Newport Utilities Sparks Huge Turnout For City Council Meeting

There was a packed house for the Newport City Council meeting last night at Newport City Hall, and the reason was Newport Utilities. Back in January, the council approved the first reading of a change to the city’s charter to change the composition of the Newport Utility Board from 5 members to 7. The extra two members would come from the Newport City Mayor and a city alderman. That first reading of the charter change had to be amended to satisfy the state of Tennessee. Last night, what was read was not the second reading of the proposed change as was originally expected, but instead was the first reading of the amended original.

After discussion, a motion was made by Mike Hansel, seconded by Steve Smith to approve the amended first reading. The motion was approved by a 3-2 vote. Vice-Mayor Connie Ball and Alderwoman Louanna Ottinger were the two no votes. So where does this go from here? The amended charter change now has to go back to the state for approval. Once the state approves, the City Council will hold a public hearing where there will be a 2nd reading.  That 2nd reading will require a super majority vote to be approved. That means four yes votes will be needed for approval. The charter change will then have to be signed by Governor Bill Lee. This could take several months to all play out.

In the meantime, Alderwoman Louanna Ottinger made a suggestion that the Newport Utility Board Members and Management get together with the Newport City Council and City Management to hold a meeting/workshop to try to iron out the issues each has with the other, which has led to the current situation. No date for any meeting was set.