The Crossville City Council met for their regularly scheduled session tonight (Tuesday, June 8, 2021). Highlights from the meeting include:

CROSSVILLE CITY COUNCIL PASSES 15-CENT PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

The Crossville City Council unanimously passed a 15-cent property tax increase this evening resulting in an additional $600,000 annually.

It will go into effect July 1, 2021.

The reason is to financially help with a rise in operations costs and toward a proposed indoor recreational center. The percentage of the increase actually going to the recreational center was not revealed in the meeting. The city recently bought land for it near the intersection of Genesis Road and Iris Lane.

The rise is for property owners in the city only (not in the county) and the increase for a house appraised at $150,000.00 would be just under $60.00 a year

You would have to go back six years to the last time the council raised it to $0.5905 per $100 assessed value.

Mayor James Mayberry said the city has one of the lowest property tax rates in the area.

The matter of senior citizens residing in the city on a limited and fixed budget was addressed.

“This will hurt the senior citizens living in Crossville,” said Tom Isham in the public comments part of the meeting.

“The property tax increase is ridiculous,” said Glen Guffy.

Tom Smith, age 82, of Crossville, spoke to the council next asking them if there was a program to help other seniors like him with the property tax rate rising.

City officials will soon provide information on how seniors can get relief from the tax increase. They can also contact the property assessor’s office for more details.

SPEED LIMIT ON SECTION OF SPARTA HIGHWAY TO DECREASE

The city council voted to reduce the speed limit on Sparta Highway from Highland Square Shopping Center (Kroger) west to Tennessee Avenue/Northside Drive.

The limit was 45 miles per hour. It will drop to 40 miles per hour.

City staff performed a recent traffic count and a study of the Holiday Drive intersection with Sparta Highway to see if a traffic light was needed there

From January 1, 2016 to present day (May 24, 2021 at the time of the engineering report being submitted to the city), there have been 5 accidents at the scene and 3 vehicle crashes within .06 miles of the site. All took place during daylight hours and one was fatal. Two of the crashes were in wet weather conditions and 2 others were distracted drivers.

By reducing the speed limit, there will not be a need for the traffic light to be installed there.

PROCLAMATION PRESENTED FOR AMATEUR RADIO FIELD DAYS

Crossville Mayor James Mayberry presented a proclamation for Amateur Radio Field Days.

It states:

“WHEREAS, Amateur Radio operators are celebrating over a century of the miracle of the human voice broadcast over the airwaves and have continued to provide a bridge between peoples, societies and countries by creating friendships and the sharing of ideas through providing countless hours of community services through these decades, which are provided wholly uncompensated; and

WHEREAS, the City of Crossville also recognizes the services Amateur Radio’s people provide to our many Emergency Response organizations and appreciates the diligence of these “hams” who also serve as weather spotters in the Skywarn program of the US Government Weather Bureau; and

WHEREAS, these same individuals have further demonstrated their value in public assistance by providing free radio communications for local parades and other charitable public events; and

WHEREAS, the ARRL Amateur Radio Field Day exercise will take place on June 26-27, 2021 and is a 24-hour emergency encampment exercise and demonstration of the Radio Amateurs’ skills and readiness to provide self-supporting communications even in fields without further infrastructure;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, James S. Mayberry, Mayor of the City of Crossville, do hereby recognize and proclaim June 26 and 27, 2021, as AMATEUR RADIO FIELD DAYS in Crossville, Tennessee.”

FINANCIAL DONATIONS TO ORGANIZATIONS

The council approved several donations to organizations in the city. It includes:

Avalon Center – $3,000

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) – $3,500

Creative Compassion – $3,521

Crossville-Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce – $60,000

Cumberland County Animal Shelter – $100,000

Cumberland County Drug Alliance (TAD Center) – $2,500

Cumberland County Playhouse – $60,000

Cumberland County Rescue Squad – $7,500

Cumberland County Young Marines – $810

Cumberland County Veterans Affairs – $20,000

Downtown Crossville, Inc. – $10,000

Emergency Management Agency – $25,000

Fair Park Senior Center – $20,000

Friends of the Trails – $10,000

Habitat for Humanity – $8,000

Hilltoppers – $7,500

Hospice of Cumberland County – $7,500

Kids on the Rise – $1,000

Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency – $6,409

Veterans Honor Guard – $1,000

Victim Offenders Reconciliation Program (VORP) – $2,000

Visitors Center – $45,000

Wags and Whiskers – $2,500

CROSSVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT

The Crossville Fire Department was very busy last month (May 2021), according to a report reviewed by the city council this evening. Crews responded to 156 rescue and emergency medical service calls as well as aided in two severe weather events. The document indicates firefighters went to seven blazes and 13 vehicle crashes.

CROSSVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT MONTHLY REPORT

The Crossville Police Department released their latest monthly report (May 2021) reviewed by the city council tonight.

The report states:

CITATIONS ISSUED (64 FOR THE MONTH – AVERAGING 2 A DAY)

Speeding – 18

Insurance violation – 12

Seat belt violation – 8

Registration violation – 7

Child restraint violation – 4

Failure to exercise due care – 3

Animals at large – 2

Light law violation – 2

Improper use of lane – 2

Window tint violation – 2

Run stop sign – 2

Unnecessary noise – 1

Violation of mud flaps – 1

OFFENSES (64 TOTAL)

Shoplifting – 7

Vandalism – 6

Theft from vehicle – 5

Theft all other – 5

Theft from building – 4

Lost Property – 4

Assault – 3

Vehicle theft – 3

Hit and run – 3

Forcible fondling – 3

Possession of drug equipment – 2

Theft of vehicle parts – 2

Fraud – 2

Dog bite – 2

Burglary – 2

Counterfeit money – 2

Juvenile runaway – 1

Recovery – 1

Fire – 1

Neighbor dispute – 1

Rape – 1

Driving on a revoked, suspended or no license – 1

Death – 1

Overdose – 1

Verbal domestic – 1

ARRESTS – 181

Warrants served – 35

Drug violations – 20

DUI – 15

Driving on a revoked, suspended or no license – 13

Public intoxication – 13

Possession of drug equipment – 12

Resisting or evading arrest – 9

Shoplifting – 9

Fraud – 8

Weapons law violation – 6

Disorderly conduct – 5

Assault – 5

Criminal trespass – 4

Theft from vehicle – 3

Domestic assault – 3

Sex offender violation – 3

Violation of bond conditions/order of protection – 2

Theft of vehicle parts – 2

Reckless endangerment – 2

Criminal impersonation – 2

Tampering with evidence – 2

Assault of an officer – 2

Hit and run – 2

Arson – 1

Forgery – 1

Reckless driving – 1

Indecent exposure – 1

JUVENILE ARRESTS – 15

Underage consumption – 7

Drug violation – 4

Filing a false report – 2

Assault – 2

ANIMAL CONTROL CALLS – 38

ACCIDENTS – 93

Minor – 59

Without injury – 26

With injury – 8

FINANCE REPORT

The city received $882,013 in sales taxes in May bringing the year to date total to $8,679,279.

In wholesale beer tax, the city collected $68,311 brining the year to date total to $679,173.

In liquor tax, the city saw $55,556 last month.

OTHER ITEMS PASSED

• An ordinance approving the fiscal year 2021-2022 budget and tax rate on third and final reading
• An ordinance amending the fiscal year 2021-2022 budget for the property for the proposed indoor recreational facility
• Approval of a temporary street closing for the 4^th of July Children’s Parade
• Approval to accept a proposal to update the city website to make it more friendly for cell phone users.
• Approval of a three year contract with Kidwell and Company, Inc. for municipal advisor services.