Jonesborough board appoints Jenkins, clears water-bond resolution and approves traffic study; dozen other routine measures passed

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen of Jonesborough on Tuesday appointed Zach Jenkins to a vacant alderman seat, authorized a bond resolution to finance a planned water treatment plant upgrade, approved a traffic-engineering study and cleared a slate of ordinances and budget housekeeping items.

The board voted on a series of separate items including: a second and final reading of the Thomason annexation along Shell Road; an amendment to the town's tree and townscape code to change committee membership; an ordinance designating which town officials may declare a state of emergency; fiscal-year 2024-25 budget amendments for the general, solid waste, Jackson Theater and drug enforcement funds; and an interlocal planning agreement with Washington County. Several smaller actions approved grant-funded work, change orders for sidewalk construction and municipal participation in regional task forces.

Why it matters: The bond authorization is the clearest near-term fiscal commitment on the agenda: it enables the town to proceed with financing for a water treatment plant expansion described in staff presentations as critical to raising treatment capacity and resilience. The traffic study and related reallocation of previously designated road funds aim to address recurring congestion on State Route 11/11E through downtown. The alderman appointment fills a board vacancy that officials said they expect will help represent the town during a period of steady growth.

Appointment and local governance Alderman Zach Jenkins was nominated by a fellow board member after an extended public-comment period in which multiple residents endorsed Jenkins' civic and business ties to Jonesborough. Jenkins addressed the board after his appointment and said he intended to serve seriously: "I care about this town. I own a business in this town. I've got skin in the game," he said. The board approved his appointment by roll call.

Water bond resolution The board approved the captioned resolution authorizing the issuance and sale of up to $22,818,000 in water-system revenue and tax bonds and related temporary notes to finance a water treatment plant upgrade. Staff said bids for the project were expected this week and that the upgrade would increase capacity from roughly 3 million gallons per day to about 8 million gallons per day. Town officials described the authorization as a procedural step to allow financing once construction bids are reviewed.

Traffic study and reallocation of road funds After discussion and public comment about recurring congestion on Highway 11/11E, the board voted to redesignate $150,000 previously assigned to an access-road concept as undesignated and to use part of those funds to pay for a traffic signal optimization study. Staff presented a proposal from Madden (Mattard/Madden name appeared in staff materials) and Craig engineers to inventory signalized intersections and design signal coordination and communications upgrades. The initial study contract was described as roughly $44,000; staff said additional work and any eventual implementation would return to the board for approval.

Planning, annexation and ordinances - Thomason annexation (Shell Road): The board took a second and final reading and approved the annexation of the property described in the agenda item after no members of the public spoke to the matter during the public hearing. - Tree and Townscape Code amendment: The board approved an ordinance to change the authorized membership levels for the Tree and Townscape Committee, a housekeeping move staff said was intended to ease quorum problems. - State-of-emergency ordinance: The board approved a second and final reading designating which town officials are authorized to declare a state of emergency. - FY2024-25 budget amendments: The board approved housekeeping amendments for the general, solid waste, Jackson Theater and drug enforcement funds that staff said reconcile prior-year entries for state audit.

Interlocal planning agreement and stormwater The board approved an interlocal agreement with Washington County for planning assistance and shared staff resources. Administrator Glenn Rosenoff and board members framed the agreement as a "force multiplier" for long-range planning and stormwater compliance, including support for Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) reporting.

Parks, grants and local projects The board approved reallocating $135,000 (drug-settlement-designated funds referenced by staff) to complete dugouts and backstops at Tiger Park and authorized staff to seek a BlueCross BlueShield outdoor-space grant to complete work at Persimmon Ridge Park. The board also approved multiple change orders to finalize sidewalk and streetscape work tied to a state-funded streetscape project.

Other votes The board approved a first fundraising event for the Jackson Theatre (the Marquis Ball), a drug-task-force interlocal cooperation agreement, an organizational-chart adjustment affecting parks and recreation staffing, and an increase to the town's wastewater tap-fee schedule. The items were presented by staff and carried on mostly unanimous voice or roll-call votes.

What the board did not do No one spoke during the public hearing on the Thomason annexation and the record does not show any amendments to the bond authorization or to the traffic-study contract; staff will return with final contract documents and any larger implementation requests.

Looking ahead Staff said bids for the water-treatment project would be opened this week and that staff would return with recommended contract awards and any necessary financing documents. The traffic study is expected to take several months once contracts are executed; staff told the board that any implementation would be a separate budget or capital request.

(See "Votes at a glance" below for motion text and recorded attendee counts.)