Commissioners approve engineer contract, change credit-card provider and appoint bike-trail maintenance committee

At its May 19 meeting Cocke County commissioners approved a short-form professional-services agreement with Robert G. Campbell & Associates, L.P. for design of approximately 7,500 linear feet of 8-inch gravity sewer and related services for the Smoky Mountain Innovation Park project. The contract packet appended to the minutes lists a lump-sum fee of $126,600 and enumerates tasks including field survey, plans for Newport Utilities and TDEC approval, ROW permits, SWPPP and ARAP permitting, easement documents, bidding and contract administration.

Commissioners also voted to change the county’s credit-card processing services to Commercial Bank (motion by Jason McMahan; seconded by Rick Vassar). The minutes record the vote as carried on the budget committee recommendation (9 ayes, 5 absent).

The body approved a property-tax refund of $283 related to a 2024 assessment error (taxpayer Ronald E. Cales and Yvonne K. Cales); assessor and trustee reviews were noted in the submitted refund application.

Separately, after a Cocke County Partnership briefing, Daryl Brady requested formation of an ad hoc committee for bike-trail maintenance. The legislative body suspended the rules and appointed Mayor Rob Mathis, Jonanthon Templin, Andy Ford and Norman Smith to the committee by motion.

All motions described above were recorded in the minutes and the supporting contract and transfer documents were appended to the meeting record.