Greene County Commission — September 21, 2026

The three that mattered

1. A letter of intent for the Snapps Ferry industrial site, under an NDA. By a 19–1 vote, the commission authorized County Mayor Kevin Morrison to sign a non-binding letter of intent with an unnamed company for the Snapps Ferry Road industrial site. Jeff Taylor, who is handling the economic development side, was traveling, so a written statement from him was read aloud. It opened by declaring the project “not a data center.” The statement said the deal is in due diligence. The State of Tennessee, TVA, and county leaders are vetting the company while it looks over the county’s infrastructure and workforce. Both sides are working under a non-disclosure agreement, which the statement called standard practice in economic development. It stressed that the letter is not a final agreement, and that any final decision will come back to the commission. No commissioner spoke before the vote. Earlier, in public comment, a Camp Creek resident had asked the commission to adopt a policy of rejecting any proposal that requires an NDA. She said residents can’t weigh in on development they aren’t told about, and raised concerns about data centers.
2. Plowshare Road will be closed temporarily after a string of fatal wrecks. On its second reading, the resolution to turn Plowshare Road into two dead ends was pulled and sent back to the Highway Committee. Plowshare is a short cut-through between the 107 Cutoff and the Asheville Highway. A resident told the board her husband was injured in May when a car shot out of the road without stopping. The district’s commissioner, E.J. Swatzel, is also assistant chief of the South Greene Volunteer Fire Department. He said he has worked at least four fatalities tied to the intersection, including a crash that killed two people, and that everyone who has contacted him favors closing the road. Others weren’t sold on the plan. One commissioner changed his mind after learning a school bus uses the route. The road superintendent warned that a barrier in the middle would leave drivers no place to turn around, forcing them to back out onto either highway. Ideas floated included a turnaround on state right-of-way, a wide spot mid-road, and deeding the road to adjoining owners. After a long procedural detour, county attorney Roger Woolsey noted that the highway official can already close a road temporarily for hazardous conditions. Commissioners then withdrew the motion on the original resolution, which returns it to committee. Next they voted 20–0 to suspend the rules (14 votes were needed). They then passed a new Resolution I, 20–0, backing the highway superintendent in temporarily closing Plowshare Road while the committee restudies it. A permanent change would need two new readings.
3. A new commission, a resignation, and a bigger Planning Commission. This was the first meeting since the August election. The mayor welcomed the commissioners who took office in September, including returning members Josh Kesterson and Bud Tucker. He then read a September 18 letter from Wesley Holt, the former sheriff, resigning the 5th District seat he had just won. Holt wrote that he hadn’t known the seat falls under the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System. TCRS told him he had to separate from county employment to protect his retirement benefits, and he said he couldn’t serve four years on commissioner pay alone. The seat will be filled under state law; until then the commission sat 20 present, one seat vacant. Commissioner Brad Peters was elected chairman pro tem, and Mayor Morrison was elected chairman of the legislative body. Committee and board appointments passed 20–0. Morrison said most committees have about seven commissioners. He also used his authority to expand the Planning Commission from 9 to 13 members, because he said much of the county’s growth has fallen on that board and it needs “more eyes, more minds.”

Also approved

• The county’s half of the public library’s new roof (Resolution F, 20–0). The City Council approved the $137,848 bid and the city’s $68,924 half at its September 15 meeting, on the condition that the county pay the rest. The amount wasn’t read aloud tonight.
• Recognizing the Greeneville Emergency and Rescue Squad as an emergency service organization (Resolution B, 20–0). A squad representative explained that a new state Rescue Squad Recognition Act, effective July 1, 2026, requires local government recognition plus a state fire marshal certificate for the squad to keep getting the state rescue squad grant in 2027 and later. The act requires at least 4 of 11 rescue disciplines. She said the squad covers 10, and is working on the eleventh, a dog team. Commissioner Lawing took over as sponsor from Holt.
• $12,350 in Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant revenue and spending for the year ending June 30, 2027 (Resolution D, 20–0).
• Sheriff’s Department property declared surplus (Resolution E, 20–0) and county officials’ bonds (Resolution H, 20–0).
• August minutes (19–0, one abstention), the monthly reports (Veterans Service Office, emergency chaplains, Board of Education financials, Solid Waste, and committees), and a slate of notaries (both 20–0).

Worth noting

• Public comment. A South Greene resident and former firefighter and battalion chief said the county has let out-of-state capital and fast development drive up property values and taxes, push farm families off their land, and overload roads. She blamed that growth for a rise in roadway injuries and deaths, and demanded the commission “halt” it. The Camp Creek resident’s NDA request is covered above. She also commended the board for the guardrails it adopted in 2024 on land uses such as solar farms.
• Proclamations. Presented this month:
  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Month (September), a joint proclamation with the Town of Greeneville, accepted by Greene County Thrives.
  • National 4-H Week (October 4–10). The Greene County 4-H president, a Greeneville High senior, said 4-H reaches more than 1,000 local students and that members did over $26,000 in community service last school year.
  • Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month (October), accepted by Greene County Health Department director Beth Denny.
  • Agent Orange Awareness Month, accepted by Veterans Service Officer Brad Mattern.
• Free flu shots on October 20. Denny said every local health department in Tennessee will offer free flu vaccines on Tuesday, October 20, with no appointment needed, for anyone six months and older. She added that the health department can help uninsured and underinsured women get breast cancer screenings.
• A national-level shooter. The commission recognized Braden Broyles, a homeschool senior. He was one of four shooters picked for Team Tennessee’s shotgun squad at the 4-H National Shooting Sports Championships in Grand Island, Nebraska. There he placed fourth in the nation in trap and 15th across all three shotgun disciplines. He is the third Greene Countian in four years to reach nationals.
• Gifts for Kids gave the commission a certificate of appreciation for its support as the charity heads into another Christmas season.

The Greene County Commission is the county’s 21-member legislative body, chaired by County Mayor Kevin Morrison. This plain-English recap is AI-assisted and unofficial. See the downloadable transcript and Greene County’s official minutes for the record. Speaker labels in the transcript are best-effort, and many commissioners could not be told apart by voice. Names, including commissioners’ names, are transcribed from audio and may be misspelled. For more local coverage, see the Government Meetings hub, the September 15 City Council meeting, the events calendar, Camp Creek, and the Greene County hub.