2026-09-14 - City Council

Summary

Built from the city's post-meeting Notice of Proceedings, which lists actions taken only (not agendas, discussion, vote counts or public comment). Council agenda packets and minutes were not found online. No recording was transcribed.

• Convened 7:00 p.m. with Mayor Warren Gooch presiding. Present: Mayor Pro Tem Jim Dodson, Sean Gleason, Charlie Hensley and Ellen Smith. Chuck Hope and Derrick Hammond were absent. City Manager Randy Hemann, City Attorney Tammy Rackard and City Clerk Mary Beth Hickman attended. Adjourned 8:44 p.m.
• Proclamations and recognitions: two proclamations recognizing community members for service, September as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and October as Community Mediation Month; the city's risk program administrator was recognized for a 2026 excellence award from Public Entity Partners.
• The Mayor moved part of the City Manager's report earlier on the agenda and recognized public comment; the comments are not recorded in the notice.
• Consent agenda approved: minutes of the 2026-08-10 regular and 2026-08-31 special meetings; acknowledgment of a $50,000 Anderson County donation to the fire department (Fire Department Equipment and Funding); renewal of employee health, dental, vision and hearing coverage for 2027 through the state local government program; water tank inspection and cleaning and an EPA workforce training grant application (Water Treatment Plant and Water System Work).
• Removed from consent, discussed and approved: confirmation of sixteen members and two alternates of the Youth Advisory Board; a street striping contract of $194,622 (Public Transportation and Street Work). Removed, amended and approved: an extension of the city's group life and long-term disability insurance contract on a calendar-year term.
• First reading of four ordinances, with public hearing and second reading set for 2026-10-12: the supervision change among city departments (City Administrative Reorganization), the stormwater code update (Stormwater Ordinance and Enforcement Plan) and acceptance of infrastructure in Groves Park Commons (Groves Park Commons Subdivision). No ordinances were up for final adoption.
• Resolutions approved: a TDOT operating assistance grant and a larger East Tennessee Human Resource Agency transit contract (Public Transportation and Street Work); paving contract increases for Groves Park (Groves Park Commons Subdivision); twelve vehicles and five pieces of equipment (not to exceed $999,778.01); recycling processing fees (not to exceed $150,000); budgeting and capital project software through FY2030 (City Technology Contracts); a golf cart lease and an A.K. Bissell Park design agreement (Parks and Recreation Master Plan and Facilities).

Issues

• Water Treatment Plant and Water System Work
• Parks and Recreation Master Plan and Facilities
• City Administrative Reorganization
• Stormwater Ordinance and Enforcement Plan
• City Technology Contracts
• Fire Department Equipment and Funding
• Public Transportation and Street Work
• Groves Park Commons Subdivision

Agenda

Council agendas are not posted online; see the Notice of Proceedings in Sources.

Sources

• Notice of Proceedings: https://www.oakridgetn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4915
• Council livestream page: https://www.oakridgetn.gov/308/Livestream (Vimeo event https://vimeo.com/event/4843536)

Video

Council meetings are livestreamed on Vimeo; the city's YouTube channel has no council meetings after 2024. Recording availability for this meeting was not verified.