Council approves North Norton Street improvement contract with Knox County land bank

Mount Vernon City Council on May 26 voted to approve a contract with the Knox County Land Reutilization Corporation for North Norton Street improvements, a joint project the mayor and staff described as necessary to repair an aqueduct and improve truck access.

Sponsor remarks and staff explanation noted that the area has limited load capacity—staff recalled a previous incident in which a truck fell through the aqueduct—and that the project had been budgeted during the city’s capital planning process. Council emphasized the project will be a partnership: the land bank will administer and run the construction contract while the city will fund its share, participate in design, and conduct inspection.

City staff told council the project will enhance the intersection for trucks that serve the nearby industrial/commerce park and protect a communal drainage asset that serves the area to Madison Street and nearly to Main Street. The council suspended the three‑reading rule and adopted Resolution 2026‑62 during the meeting; members voted in the affirmative.

Council did not provide a detailed cost breakdown during the meeting; staff said the project had been listed in the non‑general fund budget during budget season and that the land bank agreed to run the job in lieu of a city bid. The council directed Public Works to coordinate inspection and design with the land bank; a follow‑up schedule and more detailed cost and funding information were not supplied and will be handled in staff reports to the council.