GATLINBURG, Tenn.—The City of Gatlinburg is proud to announce it has been awarded the Excellence in Municipal Governance Award by the Tennessee Municipal League (TML) in recognition of the City’s innovative, sustainable approach to addressing human-wildlife interaction and improving municipal services. The award was presented on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, during the 85th Annual TML Conference held at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
While Gatlinburg serves a permanent population of approximately 3,700 residents, the City welcomes millions of visitors annually to experience the beauty of the area, along with the many attractions and unique offerings that the City provides. This unique balance of serving both residents and millions of visitors requires creative and forward-thinking governance — a challenge the City has embraced with energy, collaboration, and innovation.
The City was recognized by TML for its comprehensive, city-wide program to minimize human-bear conflicts and improve public safety, environmental stewardship, and tourism sustainability through its Animal-Resistant Dumpster Program. In 2024, Gatlinburg invested over $3 million to replace more than 460 previously private dumpsters with bear-resistant containers, centralizing waste control and reducing bears’ access to human food sources — one of the leading causes of human-bear conflict.
When presenting the award, TML officials said, “For meeting unique government challenges head-on with innovative solutions, TML is proud to present the City of Gatlinburg with its award of Excellence in Municipal Governance.”
This award highlights Gatlinburg’s ongoing commitment to safeguarding both its residents and visitors, while actively working to reduce human-bear encounters and protect the region’s wildlife.
“The work we’ve done here in Gatlinburg not only supports our residents and visitors — it strengthens our stewardship of the mountains, bears, and the culture that defines Gatlinburg,” said Gatlinburg City Manager Greg Patterson.
Patterson also praised the City Commission for their strong leadership and forward-thinking investment in the development of this program.
“This award was made possible thanks to the support of each City Commissioner, who recognized the value of funding the Animal-Resistant Dumpster Program, and by former City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle, who helped shape the program’s early development,” Patterson said.
The City’s Sanitation Department was also instrumental in the implementation of the program, including the registration and application process and the distribution of each dumpster.
“This award would not be possible if not for the work of our Public Works Department and Sanitation Department for their efforts to identify solutions for securing garbage and eliminating trash as a food source for bears,” Patterson said.
Key components of the City’s animal-resistant dumpster program and educational outreach on how to co-exist with wildlife included:
· Installation of Bear-Resistant Dumpsters: All City-serviced waste containers were replaced with secure, bear-resistant models. Only City-owned units receive municipal sanitation services, ensuring full compliance and maintenance.
· Creation of New Sanitation Roles: The City created a new position in the Sanitation Department dedicated to ongoing maintenance of the dumpsters, with construction underway for a dedicated maintenance garage.
· Public Education & Ordinances: The Gatlinburg Police and Fire Departments were instrumental in engaging the community to inform them of Ordinances and regulations and how to inform them on best practices to co-exist alongside the wildlife that frequents Gatlinburg. The City has expanded its areas in Gatlinburg where animal-resistant containers are required, encouraged the use of non-organic materials in seasonal displays, and taken many steps to inform the public about wildlife safety.
· Interagency Partnerships: Gatlinburg remains a long-standing partner of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and the Smokies BearWise Task Force. A TWRA Bear Officer, co-funded by the City, supports local law enforcement and leads bear-response training efforts.
“Through strategic investment, collaboration with other agencies, regulation, and public education, Gatlinburg’s program not only balanced public safety, environmental stewardship, and tourism sustainability, but has also been recognized as a model program for other municipalities that deal with similar issues. TWRA and BearWise have both used Gatlinburg’s strategy as a model of how communities can collaboratively and proactively protect the public and wildlife,” TML officials said when presenting the award.
Since the implementation of the Animal-Resistant Dumpster Program, the City has seen a reduction in scattered trash and property damage from wildlife, as well as operational savings from reduced overtime and infrastructure wear.
The success of Gatlinburg’s approach has also served as a model for other municipalities. Both TWRA and BearWise have cited the City’s program as an example of how communities can effectively and sustainably address human-wildlife coexistence challenges.
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