October Work Sessions & Council Meeting
TRACY HARRIS- Staff Writer
The Lewisburg City Council met on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, at Lewisburg city hall, 131 E. Church St. Mayor Jim Bingham called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Pastor Steven Davenport from Destiny Church-Lewisburg led the opening prayer. Next was the Pledge of Allegiance and citizen’s input. September minutes as well as bills and financial statement were approved by the council by a vote of 5-0.
Council members voted in the following order this month: Tommy Burns, Linda Thomas, David Perka, Shannon Crutcher, and Vickie Michael.
There was no old business.
Under new business, the first item was a recommendation from the Budget Committee to reallocate funds from the Street Supplies budget line to Street Capital Expenditures.
This will fund a wash bay for Public Works at a cost of no more than $10,000. The wash bay is needed to comply with Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and the motion passed 5-0.
A request from Marshall County 911 to install another repeater on the City’s property on Skyline Drive also passed unanimously.
The following resolutions all passed by a 5-0 vote:
The City be able to will apply for the Rural Unserved and Underserved Populations Quality of Life Grant under Resolution 24-30 to fund projects up to $40,000. This grant explicitly benefits people living with paralysis and is often called the “Superman grant” because it is funded through the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. The grant requires no match by the City.
The interlocal agreement between the city and county for Building Codes Enforcement Services will be amended under Resolution 24-31,
The amended version is for what the Fire Department will be responsible for regarding new construction in the City of Lewisburg.
Lewisburg Electric System will turn on streetlights at both entrances of Saddle Trace Subdivision per Resolution 24-32.
Resolution 24-33 was recommended by the Industrial Development Board, a Project Agreement Application for Lewisburg Printing Company.
This item was discussed in more detail at the Council’s work session the week prior, on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.
The council discussed the packet which contained more information about the details. Some of the details were that Lewisburg Printing Company made an $8 million equipment purchase. They are involved in a pilot program. They bring in five new jobs a year for a certain amount of time.
The new Planning and Codes Director was introduced, Christopher “Chris” Rush, from Marshall County Alabama. Rush said he is happy to be here in Lewisburg and is settling into the new position well.
Ordinance 24-16 passed by a vote of 4-1 with Shannon Crutcher voting no. The motion will amend Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 17-111 of the Municipal Code pertaining to the Brush Pickup Policy. Crutcher was not in favor of adding lumber to the list of things that cannot be picked up by Public Works.
City Manager Bam Haislip gave his report. A noteworthy announcement was that Jennifer Pearson has filled the vacancy as Director of Economic Development. Pearson was the only person who applied and will start the new role on Nov. 1, 2024, according to Haislip.
The next meeting will be the second Special Call meeting on Oct. 23, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. to “discuss specific deliverables and dates for an HR framework project” as presented by Thomas during her first meeting as a Council member in September.
The first Special Call meeting was held on Oct. 9 at 3:30 p.m. and seemed to serve as a place for grievances to be laid out amongst council members. Mayor Bingham worked as a moderator and made sure all parties were heard and that their concerns were recognized. City Attorney Thomas Hutto ensured the legalities were upheld for any questions that arose.
All of the Special Call meetings are open to the public since Council members are present. They are held on the second floor of City Hall.
The third time that the Council will discuss the HR framework will be during the City Council Work Session on Nov. 5, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.
