LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — The Metropolitan Council meets Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the American Legion, with a public hearing set for 6:20 p.m., to consider borrowing nearly $1 million for jail renovations and to take up four rezoning requests moving through the county’s pipeline.

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JAIL RENOVATION FINANCING

The Council is expected to adopt a resolution authorizing a General Obligation Capital Outlay Note of up to $983,498 to fund renovation and improvement of the county jail, along with related property acquisition and engineering costs. The note would be a direct obligation of the county, backed by the county’s full faith and credit — meaning property taxes could be levied to cover payment if other funds fall short — and would mature over 12 years, with total debt service of roughly $1.26 million by 2038.

In February of this year, details of the proposed renovation were discussed following prior informal review with the Tennessee Corrections Institute (TCI) and the State Fire Marshal’s Office. Officials indicated the plans are intended to bring aging portions of the facility into compliance with modern standards and address long-standing structural concerns.

During that meeting Sheriff Tyler Hatfield explained that the renovation is not designed to significantly increase capacity. While the plan includes the potential addition of two female beds, official capacity would move from 29 to 31 — a modest change. Current inmate population levels typically range from 25 to 26, according to discussion at the meeting, and most of those inmates are local not be housed for the state or federal system.

Renovations tied to state compliance are often required for facilities to maintain certification with the Tennessee Corrections Institute. Without certification, counties can face operational restrictions, increased liability exposure and pressure to house inmates elsewhere — an option that can result in higher long-term costs. After the bid process which included bid notifications in The Moore County News and state bid websites, according to local officials, only one company, Lee Adcock Construction, submitted bids.

On the financing side, the county solicited quotes from four lenders before settling on FirstBank, which offered the lowest rate at 4.01 percent. West Tennessee Bank and Magnolia Bank each quoted 4.85 percent, and Citizens Tri-County Bank quoted 4.69 percent. The note still requires approval from the state Comptroller’s Division of Local Government Finance before it can be issued.

FOUR REZONINGS, INCLUDING A NEW TANYARD HILL ROAD SUBDIVISION PARCEL

Council will take up four agriculture-to-residential or commercial rezoning requests, three on first reading and one on second reading:

• A 2.50-acre parcel on Woosley Road owned by Kaycee and Steven Edwards, A-1 to R-2, first reading.
• A 2.35-acre parcel on State Highway 55/Lynchburg Highway owned by Rodney and Jennifer Ervin, A-1 to C-1, first reading — site plans show a self-storage facility, “Lynchburg Storage.”
• A 23.25-acre parcel on Tanyard Hill Road owned by Joseph Denby, A-1 to R-2, first reading.
• A 4.97-acre parcel on Pleasant Hill Road owned by Simmjo LLC (Joey Simmons), A-1 to R-2, second reading.

The Denby rezoning comes to Council after a special-called Planning Commission meeting Friday, held to make a formal recommendation on the parcel. Commission Chair Dexter Golden said the special meeting likely wasn’t strictly necessary but was called out of an abundance of caution and fairness to the applicant.

The applicant’s team has said the process took months longer than expected, partly over confusion about sequencing — whether rezoning approval or a completed subdivision plat should come first. Golden said the commission’s practice is to have rezoning decided before a developer commits to the cost of a full plat, survey and engineering work, so that a Council denial doesn’t leave an applicant having spent that money for nothing. The Planning Commission voted Friday to recommend the rezoning to Council.

ALSO ON THE AGENDA

• Three notary public appointments: Marta Jo McBee, Mary W. Beard and Kaitlyn Carter-Gearlds.
• A Highway Department item concerning Louis McGee Road. A neighboring property owner has separately petitioned the county to convert the road from public back to private, citing declining use since school bus service to the area ended.
• A cease-and-desist notice item, following Council’s earlier adoption of a formal zoning enforcement mechanism.

The Metro Council meeting every third Monday of the month at the American Legion Building located off Highway 129. All meetings are open to the public and there is a public comment period at the beginning of each meeting. •

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