Mayor highlights progress, future challenges
Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank gives her “State of the County” address at the Feb. 17 Anderson County Commission meeting. Pictured behind her are two commissioners: Vice Chairwoman Shelly Vandagriff, left, and Parliamentarian Sabra Beauchamp. - Ben Pounds
Addressing the crowd from a lectern, Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank gave her first “State of the County” address last week, focusing mostly on good news, while acknowledging a few challenges and giving priorities for the future. “As a community, this kind of progress, whether around nuclear advancement or the stability of fiscally sound local government, creates further opportunities for many of you in the room or at home, from housing and development to retail and recreation,” she said. Frank told The Courier News that a commissioner in a strategic planning workshop asked her to start doing these speeches. She added that she’d done one for the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce last year. Fiscal Early in the speech, she spoke of the county’s fiscal achievements. “I can proudly say we have taken a county that was upside down on the balance sheet with liabilities exceeding assets, that a little more than a decade ago had less than $150,000 in unassigned fund balance, was forced to enact a spending freeze, and was borrowing through Tax Anticipation Notes to pay the employees at the start of each fiscal year, to a county that is in a posture to build a new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) focused Claxton Elementary School without generating new revenue,” she said.
Read MoreRocky Top approves lockbox ordinance
The Rocky Top City Council normally meets at 6 p.m. the third Thursday of each month here at City Hall on North Main Street. Next month, the meeting will be a week later and two hours earlier than normal — 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 26. - G. Chambers Williams III
Under an ordinance passed by the City Council last Thursday, developers of new commercial property in Rocky Top will be required to install so-called “Knox Box rapid-entry systems,” otherwise known as key lockboxes, on their buildings to allow emergency services to gain access when no one is present at the business. The council, meeting in its February regular session, approved the measure, Ordinance 617, on second and final reading on a unanimous vote (5-0). Property owners will be responsible for buying and installing the lockboxes, and they could be fined up to $500 for failing to do so, according to the ordinance.
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Vape caps
A new set of regulations for vape and cannabis-related stores is one vote away from taking effect in Clinton. The Clinton City Council approved the measure on first reading during its Monday, Feb. 23, meeting. Council member Matt Foster cast the lone dissenting vote, and Brian Hatmaker was absent. Council members Wendy Maness, David Queener, Rob Herrell, Vice Mayor Larry Gann and Mayor Scott Burton approved the ordinance with the regulations. It will, however, have to pass a second reading in March to go into effect. Burton said that will be at the council’s March 23 meeting. The measure would allow for only three such shops per 10,000 residents. It defines them as stores dedicating 25% or more of their floor space to “electronic cigarettes/vaping devices, E-liquids/cartridges, edibles, concentrates, or oil containing cannabis derivatives (including but not limited to CBD, Delta-8, Delta-9 or similar compounds permitted by law), Kratom, glassware, pipes, vaporizers and other smoking or inhalation devices.”
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News
Mayor highlights progress, future challenges Read More
Rocky Top approves lockbox ordinance Read More
Vape caps Read More
County moves forward on $5.8M animal shelter Read More
Primary fields set for May 5 election Read More
Clinton Police Department Incident Reports Read More
Anderson responds to State of the County address Read More
I-75 Blasting to cause delays Thursday Read More
Clinton lands $1.3M training center Read More
Restaurant inspections released for January Read More
ACSO warns of phone scam Read More
Opinion
Letter to the Editor Read More
Sports
Lady Dragons outlast rival for district title Read More
Eight straight: Dragons back in district final Read More
Leave-’em Leavell’d Read More
Highlanders hold off Mavs Read More
Mitchell’s 31 sparks Lady ’Cats in District Run Read More
State test fuels Clinton wrestling’s offseason drive Read More
Leavell signs to play at Chattanooga Read More
Humphrey heading to Baton Rouge Read More
Wildcats make region Read More
Flag football season opens next week Read More
Community
Briefs Read More
Several Tennessee wildlife seasons ending soon Read More
Book sale, author talk planned for March 7 at Norris Fellowship Read More
Democratic Women’s Club to host author, Feb. 25 Read More
School
Clinton City Schools offers free developmental screenings Read More
College News Read More
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Anderson County vs. Clinton Tennis at Jaycee Park View
Anderson County High School Homecoming View
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