revolving Fund loan program to cover the extra costs, Mayor Kerry Templin said.
The city has been using a combination of grants and SRF loans to pay for the sewer repairs. Ellis said the SRF loans come with a 40 percent “forgiveness,” rate, which means the city would have to repay only 60 percent of what is being borrowed.
Rocky Top used the grants and loans to rehabilitate 33,000 linear feet of sewer lines, along with installation of new manholes.
In other business Thursday, the council:
n Approved on second and final reading Ordinance 609, which allows short-term residential rentals (30 days or less), as special exceptions in the R-1 Low Density Residential Zone, R-2 High Density Residential Zone and the C-1 General Commercial Zone, but only with Planning Commission approval on a case-by-case basis.
n Approved on second and final reading Ordinance 610, which adds “Short Term Rental Units” to the definitions of “Dwelling Units” under the city’s zoning ordinance.
n Approved on second and final reading Ordinance 611, which amended the city’s zoning ordinance to remove the requirement that approved auto-sales lots within the city must maintain a minimum of 50 vehicles for sale.
The revision removes any reference to how many vehicles a sales lot must have on hand to be allowed to operate in Rocky Top.
Some council members and other city officials present at Thursday’s meeting said they have never known any Rocky Top auto sales lot to have as many as 50 or more vehicles in stock at any given time.
