Kingsport unveils its legislative agenda for 2024
The City of Kingsport has unveiled its legislative agenda for the 113th Tennessee General Assembly, with the top priorities being the Kingsport Dental Clinic, the Brickyard Development, the Interstate 26 Corridor Study and the state industrial access road for Eastman.
Each year, Kingsport crafts a legislative agenda for the upcoming session of the Tennessee General Assembly. The agenda includes a list of projects, priorities and funding requests city officials want our state representatives and senators to be aware of. Kingsport presented the agenda to its legislators during a trip to Nashville in mid-January.
Kingsport’s priorities for the 113th Tennessee General Assembly include:
- $6.5 million in funding for the Kingsport Dental Clinic project. This funding would assist in the purchasing of the facility and complete the buildout for phase two of the project.
- A $500,000 Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grant for Cement Hill Park.
- A Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant for improvements to Bays Mountain Park, new mountain biking trails at Cement Hill and additional parking at the Scott Adams Skate Park.
- Implementing the recommendations from TDOT’s Interstate 26 Corridor Study, such as installing animal fencing along the interstate, creating an I-26 safety fund and advance large safety projects to a 10-year plan.
- Fully funding the Eastman Chemical Company’s state industrial access road project.
- Opposing efforts to restrict local government’s ability to raise property taxes.
- Supporting the Tennessee Comptroller’s efforts to move reassessments to a two-year schedule.
“The agenda is a way for Kingsport to maintain an open channel of communications with our legislators, which they want and appreciate,” said Deputy City Manager Ryan McReynolds. “It’s meant to bring them up to speed on a number of projects in the works and to let them know our funding priorities for the coming legislative session.”
