Votes at a glance: Oak Ridge council actions on contracts, ordinances and capital projects

Oak Ridge City Council on May 12 voted on a slate of ordinances and resolutions covering contracts, capital projects, administrative updates and budget items. Below is a compact summary of formal votes and outcomes recorded during the meeting. Where the transcript did not specify an individual mover or seconder, the entry lists the motion as recorded during the meeting.

Votes at a glance (selected items):

- Consent agenda: Adopted by voice vote; items D, L, P and Q were pulled for discussion and moved to regular resolutions before action. (Outcome: adopted; recorded as unanimous.)

- Ordinance (Title 13, slum clearance): Approved on first reading (see separate article). (Outcome: approved on first reading, unanimous.)

- Ordinance amending personnel plan to change "personnel director"/"personnel department" to "human resources director/department": Approved on first reading. (Outcome: approved on first reading, unanimous.)

- Ordinance abandoning portion of Badger Avenue right-of-way (final reading): Approved on second and final reading. Staff said maintenance remains the developer's responsibility and the right-of-way will remain publicly accessible. (Outcome: approved on final reading, unanimous.)

- Rezoning (350 Powerhouse Road): Deferred pending remediation of outstanding code violations at the applicant's site. (Outcome: deferred, unanimous.)

- Resolution approving TDOT maintenance contract for state highways in the city (annual reimbursement $171,621.07 for FY26): Approved. City staff clarified the contract covers routine maintenance on state-owned roads within the city but not major paving projects, which are state projects. (Outcome: approved, unanimous.)

- Resolution awarding contract to CMG HealthWorks for employee medical evaluations, drug/alcohol and hazmat testing (not to exceed $75,000 for FY26): Approved after staff explained CMG submitted the lowest compliant bid and is the incumbent provider. (Outcome: approved, unanimous.)

- Resolution adopting bylaws and rules for the Arts, Culture and History Alliance advisory board: Approved with a minor language correction noted in the bylaws. (Outcome: approved, unanimous.)

- Resolution writing off court fines and costs for citations over 10 years old and authorizing city manager to establish debt forgiveness programs as determined appropriate: Approved. Staff said fines/court costs older than 10 years are outside the statute of limitations for collection and will be written off; the underlying offenses will remain on records. (Outcome: approved, unanimous.)

- Resolution awarding contract for operation and management of Oak Ridge Transit to East Tennessee Human Resources Agency (ETHRA) in an amount not to exceed $230,000, contingent on TDOT grant funding: Approved as amended to require the city manager to return the final negotiated contract to council for approval and to permit up to a 90-day extension of the current ETHRA contract to avoid service interruption. (Outcome: approved, unanimous.)

- Resolution awarding contract to Stansell Electric Co. for traffic signals and sidewalks under the Signal Timing Optimization Program and the Multimodal Access Project (not to exceed $4,795,536) and approval of a $450,000 contingency for both projects: Approved. Staff explained the scope includes signal replacements and sidewalks along Oak Ridge Turnpike and the work sequence and delivery timelines. (Outcome: approved, unanimous.)

- Resolution rescinding earlier resolution and authorizing CDM Smith for construction engineering and inspection services for CMAQ Phase 2 (not to exceed $361,800): Approved; staff said inspection fees are grant-eligible and local program rules require an independent inspection firm for complex projects. (Outcome: approved, unanimous.)

- Resolution amending professional services with Kimberly Horn & Associates for multimodal inspection/engineering at Oak Ridge Turnpike and S. Illinois Avenue (increase $116,300; new total $415,100): Approved. (Outcome: approved, unanimous.)

- Resolution authorizing purchase of traffic control equipment from Transportation Control Systems (not to exceed $261,960): Approved; these are the signal controllers for the CMAQ project. (Outcome: approved, unanimous.)

- Resolution amending prior resolution to increase purchase price for a generator at the water treatment plant by $208,365 (new not-to-exceed $1,200,000), to be purchased with Water Works funds: Approved. Staff explained ARPA and SRF funding interactions. (Outcome: approved, unanimous.)

- Resolution awarding contract to PRI of East Tennessee for as-needed pavement repair and patching (not to exceed $300,000): Approved (on-call contract for larger repairs; staff uses in-house crews for small potholes). (Outcome: approved, unanimous.)

- Resolution approving updated ARPA spending budget: Approved; staff summarized projects funded and changes. (Outcome: approved, unanimous.)

- Resolutions authorizing on-call architectural services agreements with Design Innovation Architects and Clark Nexsen and a professional-services agreement with Davenport & Co. for municipal financial services (multi-year, not-to-exceed amounts listed in agendas): Approved. Staff said these are master-services agreements to speed delivery of small projects and provide advisory services. (Outcome: approved, unanimous.)

- Resolution transferring a DOE parcel request at East Tennessee Technology Park from the Industrial Development Board to the City of Oak Ridge: Approved to consolidate contiguous parcels for marketing and sale. (Outcome: approved, unanimous.)

Many of the items above were discussed briefly in committee or work sessions before council action. Several measures were described by staff as grant-funded or reimbursable through state and federal programs. Council recorded unanimous votes on the items summarized here.

If readers want original agenda references or staff memos for any specific resolution or ordinance, staff presentations and the city clerk's minutes record the motions, conditions and staffing follow-up directions.