Regular meeting of the Chattanooga City Council, chaired by Councilwoman Hill, held on May 13, 2025 (5:09–2:23:14).
Included the Pledge of Allegiance, prayer, approval of minutes, agenda review, Parks and Public Works Committee meeting, ordinances, resolutions, purchases, committee reports, and public comments.
Focused on zoning changes, budget education sessions, public works initiatives, and community concerns.
Key Events:
Pledge of Allegiance and Prayer (5:09–6:23):
Pledge led by Vice Chairwoman Null (5:16–5:37).
Prayer by an unnamed speaker, seeking wisdom, integrity, and compassion for council decisions (5:48–6:23).
Minutes Approval (6:29–6:36):
Approved without objection.
Agenda Review (6:36–11:02):
Final Reading Ordinances: None scheduled (6:43–6:48).
First Reading Ordinances: Planning items discussed, with presentations and opposition as needed (6:48–7:01).
Resolutions:
Council Office: Three resolutions (appointments/reappointments) to be taken as a package (7:06–7:17).
Economic Development: Four resolutions (items D–G) to be taken as a package (7:17–7:31).
Human Resources: Changes to the Employee Information Guide (EIG) (7:31–7:40).
Mayor’s Office: Multiple appointments/reappointments to be taken as a package (7:40–7:54).
Arts and Outdoors: One resolution (7:54–8:02).
Public Works: Two resolutions to be taken as a package (8:02–8:08).
Purchases: Four purchases, including one sole source, no renewals or emergency purchases (8:08–8:34).
Two-Week Agenda (May 20, 2025): No meeting on May 27 due to Memorial Day; includes final reading items, public hearing for FY26 budget, resolutions for economic development, mayor’s office, public works, police (retiring service dogs), and a donation of a 1999 Ford E350 van (8:52–10:02).
Future Considerations: Youth athletic association relationships, budget items, ARPA fund allocations, renewals (10:13–10:56).
Note: Budget education session held earlier (9:00 a.m.), led by Councilwoman Dotley (8:40–8:46).
Parks and Public Works Committee (11:07–42:08):
Chaired by Councilman Davis, minutes from April 15 approved (11:25–11:44).
Proclamation (11:44–14:33):
Presented by Jeremy Woods for National Public Works Week (May 19–23, 2025), themed “People, Purpose, Presence.”
Recognized public works professionals’ contributions to safety, vibrancy, and quality of life.
Signed by Mayor Tim Kelly.
Stormwater System Performance Report (14:48–41:24):
Presented by Maria Price (Public Works, Stormwater Division) and Mark Heiser (Wastewater Department).
May 2–3 Rain Event:
Intense rainfall (2.65 inches in two hours, a 10-year, 2-hour event) impacted Hixson (Forest Plaza, Strawberry Lane, Highway 153 at Hamill) and East Brainerd (15:32–16:03).
Highway 153 (state route) flooded, requiring TDOT and city pump assistance; cause unclear, camera inspection planned (16:22–17:42).
Forest Plaza: Stream not mapped during development, causing flooding in a 500-year floodway; blockages to be removed (17:48–19:02).
Strawberry Lane: Stream-related street flooding, not yet on flood maps; blockages to be addressed (19:02–19:32).
City Mitigation:
Programs: Rain barrel distribution (June 7), RainSmart rebates, green infrastructure (20:14–21:41).
Capital separation projects to separate stormwater and sewer (21:48–22:26).
Partnership with US Army Corps of Engineers for flood risk mapping (22:26–23:03).
Stormwater Asset Management Plan for condition assessment and proactive maintenance (23:09–24:03).
Ham Road Equalization Station (30M gallons) and wastewater treatment facility (75M gallons) prevented over 800M gallons of sewer overflows since 2022 (27:39–29:01).
Council Discussion (29:15–41:24):
Hill: Noted impacts in Districts 2 and 3, praised Ham Road station, raised concerns about Bagwell City sewer overflows (29:32–31:03).
Price: Explained unmapped streams (e.g., Forest Plaza) due to historical oversight; current maps show flood risk (31:03–33:56).
