The Oliver Springs Town Council met last night in back-to-back sessions with the Water Board, with the combined meetings lasting a little over two hours.

The council first convened at 6:00 p.m. for a public hearing on a proposed closure of Thacker Drive from Windrock Road. Several residents along Thacker Drive requested the closure, citing frequent ATV traffic from nearby Windrock Park using the road as a shortcut to access downtown, which creates significant noise disturbances at all hours of the night. The hearing allowed input from the public as well as from law enforcement and fire department officials. Fire Chief Justin Bailey opposed sealing off the road, explaining that it would create access problems for fire apparatus in reaching some residents, who would then have to be approached from the other end via Cox Circle. The council took no action on the matter during the meeting and may revisit it later.

In the subsequent Water Board meeting, members approved applying for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to relocate and replace aging water lines along Tri-County Boulevard. Currently positioned in the middle of the four-lane road, the lines would be moved to the side for safety and maintenance reasons. The board also approved an application for an ARC (Appalachian Regional Commission) grant. Extensive discussion focused on whether to pass an ordinance authorizing a collection agency to pursue residents with past-due debts for utility bills and garbage service. City Manager Corey Jenkins, who also serves as utility director, noted that approximately $100,000 remains owed to the city in unpaid utility and garbage fees. More discussion is needed, so the issue will be addressed in a future work session.

Following a brief five-minute break, the Town Council reconvened and considered hiring a collection agency for those same delinquent utility accounts, but this too was deferred to a future work session for further review before any final decision. Jenkins also reported that the city is owed nearly $300,000 in unpaid court fines and fees—an unusually high amount for a small town. The best approach to collecting these remains under consideration and has not yet been determined.

Finally, the council held off on any changes to the footage limits restricting where alcohol can be sold in relation to schools, churches, and other gathering places. The current rules have created confusion: the limit was set at 75 feet (property line to property line) in 2014 but was increased to 500 feet in 2019. The discussion on this issue, like the collection agency matter, took considerable time and will also be taken up again in a future work session.