[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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],{"_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",6519206,"mediaKeyId","5365556-5a3b3798bed412558143682d056a3473","parentId",5365556,"title","Mayor: Blount County earns AAA credit rating from Fitch after years of debt reduction","audioSeconds",259,"startMs",2367000,"endMs",2626000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5365556-5a3b3798bed412558143682d056a3473&start=2367&end=2626","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5365556-5a3b3798bed412558143682d056a3473/thumbnail_2367000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6519206/Blount-County/Tennessee/Mayor-Blount-County-earns-AAA-credit-rating-from-Fitch-after-years-of-debt-reduction","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6519206-1ba8a4c6fedab371daacde24ac250143/orig.mp4?Expires=1775442151&Signature=OlF7cnGFeKuv0GyUm70kuQ2wWzqLeQkdlxsrg1ldQHZX~PYaE6e9i9yZeiHNmlnQm6HFohJ3u8yO7BK2JJhmLXIgq6LASxyl01FPNUhMdJxUWeNnhcsh9kQtAvy-hpITg9pIGl4-3k9q8vfhK0JlsJHGYbax2H8xXdsDYfJcnr0iQDWkVsFjM1qj2gldkEK9Jab5FgcdX9H1ci3HJz~ZoAvhP~HmGub9sWEzruUse0d5hGn0~DQPtn~AfPdAaRrxRZBjt7rIVviVqrsqtODU-hGkavhEx1uF08kRGY23wOD6DZfD-~W6J3w7CzNxe3ZsscT6CJugWpqYdc9amOVfaQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Blount County","date","2025-07-10T17:57:00Z","article","Blount County’s mayor told commissioners at a July workshop that Fitch assigned the county a top credit rating, which the mayor characterized as an “AAA” rating, and credited years of fiscal management and debt reduction.

The mayor said county leaders had reduced outstanding debt from “almost a quarter of a billion dollars” to about $80 million and maintained a stable fund balance and debt service position. He credited the finance department, department heads, elected officials and county employees for the result and said the county had not raised taxes to achieve these outcomes. “We have not borrowed any money,” the mayor said, and added that the county had funded capital projects and pay raises while maintaining low taxes.

The mayor highlighted investments the county has made during his tenure, including about $85 million in school system projects, increases in pay for police officers and county employees, and other capital improvements. He framed the Fitch rating as validation of conservative budgeting: “We do it the right way. We’re very conservative, and we have good people in place,” he said.

The announcement did not include the full Fitch report in the workshop record; the mayor said the rating places Blount County among a small number of counties in the state with that top score. The mayor called the rating an accomplishment for county staff and elected officials and suggested it may help explain why people and businesses move to the county.

No immediate policy or budget actions were taken at the workshop in response to the rating. County staff and the mayor indicated they would continue regular financial oversight and present formal documentation to the commission as appropriate.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Blount County - Commission Workshop on 2025-07-10 6:00 PM - Live stream via https://zoom.us/join Zoom Meeting ID: 886 0200 1153 - Jul 10, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Blount County mayor announced at the July workshop that Fitch assigned the county a top credit rating (AAA), citing reduced debt, a stable fund balance and conservative fiscal management; the mayor credited county staff and recent investments in schools and employees.","taxTitle","Blount County, Tennessee","taxId",56690,"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},6519211,"Votes at a glance: Blount County workshop forwards sheriff budget items, SRO grant and litter grant to full commission",328,676000,1004000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5365556-5a3b3798bed412558143682d056a3473&start=676&end=1004","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5365556-5a3b3798bed412558143682d056a3473/thumbnail_676000.jpg","/articles/6519211/Blount-County/Tennessee/Votes-at-a-glance-Blount-County-workshop-forwards-sheriff-budget-items-SRO-grant-and-litter-grant-to-full-commission","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6519211-79848a1bdb7c6d4d36d52059c682e0aa/orig.mp4?Expires=1775442151&Signature=f77ot73zW4xxdE0FhLvlzlmdyXdlRyh9h-vt~3hjN00V0jDnksODBiFfAEXuEvdgj1RHvGjxyDGoeupSt5GhjUOJHXiA9OH3SXFsGyxKQGQGZLBy0-qnGtnCUmZOQopA0iYHfiKq0dr9LciC~BHmmItbehsuy5CsIHQTQBRjAYgShRZIxPA5bwf3ASqoRM7Pzb4WbvA5085PBMxFghtHT-ktFIqEEDhcKpBFvfAiBzI4c0Cqe1r6XduV4V-o1aaLwN9mrlAHLRFD3mdmBQ4Lf5kKPJ9uyltssv7FD~z6moRkkI0qKGaU1EV2HnHyWSmiXOz8w-mvW~WIpLLmML9~2g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Blount County commissioners at a July workshop voted to forward several budget resolutions and grant applications to the full commission, including sheriff office appropriations, a litter‑grant application and a federal school security officer grant.

Major items advanced at the workshop included:

- Resolution 257001: a one‑time appropriation of $230,000 from general county funds for the Blount County Sheriff's Office to cover K‑9s, AEDs, drones, and battery backup for the jail. Motion by Commissioner Acard; second by Commissioner Anderson. Vote: 18 yes. Referred to the full commission with a favorable recommendation from the budget committee (5‑0).

