[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6360170,"mediaKeyId","2175177-53c112ef304b2090f74eee3809f91b2a","parentId",2175177,"title","Votes at a glance: Cocke County routine approvals, notary appointments and zoning request approved","audioSeconds",3229,"startMs",1015000,"endMs",4244000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2175177-53c112ef304b2090f74eee3809f91b2a&start=1015&end=4244","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2175177-53c112ef304b2090f74eee3809f91b2a/thumbnail_1015000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6360170/Cocke-County/Tennessee/Votes-at-a-glance-Cocke-County-routine-approvals-notary-appointments-and-zoning-request-approved","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6360170-32729e0a64a591e272c254fda36cfee2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771196186&Signature=U2aFyS9HKcnXjHvXARolZE0y5DDtzNokorvQOFTXEP1cEdjRGdMhPum73lzX9zoYxpvSfpmChvsSLRSl22VVlqGXPefGJeF-NEW6QUzOQqAk~d1hWcGpKe6RL0oLvu7LJw0z8lehL5cTR1MgwMxC1tZG1NEkfyggu1jaHhauk--da2pH4L-RIkGlRk9vu7v2~jWk9V6nUXieddNjChj9Xyo3IID43GPJmUo7CDV1D2Oy6Sydk2Gcy9rrGTu4fDi0P-UlTgm0VmhzsxP0d~Rj4Es13jowq7Y4SeU4omAfmNaS0Dui4TrU1j4dyxmyORTWsZU~GEOxirU2PLr5WZOrsA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Cocke County, TN","date","2025-01-31T03:32:12Z","article","The Cocke County Board of Commissioners approved routine procedural items and several agenda motions during the meeting and tabled one high-profile zoning moratorium item for additional study and public process.

Actions taken (high level):
- Approved prior meeting minutes and accepted quarterly reports from multiple offices by voice vote.
- Approved an appointments slate for notaries public (Justin Anthony Cole; Britney M. Holt; Candace Becker; Beth Blazer; Macy Reed; Sharon Veil/Sharon Shelton) after a motion and second.
- Approved a recommendation from the budget committee to sell sheriff’s department surplus items (motion and roll call held).
- Approved a rezoning request for property owned by Scott Allen (rezoning to allow mini-storage units) after Planning Commission recommendation; planning staff reported a unanimous favorable recommendation and the commission approved the request via roll call.
- Tabled the proposed moratorium on zoning regulations in flood-affected areas pending legal analysis, Planning Commission/BZA review and a public workshop (see separate article).

Where vote tallies were recorded in the transcript, the clerk conducted roll calls consistent with established board procedure; other routine approvals were recorded by voice vote. The meeting record includes roll-call participation details (the board reported 11 members present and 3 absent at roll call). Specific yes/no counts for some items were not read aloud or were recorded by the clerk in packet roll-call notes.

No ordinances or binding policy changes were enacted regarding the floodplain moratorium at the meeting. The board asked staff to return detailed reports for several follow-ups: legal analysis of a moratorium, public workshop scheduling, candidate/funding details for a full-time floodplain administrator and an update on jail inspections and transport costs.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cocke County Legislative Body January 30, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At its meeting the Cocke County Board approved routine minutes and committee reports, a slate of notary appointments, surplus property disposition and a zoning request for mini-storage; a proposed flood-related moratorium was tabled for further review.","taxTitle","Cocke County, Tennessee","taxId",52281,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6360175,"Mayor Mathis outlines recovery progress; sheriff warns jail overcrowding and transport costs strain resources",864,1450000,2314000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2175177-53c112ef304b2090f74eee3809f91b2a&start=1450&end=2314","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2175177-53c112ef304b2090f74eee3809f91b2a/thumbnail_1450000.jpg","/articles/6360175/Cocke-County/Tennessee/Mayor-Mathis-outlines-recovery-progress-sheriff-warns-jail-overcrowding-and-transport-costs-strain-resources","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6360175-c4ea74cc4fdb96c2eac0fb6e178c63a6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771196186&Signature=ZTfMFhP0XJphU9JhGH-Z3lpHrA9V0h3rxZv9rhF9-KkKzQYRK75y2ZuvD65Ni~EaghDIDLzbgYdNgZil23YZnNU6gzmIP6C7O6OVzZkhy1F4vQReRK2q4Kmne11PFw~zdbrtoog-R6JtCb~~3bRRogYX4sfPyprrjBX5kwhCQ4xKSy1cPtyDH9BNed-7mCaiU0MOuTKHRZu9lP1hNlA3OY-2~YjqADZrwoFX2iP6dEGsk5e9OL0UGJnVUZ2NAnlx40OtJE5RUrm2pzakQ35B9cbz1rYPSJzf-LD4Acp57XDICisCw-EIz8o6msT4Pa4f5huB~NgwidJ2QKaIhHRXug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor Mathis updated the Cocke County Board of Commissioners on recovery efforts, federal-state coordination and funding for infrastructure repairs, while the county sheriff described mounting operational strain in the jail system.

