East Spring Street Sidewalks Split Into Two Phases To Stay In Budget
Improvements to the East Spring Street sidewalks will now be split into two phases. Cookeville Public Works Director Greg Brown said that the need to scope down work came from contract bids coming back some $800,000 higher than expected. “A lot of that had to do with the time frame,” Brown said. “And things have […]
Cookeville Will Explore Changes In Employee Insurance Citing Record Claims
Cookeville City Council will consider making changes to employees’ insurance premiums and deductibles. Finance Director Brenda Imel said the decision to make the change came from a growing need to keep up with record employee insurance claims. “That exceeded what we paid into the plan,” Imel said. “That reduced our reserves in the plan by […]
CRMC Fights High Nurse Turnover Rate With Contracted International Registered Nurses
Cookeville Regional is looking to combat the national nursing shortage through international nurses. Chief Nursing Officer Scott Lethi said that Worldwide Health Solutions will hopefully add stability to decrease a high turnover rate in the profession. “The COVID surge for those that have been in nursing 20 to 30 years that can retire, some are […]
Fireworks For The Fourth Of July: Rules On Fireworks In Cookeville City Limits
The Fourth of July is this weekend, and many in Cookeville’s community are gearing up to celebrate the holiday by setting off fireworks. However when it comes to individuals using fireworks, it’s important to keep in mind there are rules that come with it. Cookeville Codes Department Director Jeff Littrell said there is a specific […]
Cookeville City Council Votes To Accept TCRS And CRMC Retirement Repayment Plan
The city of Cookeville voted to accept the retirement repayment plan with Cookeville Regional Medical Center at their special-called meeting on Friday morning. City Manager James Mills said approving this resolution is a significant long-term impact for the city. “The potential to reduce the city’s annuals TCRS contribution by almost half will literally save us […]
Morristown Community Center Will Benefit Both Locals and Visitors
The City of Morristown’s work on a new 115,000-square-foot aquatic and community center could serve as a model as Cookeville begins exploration in future Leisure Services projects. Morristown Mayor Gary Chesney said that the idea for a center has been in public conversation within the community since the late 1990s. Chesney said they funded the […]
Cookeville Water Wants Aid in Sewage Water Levels after Storms
Cookeville Water Department wants the city council to approve a site suitability study for a wet weather storage facility. Director Ronnie Kelly said this is necessary to alleviate water levels after storms along the main line to the Wastewater Treatment Plant. “Water leaks into the sewage system and it fills up the pipe, and we’re […]
Cookeville Power Running after Friday’s Tornado
The city of Cookeville’s electricity is back fully after Friday’s storms. Director of Cookeville Electric Department Carl Haney said while there were minimal issues, a majority of the damage came from large fallen trees. “A lot of it touched down around South Willow Avenue, there were some trees down there that we went out and […]
Spreadsheet Error Latest Issue In CRMC-City Council Budget
A spreadsheet error found in the Cookeville Regional budget has become the latest issue in Cookeville City Council’s approval of that budget. Administrators found the $400,000 issue as they prepared the final budget documents for next week’s first reading by council. Chief Financial Officer Tommye Rena Wells said she found the error in the marketing […]
Cookeville to Consider Rounding Up Certified Tax Rate
Cookeville City Council will consider rounding the certified tax rate to the nearest whole cent. City Manager James Mills said the rounding process is not unusual and has been a regular occurrence since at least 2006. “Depending on where that is, it’s going to be a very minimal impact,” Mills said. “The best way to […]