- Resolution 257002: budget adjustment of $72,453 for the Sheriff's Office to recognize expenses for the real‑time crime position approved in the current budget; increase offset by reimbursements from Maryville, Alcoa and 911 operations. Motion by Commissioner Aikard; second by Commissioner Webb. Vote: 18 yes.

- Sheriff office grant application ($74,000): apply for FY26 litter grant; no matching funds required. Motion by Commissioner Acard; second by Commissioner Webb. Vote: 18 yes.

- School Resource Officer (SRO) grant application: $1,575,000 to apply for FY26 school security officer grants for 21 SROs at $75,000 each; no matching funds required. Motion by Commissioner French; second by Commissioner Aikert. Vote: 18 yes.

The consent calendar and budget consent calendar were also forwarded to the full commission; the meeting record shows multiple items were separated for individual votes when requested and then approved. Commissioner Eckerd asked to pull items 1, 2 and 4 of the budget consent for separate votes; each of those was considered and passed individually before the remainder of the budget consent calendar was approved.

No final appropriations were executed at the workshop; the votes forwarded the items to the full commission for final action. Several commissioners emphasized record‑keeping and public accountability when voting on budget items exceeding a specified dollar threshold, and the budget committee recommendation (5‑0) accompanied several items.

The clerk recorded the workshop voice votes; individual vote names were not transcribed in full for every item in the workshop record provided.","At its July workshop the commission forwarded multiple budget items and grant applications to the full commission, including sheriff office appropriations and a $1.575 million school security officer grant. Most budget items passed the workshop by voice vote.",{"_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},6519216,"Blount County commission advances amendment to cluster‑development open‑space rule",1307,999000,2306000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5365556-5a3b3798bed412558143682d056a3473&start=999&end=2306","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5365556-5a3b3798bed412558143682d056a3473/thumbnail_999000.jpg","/articles/6519216/Blount-County/Tennessee/Blount-County-commission-advances-amendment-to-clusterdevelopment-openspace-rule","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6519216-66cccb5dc544a4421b37c7e55f90172b/orig.mp4?Expires=1775442151&Signature=RC5g4sYhOWBuFK3HnKmFmac7VIDeou~T2p0KytZt3gcCTHRHeM5-rVxUQlxUeOXd8wkPdbtZANmaZaeQzJOpOfbtt6Fc8cEd~6E-qRs99lxGpdzLQriaP1zrWDT2LU3WwSS4dTxCfZXK89gHSb3mmUqOwPugxslCIpg3WUc9kletPozF-kg-deeQiZWrge0cd~ezFG7b-oBlxHVPMNj8y6vUyNpCZNw2m3rKYcu5gxnyYKqFvc7zDUAOTLIKAshC5Am5BeWKotb~2Yv6jKFimqdjojdUVI6kFE341p22TR8I~Ev~ZqQQFcaiT6kT4tjgXzsaz3AUfzfKLidxg9FzWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Blount County commissioners at a July workshop voted to forward Resolution 257012, which would amend the county's zoning rules to change the open‑space requirement for cluster developments from 40% to 30.

The proposal, introduced by Commissioner Wells and seconded by Commissioner French, was taken up after public comments on housing. The commission voted 12 yes and 6 no to move the resolution to the full commission for a final decision.

The measure would modify Section 7.2(c) of the Blount County zoning resolution to revise the open‑space percentage developers must set aside in cluster developments. Sponsor Commissioner Veil described the change as an attempt to make a previously unused program financially “usable,” saying the existing 40% requirement had effectively created a moratorium because no developers applied under that standard. Veil said developers he consulted indicated a 20–25% open‑space level would be more workable and that 30% would be a compromise: “30% is doable and somewhat, I would say, meets in the middle,” she said.

Opponents, including Commissioner Aker, argued the change would increase density and reduce the county's rural character. “I can virtually promise you that not 1 of those homes will be affordable,” Aker said, warning that allowing twice as many houses per acre on cluster sites would produce low‑quality, higher‑density subdivisions and greater infrastructure demands.

Other commissioners expressed mixed views. Commissioner Giles said he would vote to forward the item but wanted to validate new information presented at the meeting before a final vote. Commissioner Davis said zoning adjustments alone would not solve affordability: “We can't zone our way into affordability here in Blount County,” he said. Commissioner Bowers said he supported moving the measure forward to allow more public input.

Sponsor Veil outlined program details she said would remain unchanged except for the open‑space percentage: a minimum project size of 10 acres; 25% of open space required to be contiguous to provide interior green space; and a required vegetated border around the development. Veil said the prior rule allowed applicants to request reductions “at any acreage” and that some earlier provisions had permitted negligible open space (described in the record as near 0%).

The vote to forward is procedural; the change is not yet adopted. The resolution will appear on the full commission calendar for final action, where commissioners said they will continue to review the technical details and public feedback.

Questions and next steps noted at the workshop included verifying national comparators for open‑space percentages, confirming financial feasibility for developers at 30%, and gathering additional public comment ahead of the final vote.","At a July workshop the Blount County commission voted 12‑6 to forward a resolution that would lower the open‑space requirement for cluster developments from 40% to 30% and send the measure to the full commission for final action.","actionData","errors"]

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Mayor: Blount County earns AAA credit rating from Fitch after years of debt reduction

Votes at a glance: Blount County workshop forwards sheriff budget items, SRO grant and litter grant to full commission

Blount County commission advances amendment to cluster‑development open‑space rule