City Council Work Session Meeting

City Council Work Session Meeting Minutes February 17, 2026 at 5:00 PM Jefferson City Municipal Building 1. Call to Order Opening Prayer Pledge of Allegiance PRESENT Mayor Mitch Cain Vice Mayor Kevin Bunch Councilwoman Ailene Combs Councilman Rocky Melton Councilwoman Sheala Purkey Also present were James Gallup, City Manager; Robert Burts, City Attorney; and Bettina Chandler, City Recorder. 2. Citizen Comments (Citizens should state their name, address, and limit comments to five minutes.) Jacob Geldrich of MadOx asked the Council to consider allowing beer to be served during a Mossy Creek Foundation event. They would like to see if there is an interest in the community. After discussion, the Council agreed to hold a Beer Board Meeting on March 2nd. 3. Communications from the Mayor Mayor Cain reminded the Council that the Chamber of Commerce Banquet was on Thursday. They will hold a budget workshop on February 25th at 9am. Mayor Cain thanked City residents and water customers for their patience, support and prayers. He described the timeline for that water plant operations since 2012. The four membrane trains had been upgraded and maintained as recommended. In December the water production was down, and an evaluation of the members was requested. On February 2nd, the City discontinued supplying water to our wholesale customers. On February 3rd, the County declared a State of Emergency and water recovery was underway on the City's system. By February 6, our supplier had delivered the new membranes and they were installed. The City will continue to plan for the future. Growth projects have been underway. The water has been safe. 4. Reports from Committees, Council Members, and other Officers a. Update on Water System - Porter Massengill & James Gallup Mr. Massengill said the system could not handle such high demand when the production was down. They are monitoring production, and checking for high usage from the wholesalers. The membrane company, Veolia, is doing an autopsy on the membranes to see why they failed early. b. Update on Recreation Master Plan - Kevin Bolden & James Gallup The proposed Recreation Master Plan will be presented to the Council at the budget meeting. The surveys have been completed with a 12-13% participation rate. c. Annual City Manager Review - Pete Auger, MTAS Mr. Auger thanked the Council members for their feedback in completing the survey. He reviewed 11 points that made up the evaluation. This year's review was the highest one the Council had given Mr. Gallup. 5. Items for Discussion a. Request for authorization to apply for the 2026 Community Development Block Grant - James Gallup / Mitch Loomis (ETDD) Mr. Gallup said they were anticipating applying for a CDBG project for $1,000,000 with a $176,000 match from the City. The grant would improve city sidewalks to help improve the walkability of the City. Councilwoman Purkey asked that this be placed on the agenda at the next council meeting. b. Proposed Amendment to Fire Department Compensation Plan – Holly Cox & Lee Turner Mrs. Cox recommended a step plan for new part time firefighters so that there were incentives to go to the next level. Chief Turner said that they were going to see the new truck, and it may be complete by the end of March. The new station should be complete in July. Councilwoman Purkey asked that the step plan for new part-time firefighters be placed on the March council meeting agenda. c. Request to Purchase Raman Spectrometer - Lee Turner Chief Turner requested permission to purchase a Raman Spectrometer. This will allow the Fire Department to test unknown liquids. The City received a grant from the Opiod settlement funds tor the purchase of the equipment. This equipment will be to assist a four county area. Vice-Mayor Bunch requested this item be placed on the agenda at the March council meeting. d. Review Extension of West Commerce Court - Jeff Houston  Mr. Houston said the Planning Commission gave permission for the ORNL Credit Union next to Pal's. The entrance to the credit union will be off Clinchview Circle. The proposed plan will have the project extend the sidestreet to Clinchview. Vice-Mayor Bunch asked that this item be placed on the agenda for the March council meeting. e. Request to Purchase Water Pumps and Equipment - Porter Massengill Mr. Massengill asked for a backup 60HP VHD for the permeate pump; a new high service motor for Pump 704; and a new 300 HP VFD for Pump 705. All of this equipment is for the water treatment plant. Councilwoman Combs requested this be on the agenda at the March council meeting. Vice-Mayor Bunch asked what the delivery time on this equipment. Mr. Massengill said it would be 4-6 weeks. f. Review of bids for RFP 26-06 Wrecker Service for Removal and Towing of Vehicles - Andy Dossett Chief Dossett said that bids were received for wrecker services. This would be for services for the police department as well as City vehicles that may need it. Cherokee Towing was the recommended bidder. Councilwoman Purkey asked that this be placed on the agenda for the March Council meeting. 6. Appointments a. Parks and Recreation Committee - The members are appointed for a two-year term by the City Council. There is one vacant position. Three applications have been received, but only one is a resident of the City. b. Regional Planning Commission - The commissioners are appointed by the Mayor for a five-year term. The appointment expired in January of 2026. There is one vacant position. c. Jefferson City Housing Authority - The members are appointed for a five-year term by the Mayor. Due to a resignation, there is a vacancy on the board whose term will expire in March of 2027. d. Health and Education Facilities Board - The members are appointed for a six-year term by the City Council. The current members whose terms will expire in March of 2026 are Amy Beverly and Robert Matijevich. 7. Calendar/Upcoming Events a. The February HZC/Regional Planning Commission/BZA meeting will be on Monday, February 23, 2026. b. The March City Council Meeting will be on Monday, March 2, 2026. c. The March Work Session will be on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. d. The March HZC/Regional Planning Commission/BZA meeting will be on Monday, March 23, 2026.  e. There will be a Strategic Budget Planning Summit on February 25, 2026, at City Hall. 8. Announcements a. The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Banquet will be Thursday, February 19, 2026. 9. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 6:04pm.