Mount Juliet approves rescue-boat grant, railroad agreements and crossing repairs; 9B deferred

The Mount Juliet Board of Commissioners on Feb. 24 approved several routine and infrastructure items: accepting a grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation to buy an R1-series rescue boat and trailer for the fire department; approving an agreement with RJ Corman Railroad Company, Nashville & Eastern Line for Clemens Road improvements; directing staff to include up to $200,000 in the fiscal year 2025–26 budget for repairs to the railroad crossing at North Mount Juliet Road; and approving a resolution that declares distribution of police department abandoned-property sale proceeds as allowed by law. The board also removed and then deferred item 9b to March 24.

On the Firehouse Subs grant, City Manager said, “we'd like to thank Firehouse Subs,” and noted the grant will replace the city’s current boat with a higher-capability craft useful for swift-water response, drownings and missing-person incidents. The board approved the related ordinance amending the FY2024–25 budget to accept the grant as part of the consent agenda; the consent motion carried by voice vote.

The board approved resolution 11a authorizing an agreement with RJ Corman for Clemens Road improvements; the item passed by voice vote with no roll-call tally recorded in the transcript.

For repairs to the North Mount Juliet Road railroad crossing, the City Manager explained that the tracks are not owned by the city and are leased to RJ Corman from a national railroad; the road is under TDOT jurisdiction. He recommended the city assume the repairs to ensure a durable fix. “200,000 would be the maximum, but we think it'll hopefully come in far less than that,” the City Manager said, adding the work will require a three-day road closure with a detour through an industrial route.

Commissioner Malelli asked for cost details; the City Manager confirmed the $200,000 maximum and referenced an earlier estimate near $140,000 from July of the prior year. The board approved including the repair cost in the FY2025–26 budget by voice vote.

The board also approved a resolution declaring that proceeds from police-department abandoned-property sales will be distributed as allowed by law. The transcript records each approval as passing via voice vote; no roll-call tallies or named vote records were provided.

Separately, item 9b — an ordinance to reconsider certificate-of-occupancy concessions related to Ordinance 20 20 11 (108 Stony Creek Road) — was removed from the consent agenda and, after a motion on the floor, deferred to the March 24 meeting.

All actions recorded in the transcript were voice votes; the meeting minutes should be consulted for formal roll-call records and ordinance/resolution numbers.