On the final vote, the city’s property tax rate in Red Bank for 2025-2026 has been set at $.98 for every $100 in assessed value. After the reappraisals were done this year, Hamilton County calculated and provided a certified tax rate of $.8968 per $100 of assessed value to Red Bank that would have kept collected property taxes the same as they were prior to reappraisals that raised home values significantly. The city determined that it needed more revenue to provide additional services and employees and to cover increased costs. So the certified rate was increased by 9 cent.
With that increase, Red Bank will collect $5,722,500 in property taxes in fiscal year 2026. This new tax rate was approved with a final vote of four in favor and Commissioner Jamie Fairbanks Harvey opposed. The property taxes paid to Hamilton County will add another $1.5157 per every $100 of assessed value, bringing the total combined city and county property tax rate to $2.4957.
A conversion process has re-started for land to replace the 14 acres of recreational property that was lost when the former Morrison Springs Park was developed. The agreement when 14 acres were conveyed to the Hamilton County Department of Education to construct the new Red Bank Middle School is that property had to be replaced with property of equal appraised value. A conversion request that would have exchanged property was previously approved by Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), but that was rescinded in 2020. Since then the city has been searching for a location that has an equal value and fits the other requirements.
Around five years ago, the city tried to find suitable property to convert to public use but that never happened which leaves the city out of compliance and ineligible to apply for certain grants.
Parks and Recreation Director Jeffrey Grabe was credited with getting the conversion process started again. The former Red Bank Middle School property at 3715 Dayton Boulevard and 4839 Dayton Boulevard, adjacent to Fire Station #2, being referred to as “the Hixson property,” both meet the criteria for the swap and could become a new park or public gathering space.
On Tuesday, the council approved paying a $10,000 application fee to Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) as a first step in the conversion process and to show the city is committed to the plan. As the application moves forward there will be additional expenses. Appraisals will have to be done on the two prospective locations; site plans will need to be developed and environmental reviews made. All these are unbudgeted expenses.
Mr. Grabe said that to be eligible to receive federal grants, the city must be in compliance with the conditions of the original conversion agreement. The real goal, he said, is to get federal grants that could be used to develop the old middle school property. The conversion project will concentrate on the Hixson property because it will be easier to build out, said Mr. Grabe. Then the city will be able to go after grants for developing the Middle School property into a public space, which is the use that the council members favor for that property in the middle of the city.
Two properties in Red Bank were rezoned on Tuesday night. At the first reading and public hearing, 171 Oak St. was changed from R1 Single family residential to R-T/Z Residential Townhouse / Zero Lot Line. And 223 Clift View was rezoned from R-2 Residential to R-3 Residential. The developer of that lot will put a 10- foot landscaped buffer around the perimeter to separate it from the adjacent R-1 zone. Building permits will not be issued until the exits are determined to have a clear line of site.
Red Bank has recently introduced a consent agenda to the commission meetings. Items on the consent agenda are grouped together and voted on all together, without discussion in most cases.
At the commission meeting Tuesday, several large projects were on the consent agenda including entering into an agreement with Volkert for a culvert survey related to storm water drainage and to conduct a geotechnical survey on Pine Breeze Road in an amount not to exceed $26,435.
An agreement was voted on to purchase a dump truck that has a salt/sand spreader and snowplow attachment for the cost of $199,966 to be used by the public works department. There was also an emergency purchase for a rooftop heat pump unit for the police department for the cost of $11,680.
A license agreement for traffic analytics software and services was approved for the amount of $14,825 for two years. This expense was unplanned and will require a budget amendment.
A resolution also authorized the acceptance of the Tennessee Department of Health 2025-2028 project diabetes grant for $300,000 with no match required.