Crossville council adds multiple annexation, ordinance updates and ARPA‑funded infrastructure projects to next agenda

During the work session the Crossville City Council added a slate of items to the next regular meeting agenda, spanning annexation requests, ordinance updates, event approvals and several infrastructure bids and contract recommendations.

Planning commission recommendations added to the agenda include annexation petitions for Rodendron Circle East, Rodendron Circle West (Roadendron/Rodendron in packet transcription) and Halsted Drive. Planning staff said the subdivisions have been the subject of multiple recent annexation requests and that some parcels adjoin existing city limits.

Council members also agreed to add two ordinance updates to the agenda: one amending Title 3‑202 on imposition of fines, penalties and costs to reflect a recent change that raised the municipal training education fee from $1 to $2; and one amending Title 5, Chapter 7 to reference the charter for hotel/motel occupancy tax language and to define "hotel" so similar establishments (for example, campgrounds) can be assessed consistently. City staff said the charter now sets the hotel tax percentage at 3 percent and that letters will be sent to affected establishments.

The council approved adding routine community and operational items: approval of the CCHS homecoming parade route for Thursday, Oct. 9 at 1:30 p.m., and adoption of new airport rules and regulations developed by the airport committee and reviewed by city attorney and risk management.

Staff presented several contract and bid recommendations for council consideration. The Granicus agenda‑management annual service agreement was placed on the agenda with an estimated monthly increase of about $170. For a data center generator for the IT department, staff reported Stubbs was the low bidder; the transcript cited "Stubbs was the low bid at 38,800 and 74,000 or 100," and council approved adding the award item to the agenda for formal action.

The city engineer recommended awards for multiple ARPA‑funded water and sewer projects: a Miller Avenue water booster station recommended to W & O at $2,304,980; a Miller Avenue water line extension for which the engineer recommended the second‑low bid at $3,988,600 (staff noted an incorrect number in the legislative file); and a Peabody (First Street) sewer line upgrade with a low bid from Hamilton Construction at $735,859.36. Staff stated that ARPA timelines apply: projects must be under contract by August (year unspecified in the record) and finished by Sept. 26; the engineer later referenced completion by September 2026 for at least one project. Staff told the council both Miller projects are under budget and that a 5% grant match and Carolina Water Authority participation will apply to some costs.

The clerk asked council to consider moving the November regular council meeting (which falls on Veterans Day) to the following Tuesday; council members present tentatively agreed to hold the formal meeting on Tuesday the 18th and to keep the work session on the fourth.

Why this matters: The agenda additions move multiple planning and capital projects toward formal vote and contract award, including several ARPA‑funded infrastructure projects that affect city water and sewer capacity and schedules. Contract awards and ordinance changes recorded on the agenda will appear for formal action at the council's next regular meeting.

Details and next steps: The work session did not produce final contract awards or ordinance adoptions; it recorded staff recommendations, corrected bid figures on the record, and added the items to the legislative agenda for the next formal meeting.