City Council Minutes, September 12, 2024

REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EAST RIDGE September 12, 2024 6:00 pm The East Ridge City Council met pursuant to notice on September 12, 2024, 6:00 pm at East Ridge City Hall. Mayor Williams called the meeting to order. Debbie Lance, True Life Church, gave the invocation. All joined in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Present: Mayor Williams, Councilmember Cagle, Councilmember Tyler, Councilmember Witt, City Manager Miller, Attorney Michael Holloway present for City Attorney Litchford, and City Recorder Middleton. Vice Mayor Haynes and City Attorney Litchford were not present. Attendance: 5 Milestone Awards for August 2024: Mayor Williams announced that Cameron McAllister reached his milestone of five years of service. The Mayor stated he appreciates Mr. McAllister and all the City employees. Consent Agenda: A. Approval of Minutes August 22, 2024 Council Meeting B. Approval of June 2024 Financial Report C. Declaration of Surplus Property - Library Councilmember Tyler made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Witt, to approve the Consent Agenda. City Manager Miller stated we had a good fiscal year, with revenues coming in higher and expenditures coming in lower than expected. The fund balance for FY 2023 - 2024 was $2,079,000. The vote was unanimous. Communication from Citizens: None Communication from Councilmembers: Councilmember Tyler had nothing at this time. Councilmember Witt reminded everyone about the Jones Memorial Bar-b-que on September 21, 2024 from 10 am – 4 pm. Councilmember Cagle asked City Manager Miller for an update on the gateway welcome signs. Mr. Miller will have a report during his communication. September 2024 Council Meeting Page 1 of 8 Mayor Williams discussed the following: • The Mayor reflected on the events of September 11, 2001. He stated the world changed forever on that day, and he would like to honor the memories of those that perished, salute and thank the first responders, and never forget the events of that tragic day. He also stated that the Optimist Club held a luncheon in honor of September 11th for all first responders and city employees. The Optimist Club recognized the Firefighter of the Year Engineer Logan Swope and Police Officer of the Year Detective Sinisa Stojnic. • Library o Novel Idea Book Club, September 14th - 11:00 am - 12:00 pm o Learn to Draw Pikachu with Mr. Alex - September 21st - 10:30 – 11:30 am o Cookin’ the Books – September 30th, 6:00 – 7:00 pm • Parks and Recreation o Brunch and Pumpkin Painting – September 14th – 10:00 am, registration required. Register on the Facebook link or contact Hannah at hspear@eastridgetn.gov o Community Thanksgiving - Nov 26th, 4:30 pm. We need volunteers to help beginning at 11:30 to help prep the food. Sponsorships are also available. o Camp Jordan – Sports events, festivals, and the Fall Festival on September 28th 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. We have 187 vendors at this time. This may be a 2-day event next year. • We are searching for families of former city mayors to recognize them at an upcoming special event. If you know any former mayors or their family members, please contact City Recorder Middleton or Development Administrator McAllister with the contact information. Communication from City Manager: • We received the license agreements from TDOT for the welcome signs previously approved by the Council. We will get signatures and forward them back to TDOT and give Ortwein Sign notice to proceed. The signs are 24 feet x 13 feet, which includes four feet of masonry stone at the bottom. They will be installed next to Chick-fil-A and Life Care Center. • The City opened bids on September 10th for the multi-purpose pavilion behind City Hall and the Community Center. We budgeted an amount not to exceed $6 million. We received nine bids, with six of them between $4.6 and $4.9 million. HK Architects is reviewing the bids and will vet the top three. The low bid includes the alternates of the patio, enhanced noise attenuations in the hallways, and additional lighting in the front. This will be scheduled for the September 26th meeting for award, with a notice to proceed around November 1st with one year of construction. • The Animal Shelter is complete. Staff is working on furniture, fixtures, and equipment. Approximately 50 volunteers showed up on a Saturday to help with all the items that needed done. We have a ribbon cutting scheduled for September 26th at 10 am at the Shelter. • N. Mack Smith Road – Chattanooga Gas tested the line today and, if it passed, they will activate tomorrow. Then EPB will have to transfer the lines from the old to the new poles on the east side. September 2024 Council Meeting Page 2 of 8 Councilmember Cagle asked if all the upgrades are included in the bids for the multi-purpose pavilion. Mr. Miller stated they were, but we will bid out audio/visual, an alarm system, and furniture, fixtures, and equipment separately. Old Business: None New Business: RESOLUTION NO. 3593 – A RESOLUTION OF THE EAST RIDGE CITY COUNCIL AMENDING THE FACILITY FEE WAIVER POLICY FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT – Attorney Holloway read on caption. Director Skiles stated the language will be added as follows: 11. Any organization or agency which shall receive a waiver of any Facility Fee must, in exchange, contribute not less than fifty percent (50%) of the net receipts collected by any event or program held at the City’s facility to a non- profit organization that is located in, and/or solely serves the residents of, the City of East Ridge. Councilmember Witt made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Tyler, to approve Resolution No. 3593. The vote was unanimous. Motion approved. RESOLUTION NO. 3594 – A RESOLUTION OF THE EAST RIDGE CITY COUNCIL TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO ADVERTISE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (“RFP”) FOR SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL SERVICES – Attorney Holloway read on caption. City Manager Miller stated we entered into an agreement in August 2021 with Chattanooga Transfer now known as Capital Waste Services. The agreement renews automatically. We received two emails, one dated May 24, 2024 to Chris Dorsey, former City Manager, which provided a 30-day notice to the City that Capital Waste wished to terminate the agreement due to the increased cost of operation. The current cost is $33.91 per ton with the City averaging around 800 tons per month. When Mr. Miller talked to Mr. Barnes with Capital Waste he informed Mr. Barnes that he never received the email addressed to Chris Dorsey. