Mayor Kerry Templin, second from left, conducts the Rocky Top City Council meeting on Thursday, Jan. 15, at City Hall. Others present are, from left, Councilmen Joe Tackett, Keith Daniels and Richard Duff. - G. Chambers Williams III
Rocky Top’s City Council heard Thursday night that the city has received a “clean” audit report for the 2024-25 fiscal year, ending last June 30, with no issues or concerns listed.
The report was made by auditor J.R. Cates of the accounting firm Mitchell Emert & Hill of Knoxville.
He termed his report as a “clean, unmodified opinion,” adding that there were “no internal-control findings.”
“There were no issues throughout the audit,” Cates said, adding that it was completed on time, by Dec. 31, as required by state law.
Property tax receipts climbed to $2.5 million for 2025, up from $2.3 million for 2024, he said.
The city ended the year with a fund balance that increased by $228,000 from the previous year, Cates said.
Expenditures increased for the year, but mostly because of capital expenditures that were covered by grants, he said.
Candidates continued the past week to pick up petitions to run in the Anderson County election this year, including two more seeking seats on the 16-member County Commission.
Amy C. Jones picked up a petition for County Commission District 4, and Kevin Charles Craig did so for District 7.
The candidates, including two seeking the Republican nomination for Anderson County mayor, began filing for the various county positions when registration officially opened Dec. 22, with the primary election coming up May 5. Filing deadline is Feb. 19.
District 3 Commissioner Joshua Anderson has filed to run against incumbent Mayor Terry Frank in the GOP primary.
Frank was the first candidate for any county office to pick up and file a petition to run, seeking re-election to the post she has held since Seept. 1, 2012. The mayor serves a four-year term, but she was initially elected to fill out the two years remaining on the term of her predecessor, who resigned mid-term. She was re-elected to four-year terms in 2014, 2018 and 2022.
Separate buyers acquire properties, redevelopment plans not announced
by G. Chambers Williams III
The historic water tank sits overlooking the two separate tracts that once housed the Magnet Mills hosiery plant next to CVS Pharmacy on Charles G. Seivers Boulevard in Clinton on Monday. Both sites reportedly have been sold to potential developers. - G. Chambers Williams III
Clinton officials say both tracts along the Clinch River that once held the Magnet Mills hosiery plant have been sold to separate buyers, but no plans for either one have been announced yet.
Property records available online show that Ted Duke of Knoxville on Dec. 15 purchased the 3.38-acre site that includes a 20,000-square-foot metal building, for a reported $1.25 million.
Duke operates Production Components Inc., a Knoxville industrial company, and has been renting the prefabricated building on the Magnet Mills site, reports indicated.
Duke did not return phone calls from The Courier News on Monday seeking comment.
No buyer’s information had shown up yet as of Monday on the state property viewer website for the second tract, 3.59 acres, next door to CVS Pharmacy on Charles G. Seivers Boulevard.
Army veteran, former law enforcement officer, and longtime community volunteer Tina Graham Targonski has announced that she is running for a seat on the Anderson County Commission in District 2.
Targonski, a working mother who moved to Anderson County 13 years ago to ensure her son could attend a strong public school system, said she is seeking the seat to bring integrity, transparency and a service-first approach to county government.
She said her involvement in local advocacy efforts for children, families and animals helped shape her decision to run.
In a release, Targonksi states that her “candidacy is driven by a belief that local government should be responsive, compassionate, and grounded in real-world experience.”
Norris Fire Chief Rick Roach stands with the new Pierce pumper truck the city purchased to replace the truck destroyed in a recent accident. The new truck arrived Monday morning (Jan. 19). - G. Chambers Williams III
That didn’t take long.
Less than seven days after the Norris City Council gave final approval to buy a $410,000 fire truck to replace the one destroyed in a recent accident, the new one was delivered to the Fire Department on Monday.
“They brought it in on a flat-bed trailer first thing this morning,” Fire Chief Rick Roach said as he and other members of the Fire Department looked the truck over at mid-morning.
