Westmoreland City Council adopts traffic code, fees and several administrative measures; multiple ordinances pass unanimously

Westmoreland City Council approved several ordinances and administrative items on Feb. 20, 2025, including updated impound fees, rezoning for an EMS site, adoption of state traffic-code language and a change to how police vehicle purchases will be funded. All contested items on the published agenda passed or were otherwise acted on by unanimous roll call or motion.

Key votes at the meeting included:

- Impound fees (Ordinance 0012025-1): On second reading the council approved raising impound fees for police to $50 per day. Vice Mayor Jones moved the ordinance; Councilman Staples seconded. The roll call vote was unanimous.

- Rezoning for EMS site (Ordinance 002025-2): The council approved rezoning the parcel at 5612 Austin P. Highway from R-2/C-2 to C-2 to accommodate a new EMS building behind NCTC. Vice Mayor Jones moved the rezoning; Councilman Staples seconded. The measure passed unanimously. Council members described the change as a housekeeping item to match the property’s intended use.

- Annexation referral to planning & zoning (6631 Highway 31 E): The council voted to refer the proposed annexation of 6631 Highway 31 E to Planning & Zoning for review. Councilmember Brown made the motion; it passed unanimously.

- Adoption of TCA traffic codes: The council voted to adopt the Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) traffic provisions so city ordinances align with state traffic statutes and to allow more cases to be heard in city court. Vice Mayor Jones moved the adoption; Councilman Staples seconded. The council approved the measure unanimously.

- Driveway permit item deferred: A proposed driveway-permit ordinance was deferred at the request of city staff so the department can finalize language after recent emergency repairs. Councilman Calvert moved to defer; Councilman Brown seconded. The motion to defer passed.

- Increase police vehicle funding via fines: The council approved increasing the portion of certain fines (police vehicle fund) to $50 per ticket, with the ordinance to take effect April 1, 2025. Vice Mayor Jones moved the measure and Councilman Calvert seconded; the council approved it and specified an April 1 effective date to allow administrative preparation.

- Mayor’s mileage: The council approved reimbursement to the mayor for 296 miles for January at the stated mileage rate. The motion carried unanimously.

City officials said the updates to traffic and code language were overdue; they described the adoption as a way to align city enforcement with changes in state law and to allow more cases to be handled in city court rather than in General Sessions. The police-related fee changes were described by a police official as intended to fund vehicle purchases from fines rather than rely on general-tax revenues.

All listed votes on the published agenda were recorded as unanimous in the meeting minutes or were approved by motion; items that require further action (such as implementation dates or ordinance numbers for second readings) were scheduled for standard follow-up steps.