Price: Detailed litter master plan (litter boom on Chattanooga Creek, vacuum trucks, hotspot targeting) to reduce river debris, not grates (34:51–38:18).
Hill: Asked about ditch maintenance responsibility; Price confirmed city handles public easements/right-of-way, private property owners maintain others (38:18–41:02).
Elliot: Thanked public works and first responders for rain event response (41:30–41:55).
Packaged: Overgrowth (Chapter 21, Section 21-136) and minimum service charges (Chapter 31, Section 31-37) (1:35:39–1:36:19).
Final Reading (Zoning):
920 Forest Avenue (RN3 to TRN3): Denied due to community concerns about setbacks, spot zoning, and lack of development plan; history of criminal activity noted (1:36:19–1:47:20).
3945 Cromwell Road: Lifted conditions from 1995 case, approved (1:47:20–1:48:13).
3210 Broad Street/3280 William Street (CMU1 to CMU2): Approved (1:48:13–1:49:05).
1823 Reggie White Boulevard (UIX4 to UCX6): Approved (1:49:05–1:49:51).
1500 East 14th Street (RN15 to TRN3): Approved with conditions (20-ft rear setback, 10-ft side setback, 28-ft height limit, no detached units) (1:49:51–1:52:25).
Zoning ordinance amendments: Clarified short-term vacation rental limits (25% of multi-unit developments), institutional zone standards, IH zone uses, tree setbacks (1:52:25–1:53:42).
Resolutions Approved (1:53:42–2:04:30):
Council Office (Packaged) (1:54:45–1:55:40):
Appointed Tom Hurst (Health, Educational, Housing Facility Board, District 1).
Reappointed Ray Atkins (Board of Zoning Appeals, District 1).
Appointed Cole Webster (Sports Authority).
Economic Development (Packaged) (1:56:05–1:58:22):
Greenway Farm community garden lease (3 years, $1 rent).
Confirmed surplus of three Davenport Street parcels.
Executed quitclaim deeds for 15 tax sale parcels.
Accepted $43,735.97 from surplus property sale, with proceeds to Land Bank.
Reappointed Tom Hirs, Lee Wilds, Micah Varnell, Benjamin Moore.
Appointed Allison Johnson, Samuel Malo, Paul McInness.
Parks and Outdoors: Waived park fees ($18,000) for Riverfront Nights at Ross’s Landing and Chattanooga Green (2:01:52–2:02:47).
Public Works (Packaged) (2:02:47–2:04:30):
Change order for Walnut Street Bridge repairs ($632,508 increase).
Awarded Avondale Head Start roof replacement contract ($511,226).
Purchases (2:04:30–2:06:05):
Approved:
Technology Services: $3,000 increase for FY25 invoices ($1,163,000 annual spend).
Fleet: Four Volkswagen ID.4 electric vehicles ($186,118.92).
Public Works: Vulcan Materials renewal (7% increase, $980,000 annually).
Public Works: Fence installation/repairs blanket agreement ($2M annually, King’s Development/River City Fence).
Sole Source: Public Works pavement marking ($29,152.45).
Committee Reports (2:06:29–2:07:34):
Henderson: No report.
Davis: Parks and Public Works met, received proclamation and stormwater report (2:06:36–2:06:49).
Harvey, Clark, Elliot, Burrs, Null: No reports.
Dotley: Budget education session held, next session and public hearing on May 20 (2:07:01–2:07:20).
Public Comments (2:07:34–2:23:02):
Monty Bell (WBL News): Alleged constitutional violations by former chief of staff, demanded $211B, cited legal claims (2:08:46–2:11:46).
Joshua David Capellish: Praised police during National Police Week, urged pay raises to improve retention, cited Romans 13:3 (2:12:02–2:14:58).
Daniel Dufour (1610 West 51st St): Criticized budget for eliminating open data program, urged restoration for transparency (2:15:12–2:17:15).
Aaron Welch (1001 North Natchez Rd, former IT Security Director): Raised concerns about wastewater plant data security, criticized public disclosure of VT SCA system, claimed job loss after speaking out (2:17:15–2:20:24).
