The City of Crossville, Tennessee City Council held its work session on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at 5:00 PM in Conference Room 317. Mayor R.J. Crawford called the meeting to order after a brief delay. All council members were present, including Council Members Art Gernt, Mike Turner, Mark A. Fox, and James Mayberry, along with City Manager Valerie Hale and City Clerk Baylee Rhea.

During public comment, a resident spoke about the long-standing issue with a property on Prentice Street. He described it as a condemned former meth lab house that has sat vacant and boarded up for approximately 14 years following a foreclosure by Regions Mortgage. The resident noted it had been in the same owner’s name since at least 2012 and expressed frustration that the city had not addressed the blight despite the fire department and code enforcement task force being aware of it. He requested that the city take action to resolve the problem. Council acknowledged the concern, took the resident’s contact information, and indicated they would look into it further.

The council then moved into the agenda items. For item 1 (City Manager Hale’s annual performance evaluation), the combined council score averaged 4.78 out of 5 (with 5 being excellent). Members offered positive overall feedback and noted that any specific concerns had already been discussed in monthly meetings; they encouraged the city manager to schedule one-on-one conversations if needed.

Items 2 and 3 concerned temporary street closures. For the Memorial Day event (item 2), organizers requested a larger closure than the previous year, including Main Street itself due to an anticipated bigger crowd. Council agreed to add the item to the formal agenda for approval. For the CCHS Homecoming Parade (item 3), scheduled for September 17 from 1:30 to 2:30 PM, the requested closure was also accepted and added to the agenda without objection.

On item 4 (annexation resolution and Plan of Service for Bob Tollett Loop), the Planning Commission had already recommended approval. Council discussed that the city would not be responsible for maintaining the road, which remains in the state right-of-way and under county jurisdiction for maintenance and crash response. The item was added to the consent agenda.

Item 5 addressed de-annexation of TMP 101 021.03. Although the request reached council, the Planning Commission had unanimously denied it, citing concerns about setting a precedent for selective de-annexations. Council members who also serve on the Planning Commission supported denial, and the item was placed on the agenda to formally deny the request in accordance with the commission’s recommendation.

Item 6 involved approval of a turning lane on East First Street. This would be the city’s responsibility (estimated at approximately $30,000 in next year’s budget) to construct its side of the improvement, while Weigels would handle the opposite side and new traffic light. Property acquisition for right-of-way was noted but no major concerns were raised; the item moved forward.

For item 7 (rate increase at Meadow Park Lake), council discussed raising camping rates to better align with market rates at other regional campgrounds. The proposal included a $40 increase for sites with sewer (from $30) and a $10 increase for water-only sites. Members agreed the modest hike would help offset recent improvements while remaining competitive, and the item was advanced.

Item 8 covered the Lowe’s hometown grant application submitted by the fire department for a power-flexion water innovation project. The grant requires no local match. Councilman Turner had previously shared the opportunity, and the application was already prepared for submission. Council supported moving forward and noted they would await award notification.

Items 9 through 12 addressed various contract and change-order items. Item 9 approved hiring Mitchell Bank Consultants directly (instead of as a subconsultant) for a $5,600 Genesis tank inspection. Items 10, 11, and 12 were close-out change orders for the Catoosa Area Water Lines Project, Peavine Road Sewer Force Main Additions (a deduct of $28,436), and Holiday Hills/Meadow Park WTP SCADA Improvements (up to $7,546), respectively. All were recommended for approval and added to the agenda with no discussion beyond confirming the figures.

Items 13 and 14 concerned the Taxiway Lighting Rehabilitation project at the airport. Item 13 was approval of the TDOT Aeronautics 95% grant / 5% city match application for engineering services. Item 14 was the related task-order contract with Neil Shaker & Associates for $288,290, contingent on the grant award (with the city’s share estimated at $14,414.50 or potentially lower at 2.5% if the grant is more favorable). Both were approved contingent on grant funding.

Item 15 was a housekeeping ordinance amending the FY 2025-26 budget to account for the new street sweeper (which includes a Magnet attachment). The remaining items (16–25) covered annual FY 2026-27 bids for bulk coarse salt, water line supplies, water treatment chemicals, fertilizer, tires and installation, street striping, cold milling, crushed stone, and annual pump and motor repair services. Council approved all of these bids without objection as routine annual procurement items already included in the budget.

The work session concluded with adjournment after all items were reviewed and placed on the consent agenda for the upcoming regular meeting on Tuesday, April 14.