Think again. From WATE:

Plans to add a new hospital in Roane County hinge on the votes of just five people.

That's because the proposed site where Covenant Health wants to build is located outside Harriman's city limits. The city needs to annex some county property in order for the deal to work.

WATE is not clear on why the properties need to be annexed for the "deal to work," but a hospital is a great asset for any community.

I guess the question is why it has to be inside city limits (we're guessing it has to do with infrastructure and/or tax incentives). Maybe WhitesCreek Steve can help us out here?

At any rate, here's a case where two or three votes matter. So the moral of the story is, vote!

KNS reports that the Knox County Commission's Intergovernmental Committee voted this morning to request a state investigation of a controversial referendum that resulted in the annexation of a new commercial development in South Knoxville. Related background here and here.