Crossville officials tabled a decision regarding mitigation credits for the Meadow Park Lake Dam project to allow for the results of an upcoming water referendum.
Mayor RJ Crawford said Tennessee Tech is willing to wait until November 11 to receive a formal response from the city. City Attorney Randy York said the deadline provided by the mitigation group falls one day after the next scheduled council meeting.
“I think they have now formalized the response so that they want a little bit more in detail including agreements as it relates to payment,” York said. “These are very important things that and a lot of money that we’re dealing with.”
York said the city could schedule a work session or a special called session if necessary to meet the timeline. The Meadow Park Lake Dam project involves approximately $11.4 million in dam mitigation costs. Crawford said the council will revisit the mitigation credits during its regular November meeting.
The decision follows public comments regarding a November referendum that would authorize the council to transfer the water and sewer system to the Cumberland Plateau Water Authority. Crawford said the city expects to release a voters’ information guide relating to that referendum by the end of the week.
“I think that we need to study this, I think we need to make sure of what we’re doing, and I think that this should be addressed in the November meeting,” York said. “It seems to me that that it would be prudent on behalf of the city to wait until November the 11th to make a formal opinion on this.”