It also shouldn’t take long to get the 2026 Pierce Freightliner pumper truck into service, he said.
“We could have it ready to go by the weekend, depending on when we get the paperwork done, but at the latest it would be by the middle of next week,” Roach said.
The truck must be certified by the state before it can be placed into service officially, city officials said earlier.
Anderson County Emergency Medical Service Paramedic Eric Sowanick, Director Nathan Sweet, Jason Baggett with Tennessee Risk Management Trust, Paramedic Kaison Brockman, AEMT Paul Kondrit, CC/Paramedic Devin Burnett, and EMS Assistant Director Scott Thomas.
The Anderson County Emergency Medical Service was recently awarded a safety grant from the Tennessee Risk Management Trust.
Totaling $2,151, the grant will cover the cost of a 145-pound training manikin and half of its shipping cost.
The manikin will be used in the EMS team’s Injury Prevention System training program.
From a previous safety grant, EMS introduced the Injury Prevention Systems course to teach employees safe lifting and movement techniques.
This grant will help enhance the course training, allowing providers to practice lifting, transferring, and team-based movement in realistic scenarios.
“Anderson County is appreciative of the partnership with [the state] to help us reduce injuries to our team members,” County Mayor Terry Frank said.
A new food truck will soon serve children in need across Anderson County Schools during breaks.
A grant from the state of Tennessee for $194,000 will help pay for the truck.
The priority will be serving the areas with the highest food insecurity, but the school system plans to serve the whole district, Director of Student Services Paula Sellers said.
She said these highest food insecurity areas were around the Norwood, Rocky Top and Briceville areas.
Sellers plans to use it during vacation times or weather days, letting people know through social media where the truck will be.
She said the contractor, JP Food Trucks would take 16 weeks to build the truck “from the ground up” but delays can occur due to parts and materials. She also was not certain when the truck could begin delivering meals but hoped it could be by the start of school next year.
“The goal is to serve Anderson County Schools, but I won’t turn anyone away,” she said.
The aim is to serve hot food, but the meals may vary depending on the donations the school system receives.
“If they don’t have the things that they need in their lives such as food, a place to stay, clothing, sometimes that’s a barrier to getting to school and getting ready to learn,” Sellers told the Anderson County Board of Education.
“Families are really struggling,” she said. “These are working families. They hold a job. They just are struggling to make ends meet.”
The Anderson County Commission passed a resolution asking Google Maps to recognize the Rosedale community in the New River area rather than listing it as part of Briceville.
The resolution authorizes a letter to Rick Scarbrough, who represents the area, requesting assistance with the proposed change. The measure passed unanimously at the commission’s Dec. 15, 2025, meeting.
Rosedale includes the unincorporated communities of Devonia, Morris Camp and Tioga in the New River region.
Commissioner Michael Foster made the motion, which was seconded by Commissioner Chad McNabb.
Commissioner Tim Isbel said the area is known as Rosedale because of the former Rosedale School, but that Google Maps currently identifies the entire region as Briceville.
He said travelers using Highway 116 are often misled by online directions. Under the current mapping, Briceville appears to be about 3.5 miles away, but the drive can take significantly longer due to the terrain and road conditions.
Ongoing renovations at Anderson County Health Department have closed parts of the building on North Main Street in Clinton.
A contractor is continuing $1,284,500 work on the Anderson County Health Department.
Skilled Services received its contract for the work on Dec. 15, the same day the city of Clinton issued a building permit for the work.
Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank said the contractor has a year to complete the renovations for the building which is at 710 North Main Street in Clinton. However, she said the work is likely to be finished sooner.
The renovations involve demolishing the former dental clinic space and converting it to other Health Department services.
The county has already opened a dental clinic in another wing of the Health Department.
“The renovations will make the Health Department operations more efficient, centralize access and clerical services for patients with a new main entrance, update clinic areas that support clinical operations, upgrade our lab, nursing stations, and improve building workflow to benefit patient services,” Frank said.
