January 16, 2023

Eviction Prevention Initiative, New Wastewater Department, and More

GENERAL HIGHLIGHTS

• The city has released a report on the Eviction Prevention Initiative (EPI), a partnership with several non-profit organizations. From Oct 1, 2022 to Sept 30, 2022 the EPI prevented 237 evictions and secured $111k in federal rent relief. You can read the full report here.
• The Department of Public Works is hosting a Hiring Fair seeking truck drivers, crew workers, and building maintenance mechanics on January 25 from 8:30am to 2:30pm at 900 E 11th Street.
• The city council will be hosting the strategic planning meeting on January 17 at 1pm. Discussion will include the Airport Inn, STVR regulations, City Election Cycles, and more. You can read the full agenda here.

JANUARY 10 CITY COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

The agenda session recording can be found here.

The business meeting recording can be found here.

The meeting minutes can be found here.

At last week’s agenda session, the city council:

• discussed the proposed establishment of the Wastewater Division of Public Works into its own Wastewater Department to provide more flexibility in managing the cities wastewater resources.
• discussed changes to the city brush and leaf collection schedule. The city will now be collecting leaves on a street by street basis rather than by request as has been done in previous years.

At last week’s business session, the city council:

• voted to override Mayor Kelly’s veto of the increase in towing fees (final reading).
• voted to rezone 1109 Fairview Ave to U-RM-3 (final reading).
• votes on several rezoning cases (first reading - see agenda for full details) including:
  • a request to rezone 3917 Lightfoot Mill Road to R-2 (approved).
  • a request to rezone 420, 421, and 422 E 16th Street to U-RM-3 and U-CX-3 (deferred to January 24)
• voted to confirm the appointment of Michael Strok, Craig Walker, Christina Gibson, Kristina Shaneyfelt, Kristi Krause, Rocky Chambers, and Doug Fisher to the Tree Commission.
• voted to authorize a donation agreement with AstroTurf Corporation to convert Jim Frost stadium to synthetic turf. The city will contribute ~$82k towards the project, AstroTurf will be donating material and labor with a value of ~$465k.
• voted to authorize an agreement with RCLCo to prepare a Real Estate Needs Market Study for up to $84k.
• voted to allow the Chattanooga Police Department to apply for, and if awarded, accept a Violent Crimes Intervention Fund grant.
• voted to create the Wastewater Department as a new department for the city, reporting to the Chief Operating Officer.
• voted to confirm the appointment of Mark D. Heinzer as the Interim Administrator for the Wastewater Department.
• approved 9 routine purchases, including a $1.1M purchase of synthetic turf for ball fields at Warner Park.
• voted on the release of 2 Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
  • An RFP for a lease for the Barn at the Brown Acres Golf Course (approved).
  • An RFP for an Airport Inn Developer and Supportive Services provider (deferred to January 17).
• Nine citizens addressed the council on various topics. Several Public Works employees expressed concerns about poor treatment. The council discussed this issue at length with Ryan Ewalt, the interim Public Works Director. You can view the full comments here.

JANUARY 17 CITY COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

The proposed meeting agenda can be found here.

The proposed city council agenda for this week includes:

• votes on several rezoning cases (see agenda for full details) including:
  • a request to rezone 3917 Lightfoot Mill Road to R-2. RPA staff recommended to deny the request, the Planning Commission recommended to approve the request (final reading).
  • a request to rezone 7725 Shallowford Road from R-1 to R-3 to construct five 20 unit apartment buildings (first reading).
• votes on 2 lease agreements (see agenda for full details).
• a vote to increase previously approved child service programs from 126 children to 134 children for an additional amount of ~$75k.
• votes to confirm the appointment of Lea Anne Wiles, Allie Beukema, Kimberly Braddock, and Lisa Daughtery to the Community Advisory Committee, Region 3.
• votes to confirm the appointment of Peggy Douglas, Helen Pinkerton, Misty Bolt, and Jeremy Bradford to the Community Advisory Committee, Region 8.

JANUARY 24 CITY COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

The proposed meeting agenda can be found here.

The proposed city council agenda for next week includes:

• a vote on a request to rezone 420, 421, and 422 E 16th Street to U-CX-3 and U-RM-3 to create a new apartment complex and several small commercial units (first reading).
• a vote on amendment to the lease of the Tivoli Theatre and Memorial Auditorium.
• three votes to approve grants of up to $40k each to Habitat for Humanity for the construction of affordable homes.
• a vote to waive $6k in park fees to support Riverfront Nights.
• a vote to update the Department of Parks & Outdoors “Parks Animation and Community Enhancement” (PACE) Program.