News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Putnam County Commissioners voted Monday night to request Cookeville annex the portion of the new Putnam County Fairgrounds that falls outside city limits.
Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter said the new fairgrounds fall directly on the Cookeville border, leaving half of the parcel outside city limits. He said the city cannot provide resources like sewer utilities to areas outside of city limits.
“City charter will not allow the city to serve any property that’s not inside the city limits,” Porter said. “So the city limits, right now, goes through the middle of the property, so we need to annex the rest of it to get sewer to the back part of the property.”
Porter said the city is also able to provide police and fire protection on the parcel once annexed. He said the change carries no immediate financial effect on the county because it is exempt from taxes.
“It’s just that big parcel,” Porter said. “The other side’s already inside the city. It’s just the big parcel on the, it would be on the left-hand side if you’re going down Tennessee Avenue.”
He said the county would even be able to receive garbage pickup services from the city if the area is annexed, but given the county has its own solid waste department, Porter said it is not likely that the county would request the service.
In other business, the commission agreed to amend its contract with Hollingsworth for the business park. Porter said the amended agreement will allow Hollingsworth to haul dirt across the street to the parcel that they bought in the business park.
“TDOT wanted them to use the existing crossing that the city already had a permit for,” Porter said.
He said the amendment would allow them to use the crossing rather than getting a new permit.
The commission also approved the Occupational Safety and Health Plan. Porter said every eight or nine years, the county is required to update the plan to add changes like the name of the new safety officer and adjustments to state law. He said the plan had last been adjusted in 2014.
The commission also approved the purchase of a 2005 John Deere 6420 four-by-four boom mower.
