Cookeville City Council Meeting October 15th, 2026

The Cookville City Council Meeting was held on Thursday, October 15th, with Mayor Gilbert presiding over the session that included a roll call and invocation by Vice Mayor Luke Eldridge. The council approved the agenda and minutes from the October 1st meeting, and then addressed several rezoning ordinances on second and final reading, including properties on Messenger Road and Dogwood Circle. The council also approved the purchase of right-of-way and easements necessary for constructing a northbound left-turn lane on South Willow Avenue at a total cost of $36,822. The meeting's public comment portion was dominated by discussion about the FLOCK camera contract, with multiple residents expressing concerns about privacy violations, data sharing with over 1,800 other agencies, and a recent federal court ruling that warrantless searches using FLOCK cameras violated the Fourth Amendment. Residents suggested alternatives including isolating data to only Cookville's use and requiring warrants for searches, while emphasizing the potential for abuse and privacy violations by out-of-state law enforcement agencies.