Blount County advances $8 million Alcoa South Plant purchase and pushes TDOT right-of-way request to full commission amid public pushback

At a Blount County commission workshop on July 9, commissioners voted to move two hotly contested items — a proposed county contribution to buy the Alcoa South Plant and a TDOT right-of-way agreement for the Pellissippi Parkway extension — to the full commission for final consideration.

The commission forwarded resolution 267001, the intergovernmental agreement to buy the Alcoa South Plant, on a recorded vote of 12 yes, 3 no and 1 abstention. County staff and the Industrial Development Board told commissioners the total sale price is $20,000,000 and the county’s share would be $8,000,000 under the proposed cost split (40% county, 30% City of Maryville, 30% City of Alcoa). Brian Daniels, who addressed the board as the IDB/industrial development representative, said the intergovernmental agreement sets the oversight structure and that mayors and appointed IDB members would have roles in approving projects at the site.

The decision to advance the Alcoa South Plant resolution followed a lengthy exchange in which several commissioners raised procedural concerns. Multiple commissioners and members of the public said the item had not received a second in the budget committee and questioned how it was added to the workshop agenda without the usual committee sponsorship. Commissioner Michaels and others called the insertion “improper” and urged referral back to the budget committee; that motion failed, and the body instead voted to forward the main resolution.

Public commenters opposed asking county taxpayers to shoulder development risks at the site. ‘‘We’re looking at setting aside millions of dollars of our local money for a project the state wants to put through, and the people of Blount County overwhelmingly do not want to put it through,’’ said Brian Thompson, who identified himself as a District 3 resident. Other commenters warned the county would lose recourse if the project did not proceed; Ingrid Hahn urged caution after reading the agreement, saying the contract language appears to limit the county’s ability to recover funds if construction does not occur.

Commissioners debated tradeoffs. Supporters said buying the site would give local governments more control over future uses and could protect the county from unwanted uses such as call centers or data centers; opponents said the county lacked sufficient oversight mechanisms and worried about contamination and lost funding for road and safety projects.

Separately, the commission advanced resolution 267002, a budget increase and agreement with the Tennessee Department of Transportation for right-of-way acquisition on the Pellissippi Parkway extension, on a roll call vote of 11 yes and 5 no. Public speakers and several commissioners urged the body not to commit local funds without clearer timelines and protections; commenters cited a range of figures for project cost and local asks and noted TDOT’s own planning process that places full construction years out.

Several residents said local priorities such as Morganton Road and other safety projects were canceled while funding was shifted toward the Parkway extension. ‘‘Using our tax dollars to acquire right of way property for the Pellissippi Parkway extension is completely unacceptable,’’ said Angela Montoya, who identified herself as living in District 9. Another commenter warned that the contract contains clauses that could leave the county unable to retrieve contributed money if the project stalls.

Other budget items were forwarded to the full commission with committee recommendations, including: a resolution to appropriate state DGA grant funds for the health department (resolution 267007), a library repair appropriation (resolution 267006), opioid funds of $465,375 to support a residential treatment facility (resolution 267004), and a $1,575,000 school security officer grant application (BCSO FY27 SRO grant). Several of these budget items passed with unanimous or near-unanimous votes during the workshop.

The workshop included a robust public comment period on items not on the agenda. Residents raised local infrastructure concerns, including repeated pleas to repair the Big Elm Road bridge and requests for resurfacing in subdivisions. The commission recorded several announcements about upcoming committee meetings and recessed for 10 minutes before returning to continue business.

What happens next: the two principal resolutions advanced at the workshop — 267001 (Alcoa South Plant purchase agreement; county share $8,000,000) and 267002 (TDOT right-of-way for Pellissippi Parkway) — will be considered by the full Blount County commission at a subsequent meeting for final action.

Votes at a glance: resolution 267001 (Alcoa South Plant) — forwarded to full commission (12 yes, 3 no, 1 abstention). Resolution 267002 (TDOT Pellissippi Parkway right-of-way) — forwarded to full commission (11 yes, 5 no). Several budget and grant items were also forwarded, typically with unanimous committee recommendations.