Afternoon!
The increase in the Hotel/Motel Tax and 2 rezoning request seem to be the hot items on this months agenda.
The first is a request to amend a private act which enacts a hotel/motel tax for Blount County. Currently Blount County has a 4% tax on lodging, Maryville and Alcoa have amended this legislation to go 1% above the amount placed by Blount County.
The requested increase is to move to 5% on the County based tax which would mean that for Maryville and Alcoa it would go to a total of 6%.
The additional 1% would go toward the purchase of property located beside the current Townsend visitors center which the visitors bureau has had a 1st right of refusal on for approximately the last 2 years. After the property is paid for the tax would remain and be designated to go toward advertising or increasing tourism in the Townsend area.
This discussion should be interesting.
Next the rezoning on Sevierville road, the property in question is where the holding pond was constructed by the City of Maryville. Due to reasons beyond their control the city was not able to use the property for the reasons intended. The property was sold and now there is a request for the property to be rezoned so the zoning will allow the intended use.
Ridge Road rezoning request, this request involves the property which adjoins the current property of Blount Excavating, there have been several residents who have called and attended meetings related to this request and I am interested to see what the commissioners who represent this area have to say during the debate on Thursday night.
As always feel free to drop a note with your thought of these or any item appearing on the Blount County Commission Agenda.
mike@commissionerwalker.com