Lenoir City Council approves ordinance amendments, event street closures, rezoning, personnel and bid actions

Lenoir City Council on Monday approved multiple items including an ordinance amending city code chapters relating to building, utilities, streets and sidewalks and electricity and gas; authorized street closures for downtown events; rezoned two parcels from C-3 (highway commercial) to R-2 (medium-density residential); approved a personnel leave-policy amendment affecting employees enrolled in Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS); confirmed permanent full-time employment for an individual who completed probation; and directed staff to solicit bids for replacing a fire apparatus engine.

Why it matters: The ordinance adoption and rezoning affect local land use and municipal code; the street closures support downtown events the chamber says have run previously; the leave-policy change clarifies a retirement benefit option for TCRS-enrolled employees; the fire apparatus procurement addresses an unplanned engine replacement for an 2002 apparatus and could affect vehicle readiness.

Ordinance on building/utility/code titles Mayor Tony Akins introduced an ordinance to adopt and amend portions of the municipal code across several titles (building and utility code, streets and sidewalks, water and sewer, electricity and gas). Councilmember Leon Shields presented the ordinance; the meeting record shows it passed on second and final reading after a roll-call vote in favor.

Street closures for downtown events Rodney Thruvitt, representing the chamber, asked the council to approve the same downtown street-closure schedule used in prior years for spring and summer events. “These are the same events that we've had in the past,” Thruvitt said. The council approved the closures and asked police and the street department to assist.

Rezoning on Kirk Avenue and Old Highway 95 The council voted to follow the planning commission’s recommendation and rezone two parcels on Kirk Avenue and Old Highway 95 from C-3 (highway commercial) to R-2 (medium-density residential). Planning staff said the parcels total about 0.8 acres; under R-2 minimum lot size rules a maximum of roughly three to four single-family lots could be possible depending on surveys, setbacks, utilities and parking.

Employee leave policy amendment (TCRS sick-leave rollover) Human resources staff explained the resolution would align the city’s leave policy with an earlier TCRS enrollment change so that employees who are members of TCRS may roll unused sick leave into credited TCRS time at retirement. Staff clarified this applies only to employees currently enrolled in TCRS and only for retirement credit, not for other separations. The council approved the resolution; staff noted one numeric correction would be made in the final resolution language.

Fire apparatus engine replacement — bid authorization Fire department staff reported an analysis found the 2002 engine on a Station 2 pumper requires replacement. Staff recommended soliciting bids for a new Cummins engine and including transmission replacement as an alternate due to labor overlap; staff estimated the engine work would likely run in the tens of thousands of dollars (staff stated roughly $60,000–$70,000 for the engine and an additional approximate $7,000 as a transmission alternate). Council directed staff to go to bid.

Personnel: confirmation of permanent employment The council approved making Miss Mandy Hancock a permanent full-time employee following satisfactory completion of a six-month probationary period, based on department recommendation that she has navigated the learning curve and received positive responses from clients and staff.

Votes at a glance - Ordinance amending multiple code titles (final reading): approved (roll call recorded in meeting transcript). - Downtown street closures for scheduled events: approved (unanimous). - Rezoning of parcels on Kirk Avenue/Old Highway 95 (C-3 to R-2): approved (roll call recorded). - Resolution amending leave policy to allow TCRS sick-leave rollover for retirees: approved (roll call recorded; numeric correction to resolution language noted). - Authorization to solicit bids for replacement engine for 2002 fire apparatus (Station 2): approved (motion to go to bid). - Confirmation of permanent employment for Mandy Hancock following probation: approved.

The meeting record shows roll-call votes or verbal ayes for each item; where the transcript did not record a complete roll-call or individual tallies for every item, the council recorded unanimous or majority approval in the audio record. The council set aside a separate, extended discussion about appointment of a municipal judge pending a recessed meeting.