I’ve been meaning to start posting these for a while. They are the same ones that ran in the Union News Leader. Tip for those that are new to blogs and/or “categories”: Notice the category at the bottom of the post. If you click the various categories listed they will take you to similar posts. This should make it easy to find all of our articles on any given topic.
Highlights from Maynardville City Council’s November Meeting
MAYNARDVILLE CITY HALL - As the year winds to a close, Maynardville City Council (MCC) has its eyes on the future. And while the future of the city is by no means stilted, the path it is to take remains hazy on some points.
INDUSTRIAL PARK REZONED
First on the agenda was a proposed rezoning from industrial (M-1) to low-density residential (R-2). The area in question encloses Richardson Way beginning at Main Street. Affected by the rezoning would be several houses as well as those businesses located inside the Union County Industrial park.
The transition from M-1 (industrial zone) to R-2 (low-density residential zone) seems quite strange given the area’s role asthe physical center of industry in Maynardville. Offsetting this ‘zoning contradiction’ is the fact that there are many homes, including a nursing home, peppering the Industrial park.
The reason for the change in zoning status was not made clear at the November meeting. Furthering the confusion was the fact that the ordinance passed its first reading unanimously and with little discussion.
How this change will impact the region and its inhabitants is not known, as is what this will mean for industry seeking location inside the City of Maynardville.
CITY ORDINANCES
Several issues regarding city ordinances and the changing role of the courts presented themselves this meeting. Drawing some of the lengthiest discussion was how the city would deal with conflicts arising from water and sewer related mishaps concerning residents not connected to city water and sewer yet within connection distance. The attorney for the City of Maynardville outlined options for standardizing the city’s policy based upon the standard policies found in other area cities. City Council, however, decided against standardizing and instead chose to continue handling each occurrence on a case by case basis.
The city attorney also advised the council that “The Municipal Court Reform Act of 2004″ now entitles them to adopt jurisdiction over some Class C misdemeanors. It is at the council’s discretion which, if any, of these ‘criminal’ cases they wish to hear. Further discussion of this topic was tabled for the December meeting.
A five year moratorium preventing annexation by the city as outlined in the city’s “Urban Growth Plan” has lifted. This would allow the city to extend its borders and increase its tax base.
CITY MANAGER
Another important issue facing the city of Maynardville isthe question of, ‘who will be City Manager?’ Correcting a previous unilateral decision on advertising,council members modified their plan for advertising the job of City Manager. Interspersed in the discussion was talk of not hiring a new City Manager, but instead adding an “Assistant City Manager” to aid the current City Manager in his duties.
This proposal would allow the current Maynardville City Manager to continue in his current role, and still maintain his other responsibilities.
The council split on this issue. Some members felt the city was simply not large enough to justify an assistant city manager while others expressed their belief that the proper course of action was to continue with the application process.
In the end, talk of hiring an assistant came to very little. However, a vote to continue advertising the job until December 31, 2006 did pass with the comment by one official that, “we can take the applications but that doesn’t mean we have to hire them.”
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