Commission workshop forwards $8 million plan to buy Alcoa South Plant after heated debate

Blount County commissioners at a July 9 workshop voted to forward Resolution 267001 — an $8,000,000 county share to enter an agreement with the Industrial Development Board (IDB) for purchase of the Alcoa South Plant — to the full commission after prolonged debate over whether the item was properly placed on the agenda.

The vote to move the resolution along to the full commission passed 12-3 with one abstention after several commissioners pressed for the matter to be returned to the budget committee for more review. Opponents argued the item lacked a proper second at the budget committee and warned the purchase had been "snuck" onto the workshop agenda.

Why it matters: Supporters said buying the property would give local governments a degree of control over future uses, while opponents said spending millions now without clearer zoning rules, environmental assessments and enforceable guarantees risks county dollars and residents’ interests.

Commissioner Steve Michaels (speaking at length during the workshop) said the way the resolution arrived on the agenda "sets a dangerous precedent" and described the placement as procedurally suspect. Opponents also raised contamination concerns tied to past industrial uses; one commissioner said the parcel required substantial soil work when a different plant property was sold in the past.

Industrial development board representative Brian Daniels told the commission the proposed intergovernmental agreement and the IDB structure provide oversight: "It is the rules of how the three governments participate in projects," Daniels said, saying an operating committee composed of the mayors (or their designees) and an IDB representative would review any project proposed for the site.

County staff clarified the cost-sharing model for the proposed purchase: the sale price cited in discussion was $20 million, split 40% county / 30% City of Maryville / 30% City of Alcoa (county share $8 million). County staff also said the technical owner would be the IDB and that mayors or their designees would sit on an operating committee with final approval authority for projects.

Proponents argued that without acquiring the site the county risks losing the opportunity to influence future development on the property; opponents said the county should first secure zoning agreements, environmental remediation details and tighter contractual protections before committing funds. Resident speakers and several commissioners urged more study and expressed skepticism that buying the parcel now would prevent unwanted outcomes such as data centers or other industrial uses.

Next steps: Resolution 267001 was forwarded to the full commission for final consideration. The workshop record shows the matter survived a motion to refer back to the budget committee (the motion to refer failed), and the main motion to forward the resolution passed by recorded tally. The full commission will consider the agreement in a future public meeting.