McFee Park use questioned, public input encouraged as Town FY ’24 budget passes
Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously voted to approve its Fiscal-Year 2024 budget on final reading despite objections from resident Mike Mitchell, who questioned the Board’s proposed purchase of property designated as “park,” during the Board’s meeting Thursday, June 8.
“I am not objecting to the Town purchasing the property if the Town has significant public outreach with the residents of Farragut,” Mitchell explained in a subsequent interview. “Unfortunately, the Town has not done that.
“Farragut Citizens for Responsible Growth and Development has asked the Town for over three years to meet with the residents for significant public outreach and, so far, we have had only a little success,” he added.
The budget, approved on first reading last month, shows “the proposed year-end FY 2023 General Fund revenues are estimated at $15,487,340, with expenditures of $9,425,145,” Town administrator David Smoak said.
The purchase of the “park land” along McFee Road, as it was described in budget documents, comes to $5.6 million. It is one of the Capital Improvement Plan project expenditures included in the FY 2024 budget.
Mitchell referred to an April 13 Board workshop, when the Board discussed the property purchase.
At that workshop, the Board took no formal action on the purchase but did give Smoak feedback that it was in favor of the purchase — but divided on the use of the land.
“I’m here concerning Senate Bill 27 and House Bill 23 in the Tennessee legislature, and it was signed by Gov. Bill Lee on April 25, on changes in the Open Meetings Act,” Mitchell said during the meeting. “The bill basically says that any agenda item that is voted on has to be understood by the people. It has to be clear.
“But when this was captioned on the first reading, it was referred to as park,” he added. “A sports complex is not a park.”
Mitchell argued the property purchase “was incorrectly captioned … there is, indeed, a plan for ballfields… in my opinion, it’s a … violation of the state law.”
“We abide by this law already in the way we caption things and put things in our public notices,” Smoak said. “In the budget process, you approve allocations of dollars for various things.
“I feel confident we have done everything we need to do to make sure you’re OK in approving the budget,” he added.
In passing the budget, “we are passing a plan on how to spend money,” Alderman Scott Meyer said. “We actually fund the different activities in the budget, throughout the year, by having votes.
“We can put parkland purchase here,” he added. “That doesn’t mean we’re tied to it because this is just the budget.”
“I don’t know about the law that is specific on something, but I do not think we’re in violation of any sort,” Mayor Ron Williams said.
Even though Alderman David White initially suggested postponing the vote until Town attorney Tom Hale was in attendance, saying he had “concerns” about the legality of purchasing the property as a park,” he reluctantly voted in favor of passing the budget as it was presented.
Mitchell also contended the Town does not need another ballfield since there is a sports complex being built at Prosperity Crossing, located at the end of Watt Road.
“I don’t understand the need,” he added. “It seems we should be supporting this sports complex private enterprise has built.”
Alderman Drew Burnette disagreed, saying “from a resident-to-park ratio, based on national averages, we are short park space. I think (the purchase) is a very wise choice.”
Vice Mayor Louise Povlin said Prosperity Crossing has changed its concept plan.
“He has changed it to include apartments at the top… a bunch of offices, retail, grocery store, wholesale club, hotel/convention facility, a bunch of other retail and an outdoor outfitters sports center … and one building for a sports complex,” she listed. “He’s no longer planning to do a sports park.”
