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Newport council approves budget amendments, grant applications and emergency street repairs
Summary
The Newport city council approved multiple budget amendments and grant applications, authorized equipment purchases and hires, ratified an interlocal agreement and declared an emergency repair after a section of College Street collapsed.
The Newport city council on an evening meeting approved several budget amendments, authorized multiple grant applications including a TDOT TAP grant extension, voted to hire a community development director and approved emergency repairs after part of College Street collapsed.
Council approved the second reading of Ordinance 2025-O1, a budget amendment for Newport Grammar School, and advanced two first readings: Ordinance 2025-O2 (city budget amendment) and Ordinance 2025-O3 (additional Newport Grammar School amendment). The council also approved Resolution 2025-O3 accepting a contract extension for a Tennessee Department of Transportation Transportation Alternatives Program (TDOT TAP) grant for the Riverwalk extension, a project started in 2019 that was delayed by flooding.
The council authorized the Newport Fire Department to apply for a Tennessee traffic safety grant (the department said the grant’s maximum award is $12,500 and the requested equipment would include updated flashlights, traffic vests and extrication equipment such as airbags). The body also approved a standing authorization for staff to apply for grants through the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as deadlines arise.
On personnel and contracts, the council approved the hiring of Gary Carver as community development director and ratified an updated interlocal agreement among the county partnership and the city to correct a clause about one-year executive committee terms. The council approved the purchase of a larger bucket truck to replace an older used vehicle with mechanical issues; the council held a partial roll call for that purchase. The council reappointed Dennis Thornton to the Beer Board.
City Administrator James Finchel reported that heavy recent rain caused a section of roadway to collapse on College Street and that he had declared an emergency so crews can begin repairs without waiting for the competitive-bid process. "I've declared an emergency with that," Finchel said, and the city has blocked the area and asked a contractor to evaluate and repair the failure on an emergency basis.
During citizen comments, resident Kenneth Niki thanked the mayor and staff for the city's response to the recent crisis, saying, "The early response saved lives." The council closed the meeting after approving a motion to adjourn.
Votes at a glance: all motions taken on the agenda carried as recorded in the meeting. Where roll-call detail was recorded in the audio, the bucket-truck purchase recorded affirmative responses during the roll call (partial names recorded during the meeting).
Details and context: the Riverwalk TAP grant accepted an extension after delays; the fire-department grant application would purchase equipment up to the $12,500 maximum and the city intends to budget those items in the next fiscal year; the interlocal agreement revision removed a clause that set one-year terms for the executive committee and restored concurrent service tied to mayoral terms; the College Street roadway failure was declared an emergency to allow immediate repair work.
The council met with a quorum despite several absences and handled routine business including approval of minutes from the Jan. 14, 2025 meeting.
