Meeting in a special session last Tuesday, the Crossville City Council took critical steps toward modernizing the city’s water treatment infrastructure, while also formally adopting the revised water and sewer rate schedules for the 2026–27 fiscal year.

The council authorized moving forward with a tentative agreement for a diagnostic pilot study with H2O Innovations. The study will evaluate advanced ceramic and polymeric membrane filtration systems to replace aging infrastructure at the Meadow Park Lake Water Treatment Plant, which recently experienced costly underdrain failures.

The council formally adopted a resolution establishing updated water and sewer rates, keeping inside-city water adjustments to a 25% increase ($7.85 per thousand gallons) and maintaining wholesale utility district rates at $4.57 per thousand gallons.

Councilmember Art Gernt was unanimously appointed to fill the vacant City Council representative seat on the Crossville Regional Planning Commission.

The council approved on first reading an ordinance amending the fiscal year budget to account for grants and projected water sales.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, a local resident also raised concerns regarding privacy and the deployment of local surveillance cameras, urging the council to weigh law enforcement tools against constitutional privacy protections.

The council’s swift actions highlight an urgent push to prevent potential water supply bottlenecks and ensure long-term reliability for Crossville residents.