0:00 – Call to Order. The chair called the Tuesday, September 22nd meeting of the Chattanooga City Council to order and recognized Councilman Henderson to lead the Pledge of Allegiance and invocation. The chair reminded attendees the meeting runs in two parts: an agenda session covering items for this week, next week, and further out, followed by a recess and then the formal voting session.
11:06 – Approval of Minutes. Motion to approve the minutes of the last meeting; approved and minutes stand as published.
Action: Passed on final reading, no opposition.
Action: Passed on final reading, no opposition.
Purpose: Rezone from RN2 (Residential Neighborhood) to CNT (Neighborhood Transition Commercial), subject to certain conditions. Action: Passed on final reading, no opposition.
Purpose: Rezone from INST (Institutional) to CNT (Neighborhood Transition Commercial). Action: Passed on final reading, no opposition.
Purpose: Lift condition numbers 3, 4, and 6 from Ordinance No. 13479 (prior case 2021-209) and amend condition number 5, for the parcel at 5313 Champion Road (Hamilton County Tax Map No. 120K003 only), subject to certain conditions. Action: Passed on final reading, no opposition.
Purpose: Amend the Chattanooga Zoning Ordinance (Article 9, Use Matrix Table, Section 38-41.1) to permit drive-throughs, standalone or as an accessory use, outside the urban overlay zone; amend Sections 38-42 and 38-43 stacking requirements; and prohibit drive-through ingress/egress from crossing the Riverwalk or a Greenway connector. Action: Passed on final reading, no opposition.
Purpose: Amend Chattanooga City Code Part 2, Chapter 24, Article 14, Section 24-502, Schedule 2, to reduce the speed limit from 50 mph to 45 mph on Bonnie Oaks Drive from Boris Drive to 400 feet west of Silverdale Road, at the request of the Tennessee Department of Transportation for safety and corridor consistency. Action: Passed on first reading, no opposition.
Purpose: Close and abandon the unopened right-of-way in the 900 block of Dodds Avenue, per attached maps. Action: Passed on first reading, no opposition.
Purpose: Resolution authorizing the Department of Technology Services to enter a 5-year contract with Axon Enterprise, Inc. for public safety hardware and software supporting the Chattanooga Police and Fire Departments, based on source contract number 101223-AXN, with an annual spend limit not to exceed $3,000,000.
Discussion: Councilmembers questioned whether the contract obligates the city to deploy roughly 36 automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras that are part of the Axon package, and whether the city retains discretion over deployment. Staff clarified the city would not take physical possession of, or be obligated to deploy, ALPR units simply by approving the contract; separate consent would be required to activate any units. In response to concerns, the council adopted an amendment to the resolution's caption adding: "Subject to final review of ALPR equipment installation and service by the city council before deployment of such technology shall occur."
Action: Amendment adopted; resolution adopted as amended, with one no vote noted.
Purpose: Resolution authorizing the Fire Department to accept an award (recorded in the caption as approximately $59,390, though the exact figure was not fully audible) from Hamilton County via the 2025 Homeland Security Grant Program to purchase biological detection equipment for the Hamilton County/Chattanooga Type 1 HazMat team. Action: Adopted, no opposition.
Purpose: Resolution adopting Plan Chattanooga as the city's comprehensive plan.
Discussion: At the request of a councilmember, staff read into the record a set of revisions the Regional Planning Agency (RPA) intends to make at the plan's six-month amendment mark, in response to communication from the Battery Heights neighborhood regarding the Campbell Street/New York Avenue page of the plan: removing language stating that vehicular traffic counts "currently do not warrant pedestrian crosswalks"; adding text noting Battery Heights has advocated for a crosswalk at this location, which has seen both accidents and near misses; adding a recommendation to complete a service-request review of pedestrian infrastructure and safety at the intersection, including speed data, pedestrian counts, and a site-triangle evaluation at Birchwood Drive and Vinewood Drive; giving additional consideration to a possible reconfiguration of Parkway Drive (without impacting the historic wall) and the Countryside Drive T-intersection; and adding the results/recommendations of the service request to the FY27 capital budget request to secure project funding. These changes were provided to the city attorney for the record rather than made as a formal amendment to tonight's resolution. A separate councilmember publicly thanked RPA staff for getting Plan Chattanooga "over the line with the unanimous vote."
Action: Adopted, no opposition (unanimous).
Purpose: Resolution authorizing the Chattanooga Police Department to apply for, and if awarded accept, a FY2026 National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) modernization grant for a 5-year period, to reimburse the purchase of a new BrassTRAX/NIBIN unit and cover 5 years of annual maintenance, in the amount of $300,000. Action: Adopted, no opposition.
Timestamp: 43:18 – 46:44. Presenter: Steve Brooks, Executive Director of the Central Business Improvement District (Downtown Chattanooga Alliance). Purpose: Present FY2026 budget results and the proposed FY2027 budget.
A councilmember publicly thanked Brooks and the Alliance for downtown cleanliness, beautification, and safety efforts, noting other business districts have inquired about replicating the model.
Timestamp: 37:06 – 41:47.
Timestamp: 42:29 – 43:13. Ahead of the final-reading vote on citywide drive-through standards (item 7F), a councilmember described recently encountering a drive-through line (at a business referred to as "Odell's on the Go") backed up into the roadway in a colleague's district, expressing support for addressing such issues through the future considerations process.
1:35:03 – Budget & Finance Committee (Councilman Henderson): Reported the committee met earlier that day, covering peer-city identification, proposed budget amendments, and proposed legislation to cap future tax increases. The committee's next meeting is September 29th, with a start time of 12:30 p.m. (changed from the previously posted time).
1:35:42 – Councilwoman Hill: No committee report, but publicly thanked RPA staff for their community-outreach work on Plan Chattanooga ahead of its unanimous adoption.
1:36:12 – Councilman Harvey: No report.
1:36:17 – Councilman Clark: Announced a new park pavilion, funded through the "Park Spark" program (Department of Parks and Outdoors, at no cost to neighborhoods), with a ribbon cutting that Saturday at Lake Hills Park on Belleview Avenue, 3:00–6:00 p.m., open to the public with food trucks and activities; a second pavilion project is underway at Whitmore Park.
1:37:50 – Councilwoman Nolan: No report.
1:37:54 – Councilwoman Dotley: No report, but recognized Hamilton County Commissioner Montré Bagsby (as heard: "Montre Bezley") for attending the meeting.
1:38:08 – Councilwoman Burrs: No report.
1:38:17 – Vice Chair Elliott: Reported on the District 9 annual town hall held the previous Monday at Second Missionary Baptist Church, thanking the church for hosting; a recording, slide deck, and access to the district's project dashboard (at roneliot.com, as heard) would be posted that week.
1:39:12 – Chair recognition: The chair recognized Kristen Auff, newly started as Deputy Chief of Operations, in attendance at the meeting.
