Cookeville City Council passed the first reading of its new hotel-motel tax Thursday. Yash Tanwar owns Cookeville’s Best Western and the new Holiday Inn development. He expressed concern during the council meeting over how the tax would affect his businesses and others. “It’s going to put a lot of pressure on our ADRs, by which we mean our average daily ... Read More »

Several Upper Cumberland emergency districts have expressed support for a potential E-911 surcharge increase by the state. Tennessee Emergency Number Association (TENA) President David Alexander said raising the rate to $1.50 would benefit dispatchers across the state. “We’ve got to compensate our employees different than in 2012 or they’ll walk,” Alexander said. “They have other things they can do than ... Read More »

Cookeville will construct a dog park at Cane Creek Park thanks to Boyd Foundation grant funding. The foundation announced Cookeville and Columbia as its $100,000 grand-prize winners through its Tennessee Dog Park Dash contest. Leisure Services Director Rick Woods said the city will finalize project details before construction begins. “We don’t have all the information from Dog Park Dash about ... Read More »

A hotel-motel tax in Pickett County could potentially have an affect on local marinas and lodges around Dale Hollow Lake. East Point Marina owner Richard DeVries said a five-percent hotel-motel tax may impact how tourists decide to spend their money. “When you talk about the price of a house boat, or the price of a large cabin, or even a ... Read More »

Cookeville City Council will consider approving an ordinance Thursday implementing a hotel-motel tax. City Manager James Mills said the city could start collecting revenue from the tax as early as Sep. 1. “We estimated this would bring a revenue of about $600,000,” Mills said. “It would add a three-percent to the current tax. The county has a current tax of ... Read More »

TDOT has selected Jones Bros. Contractors of Mt. Juliet to perform road improvement updates on Highway 56. Spokeswoman Jennifer Flynn reports Jones Bros. submitted the lowest bid in June for $43.7 million before being awarded the contract last week. Flynn said the contractors and state officials will meet for a pre-construction conference in the near future before work begins. Phases ... Read More »

The City of Cookeville will receive $100,000 through the Boyd Foundation to construct a dog park. The Boyd Foundation’s Randy Boyd announced the winners of the Tennessee Dog Park Dash via Facebook Live Wednesday. Cookeville has previously included the construction of a dog park within its master plan for Cane Creek Park. Both Cookeville and Columbia were selected as grand-prize ... Read More »

Pickett County commissioners are weighing their options as to how the county can generate more revenue. Commissioners discussed the potential for an occupancy tax during Monday’s meeting before the item was tabled. Chamber of Commerce Director Bill Robbins said many residents in Pickett County rent out their homes to vacationers through websites like Airbnb. “You have estimated anywhere between 90 ... Read More »

Cookeville city officials are seeking answers from TDOT as to why North Washington Avenue hasn’t been repaved. Mayor Ricky Shelton said he has received complaints from citizens regarding the rough nature of North Washington after city employees replaced waterlines ahead of the proposed project. “Our water department wanted to be proactive and go in and replace the waterlines all along ... Read More »