Mathis said the county, the city of Newport and a local partnership have distributed more than $800,000 in direct relief to residents and businesses — roughly 73 homeowners and 29 businesses — with additional funds and property-tax payments to follow. He said the county has arranged FEMA, Army Corps and contractor teams to collect debris, assess hazards along private roads and seek FEMA exemptions for debris removal where homeowners lack responsibility under current guidelines.

Mathis said a fully destroyed county bridge (Mall Creek Bridge) that had been estimated to cost roughly $7.8 million to replace will be repaired with state and federal assistance and that the county will not bear local tax costs for that bridge. He said proposed state-level legislative adjustments could reduce the county’s share of recovery costs on some projects from about 12.5% to roughly 5%, creating substantial fiscal relief.

The sheriff addressed the commission about the jail’s post-flood condition. He said the county’s 52-bed workhouse has been housing as many as 98 inmates, that the county is transporting inmates to other counties (sometimes long distances) and that plumbing and fire-safety issues at backup facilities create a potential for a forced closure by the state fire marshal. The sheriff said transporting inmates five to seven times per day results in increased costs for overtime, fuel and vehicles and warned that if the backup facility is ordered closed on inspection, the county will need immediate transfer arrangements with partnering counties.

Commissioners asked for updates on the number of displaced residents, FEMA registrations and direct housing placements. Mathis said FEMA’s regional estimates showed roughly 50 people living without shelter across the whole affected region but that county records showed no confirmed reports of people sleeping in tents in Cocke County; he said direct housing applications and temporary housing approvals were ongoing and provided staffing and direct-housing counts from the FEMA regional reports.

Commissioners thanked volunteers and local organizations for relief work and stressed the need for coordinated work to avoid duplicative efforts. The board directed staff to continue coordinating with FEMA, Army Corps and the state and to report back on jail inspection status and inmate-transport costs.","Mayor Mathis reported relief distributions, state/federal coordination and a major bridge replacement covered by state aid; the sheriff reported severe jail overcrowding and transport burdens that could worsen if the county’s backup facility is closed.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6360180,"Property assessor recommends full-time floodplain administrator as county grapples with recovery",1915,4270000,6185000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2175177-53c112ef304b2090f74eee3809f91b2a&start=4270&end=6185","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2175177-53c112ef304b2090f74eee3809f91b2a/thumbnail_4270000.jpg","/articles/6360180/Cocke-County/Tennessee/Property-assessor-recommends-full-time-floodplain-administrator-as-county-grapples-with-recovery","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6360180-b964ba5e3d709ca7ea208274cd48a504/orig.mp4?Expires=1771196186&Signature=MVbYPyuQsyMR7sLQNvkzj~zr0jSFdnFCkjk84ilQl-BG~y2OUJ8fhKWSszDSUrldkfH4e4hMDPOx2mXuUfux~tVs5NzKk3UNFG089uwkYYjljU63mmvU4MOEY0B9GQQBIyb0wuflfGq3L4ysZ2cmPsafK53qyQ895SIuf5fvKpW-CaYZfBgHuEvtV-NEjI2WMEZfrTS~zyPi0X5ia8oOU5m24Lo9HucB7JU4TV~c~mkuIv1rvy2We5gd0EW2cbRexK0iJlcBTuAKkgx3HxLtPMsVwr47wE2C0MYsYi6gxPhujVtpY1bCBU2N10tDDb4kvjwQBdnMhoUkjn~TNJMDnA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Maci Reed, the county property assessor who has also been serving as floodplain coordinator, told the Cocke County Board of Commissioners that her office has completed field reviews of storm damage and recommended creating a full-time floodplain administrator position to maintain compliance and speed recovery.

Reed said her team of field workers completed 216 substantial-damage reviews and entered those records into FEMA’s tracking tool before the meeting. She reported 52 structures were completely destroyed and 39 were substantially damaged but still standing. Reed said her staff has also issued development permits for repairs, rebuilds and new construction where appropriate.

Reed apologized to commissioners for any earlier confusion in public remarks and outlined operational reasons to make the floodplain coordinator a standalone, full-time position rather than continuing to split duties inside the assessor’s office. She said the workload and program duties — tracking handoffs with FEMA and TEMA, issuing elevation-certificate guidance and maintaining a substantive public-record trail — are interfering with routine assessor duties including new-construction pickup that drives tax base revenue.

Reed recommended appointing Adam Gann (spelled in the packet as a recommended candidate) to the role and noted options for funding including reallocating existing recovery administrative funds. She also provided a revenue context to commissioners: the assessor’s office added $840,254.77 in assessed value in 2024 from new construction and other updates, a figure she said supports a sustainable approach to staffing.

