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County mayor outlines road repairs, river cleanup and disaster grants as recovery priorities
Summary
County Mayor Joe Mathis detailed damage estimates and federal coordination for road and river repairs, reported more than $1 million distributed from a local relief fund and won commissioner approval to apply for Tennessee Housing Development Agency disaster recovery grants.
County Mayor Joe Mathis updated the Cocke County Legislative Body on recovery operations related to recent flood damage and stressed the county—s continuing need for federal and state assistance.
"The most calls about is the roads," Mathis told commissioners, and then outlined estimated repair costs for several damaged roads: Rock Hill Road (bids awarded; estimated $500,000), Trail Hollow Road (bid awarded; estimated $1,000,000), Waterville Road (engineering phase; estimated $2,000,000), Hartford Road (about $500,000) and Fugate Road (about $400,000; riverbank stabilization not approved due to railroad right-of-way issues). Mathis said the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has awarded funding to help with riverbank stabilization on multiple projects but that some work remains contingent on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permitting.
Mathis said rivers cleanup has moved about 600,000 cubic yards of debris out of East Tennessee waterways, with roughly half of that volume removed from Cocke County. He told commissioners engineers and FEMA personnel recently conducted joint inspections of the county annex and jail to determine whether buildings are repairable; results of structural reinspection were to be reported to federal agencies.
The mayor and commissioners discussed operating-cost pressure caused by displaced inmates and scattered county offices, with Mathis estimating operating expenses could increase by "millions" for the remainder of the fiscal year. Mathis also reported that the county is coordinating with federal officials and members of Congress; he said Senator Blackburn had written to FEMA leadership on behalf of Cocke County.
Commissioners approved resolutions allowing county staff to apply for Tennessee Housing Development Agency funding: a $1,000,000 Home Disaster Recovery grant (noncompetitive, no local match required) and a 2025 Home Rehabilitation grant. The commission also received a report on the Mountain Strong relief fund and a related public-private partnership that, Mathis said, has distributed more than $1,048,000 to 109 homeowners and 39 businesses to date.
Commissioners were told some federal programs for businesses remain limited to Small Business Administration loans. Mathis asked for continued coordination with federal and state partners and said the county will pursue available grant and reimbursement opportunities while preparing required documentation for reimbursements.
