City of Newport, Tennessee

A STATEMENT FROM MAYOR DYKES:

I am saddened to ever have to write a letter like this. The devastating floods that hit our community one week ago today have left our city and our county mourning the loss of lives and livelihoods, in need of aid from others and in the middle of a massive clean-up and recovery period.

At the same time, I am inspired by the support we have been shown by not only our neighbors, but by brothers and sisters from hundreds of miles away sending aid and manpower to help us in a time of need.

I want to thank our city staff for working above and beyond the past 7 days to rescue people, keep them safe, clean up after the waters subsided and to try and bring some sort of normal back to our lives. There is still a long way to go but I have no doubt we will get there.

Most importantly, I want to address our downtown business community. I am heartbroken for you. The business growth and rehabilitation of buildings and infrastructure in our central business hub that has occurred in the last few years now faces a major obstacle. I want all of you to know the city’s commitment to helping you get back open and operational will not end with washing away the mud and hauling away your trash. I am currently coordinating with staff to see what all can be done to aid in your recovery and get you back open as soon as possible. You are all important to the vision of making downtown a vibrant, successful area and bringing it back to the bustling central business district it once was.

Finally, I do want to address why you have not seen or heard from me until now. Thursday of last week I had a major medical procedure I have been quietly dealing with for some time. The timing of that and our current situation were a set of circumstances out of the control of any person. I have been attempting to recover the past week and get to a point where I could even write this statement. Please know that if I physically had the strength, I would be out there with you trying to make sense of all of this and helping to guide our community to recovery.

I am so sorry that I am unable to physically be there for you right now. Know that as soon as I am able, I will be with you trying to figure out how to return to normal and then beyond that to better. In the meantime, do not hesitate to reach out to City of Newport staff and the Main Street Director to communicate your progress and needs.

We will recover. One step at a time, we will be back.

"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Newport City Hall and all administrative offices are being moved to the Newport Community Center.

At this time, we are not open to the public. We have a projected open date of Monday, October 6th. All city meetings and municipal court have been canceled for October and until further notice. Notices regarding new due dates for citations and other types of things that are normally handled through our office will be sent out as soon as possible. The State of Tennessee handles our billing for property taxes and those may be mailed out this week. Please keep in mind that taxes are payable from October through February. We have no way of stopping this process, but we want our citizens to know that our top concern is your safety and wellbeing as we all work to recover and move forward.

To our Downtown Newport Business Community:

As we begin recovery and clean up in our downtown business community, we want you to know that the City of Newport is here to help guide all of you through this process.

The Newport Main Street Program will be the hub through which all aid, information and resources will be distributed to our Downtown Businesses and property owners.

Many of you already have contact with Main Street Director Monica Hommel. You can continue to reach out to her directly and we will send information to anyone already in the Main Street database.

If you have not yet participated in a Main Street event, we may not have contact information for you.

If you would like to be part of our information sharing group, please message us through the Newport Tourism Facebook page or contact Monica directly at Mhommel@newporttn.org

CITY OF NEWPORT POLICE CIVIL SERVICE BOARD

IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR A POLICE OFFICER

Applicants must be: 21 years of age, provide copies of high school diploma or equivalent, a valid TN Driver’s License, a copy of discharge if military veteran. If P.O.S.T. Certified provide copy of certification and provide a copy of birth certificate. Incomplete application packets will be disqualified from consideration. POST certification is a plus. Application packets may be picked up at Newport Police Dept at 330 E. Main Street or by CLICKING HERE . Completed packets must be turned in at the Newport Police Department at 330 E. Main Street

City Planner/Community Development Director

The full-time planner will perform administrative and technical planning work using independent judgement and discretion. Duties include: administering municipal zoning, design guidelines, research, and analysis in processing land development applications from submittal to site occupancy; code enforcement; assisting city officials and committees; long-range planning; and coordinating with other local, county and state agencies. Considerable knowledge of planning theory, principles, and practices, such as zoning, land use, comprehensive planning, economic and community development, architectural design principles, and site planning necessary. Knowledge of grant writing and grant administration preferred. Bachelor’s degree preferred in urban or regional planning or related field. Previous experience in public management and planning preferred. Applications and resumes must be returned to City of Newport City Hall, 300 E Main St, Newport, TN 37821. Successful applicants required to pass background check, physical and drug screen.

Applications and a copy of job description available at Newport City Hall or by CLICKING HERE

The City of Newport Board of Mayor & Alderman

Bottom Row: Alderwoman Louanna Ottinger, Mayor Roland Dykes, III and Vice Mayor Connie Ball.

Top Row: City Administrator James Finchum, Alderman Mike Hansel, Alderman Steve Smith, Alderman Randy Ragan and City Attorney Terry Hurst .

The September 2024 City Council Meeting is now available for viewing. CLICK HERE to watch all of our videos.

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