Commissioners discussed oversight and placement of the position. Several said they prefer the position remain administratively aligned with the property assessor’s office but reported space and capacity constraints and asked staff to consider alternative reporting arrangements while keeping statutory duties clear. Commissioners agreed to schedule a workshop within two weeks to review qualifications, legal authority, funding sources and operational detail and to finalize the role after that meeting.

Reed reiterated that the assessor’s office has been maintaining NFIP compliance while completing fieldwork and that increased-cost-of-compliance (ICC) benefits available under some flood-insurance policies can help homeowners cover costs for elevation or floodproofing.

Reed submitted a temporary rescission of her prior resignation so she can complete the transition work and help staff through the proposed reorganization. The board directed staff to set the workshop date promptly and asked Reed and the mayor’s office to provide candidate qualifications and an outline of funding options before that meeting.","Property assessor Maci Reed told commissioners her office has completed substantial-damage reviews and recommends creating a full-time floodplain administrator position; she offered an internal candidate and asked for a workshop to decide where the function should sit.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6360185,"Cocke County commissioners table proposed zoning moratorium for flood-affected areas",0,5891000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2175177-53c112ef304b2090f74eee3809f91b2a&start=5891&end=5891","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2175177-53c112ef304b2090f74eee3809f91b2a/thumbnail_5891000.jpg","/articles/6360185/Cocke-County/Tennessee/Cocke-County-commissioners-table-proposed-zoning-moratorium-for-flood-affected-areas","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6360185-fafcabcfee69cedbd6cdcda53b4db2be/orig.mp4?Expires=1771196186&Signature=mRFOIbHm1ZGJOvZ5Iuy8c8Ln1wvL4gvZPAOnecPmWDKQffGTzB1vr72JbzLYCyqe-Efcr7kuxV2U3JruNE7tRzlDoyCITYrO~eHD52M1hBuC~44avVhQIJyqsWEyiYZIuU~eA9yiMDkbrGZ9AqpUv4z5Jhx9pfDxmwXMq7IZVFd5hEjtvr0e~RlLGDlwpEhP-mDPRggqmQ5jEkZFIOpievAEPUL2W5LIx4rkwdDn5zuCyc80PKreQWFD6wSENhfTYJBxUF65EGfO9Q9imuUY1foaI~yq21uKnyribm-mwmB~17uUC5VKAi4wOSdBS7cLwqvQUMqIzbM9JgndKkYaxw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A proposal to impose a moratorium on local zoning regulations in flood-affected areas was tabled after county officials and the county attorney said more study and public process are needed.

The county considered language that would exempt most local zoning rules for up to five years in designated flood-affected areas so property owners could repair or replace homes more quickly. At the meeting, a commissioner asked to withdraw or table the item and asked the county attorney to prepare further analysis and to draft a letter asking for federal assistance similar to measures taken for recent disasters elsewhere.

The county attorney advised caution, saying the commission can change zoning rules but should follow established procedures, including sending possible amendments to the Planning Commission and the county Board of Zoning Appeals for public consideration. The attorney also raised public-safety concerns, saying suspending permitting could allow rebuilding in locations with persistent hazard exposure and that the commission should define precisely which parcels a moratorium would cover before acting.

Several flood-affected residents addressed the commission during public comment and described immediate consequences they face if zoning or flood-insurance rules change. One Del Rio resident who said her family had three feet of water in their home warned that changes could make properties uninsurable and raise annual flood-insurance premiums from about $5,000 to potentially tens of thousands of dollars, jeopardizing mortgages. Other residents urged property-tax abatements, quicker substantial-damage reviews, and direct assistance for rebuilding.

Building commissioner Sheldon told the commission that, to his knowledge, zoning permitting had not been used to delay rebuilds; he said he would provide the names of a small number of cases where applicants believed they were delayed. The county attorney noted that some applicants might benefit from exemptions but cautioned against broad suspensions without clear limits and public hearings.

After discussion, a motion to table the moratorium was made and seconded and the board voted to take the proposal up at a later meeting. The county attorney and staff were asked to research legal steps, to prepare more-detailed mapping and definitions of any geographic scope, and to provide a draft letter for commissioners who wanted to request expedited federal assistance.

Commissioners set a deadline to review the attorney’s findings and requested that staff bring the item back after Planning Commission and BZA consideration and after a public workshop for residents.

The moratorium item was not adopted and remains under study; commissioners said they want a workshop and more data before any change to zoning or permitting rules is approved.","Commissioners paused consideration of a proposed moratorium that would suspend certain local zoning rules in flood-affected areas after legal and safety concerns were raised and the county attorney recommended more public process.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Cocke County routine approvals, notary appointments and zoning request approved

Mayor Mathis outlines recovery progress; sheriff warns jail overcrowding and transport costs strain resources

Property assessor recommends full-time floodplain administrator as county grapples with recovery

Cocke County commissioners table proposed zoning moratorium for flood-affected areas