January 9, 2023

Free Pool Admission, Wrecker Fees, and More

Happy New Year everyone! I am excited to start a new year of civic engagement and education. I’m going to start this year by asking you to please share this newsletter or a favorite episode of the podcast with a friend. This is one of the most helpful things you can do to keep Chattanooga Civics running! Thank you!

GENERAL HIGHLIGHTS

• The city has restructured reservation fees for park rentals and daily usage fees. These changes include FREE ADMISSION to the Chris Ramsey Center Pool, the South Chattanooga Pool, the Carver Center Pool (summer only), the Chattanooga Fitness Center, and the Champions Club Tennis Complex.
• The Mayor’s Council for Women is hosting the Statewide Women’s Policy Conference February 2-3, 2023. You can find out more here.

DECEMBER 20 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 business session, the city council:

• voted to amend various permit and rental fees (final reading – see agenda for full details).
• voted to adopt to 2018 edition of the International Fire Code (final reading).
• voted to extend the Short Term Vacation Rental moratorium by 6 months (final reading).
• voted on a number of rezoning cases (see agenda for full details). These include:
  • a request to rezone 7777 East Brainerd Road from R-1 to C-2 and UGC to allow the construction of a retail center. RPA staff recommended the request be denied, planning commission recommended the request be approved. The rezoning was approved on final reading.
  • a request to rezone 1109 Fairview Avenue from U-IX-4 to U-RM-3 to allow the conversion of an existing commercial building into a single-family residence. This case was deferred from December 13. The rezoning was approved on first reading.
• voted to override Mayor Kelly’s veto of the increase in towing fees (first reading).
• voted to authorize a number of lease agreements (see agenda for full details).
• withdrew a request 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 the transfer of ~$14M to the Tennessee Department of Transportation as the city’s contribution towards the replacement of the Wilcox Boulevard Bridge.
• approved 3 routine purchases, including a $250k Community Violence Intervention Consultation Services contract.
• approved the release of 3 Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
  • An RFP for an Affordable Housing Consultant Team Coordinator to manage the examination of housing inventory and build an affordable housing framework for the city.
  • An RFP for Affordable Housing Systems Analysis to provide recommendations to increase investments in the preservation and development of affordable housing
  • An RFP for a Market Analsysis Report to provide data needed to direct investments to support the preservation and creation of affordable housing.
• approved 2 sole source purchases.
• Five citizens addressed the council on various topics including homelessness, a lawsuit against the city council, and more. You can view the full comments here.

JANUARY 10 CITY COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

The proposed meeting agenda can be found here.

The proposed city council agenda for this week includes:

• a vote to override Mayor Kelly’s veto of the increase in towing fees (final reading).
• a vote 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. RPA staff recommended to deny the request, the Planning Commission recommended to approve the request.
• votes to confirm the appointment of Michael Strok, Craig Walker, Christina Gibson, Kristina Shaneyfelt, Kristi Krause, Rocky Chambers, and Doug Fisher to the Tree Commission.
• a vote 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.
• a vote to authorize an agreement with RCLCo to prepare a Real Estate Needs Market Study for up to $84k.
• a vote to allow the Chattanooga Police Department to apply for, and if awarded, accept a Violent Crimes Intervention Fund grant.
• a vote to confirm the appointment of Mark D. Heinzer as the Interim Administrator for the Wastewater Department.
• a vote to create the Wastewater Department as a new department for the city, reporting to the Chief Operating Officer.

JANUARY 17 CITY COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

The proposed meeting agenda can be found here.

The proposed city council agenda for next week includes:

• votes on several rezoning cases (full reading - 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.
• 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.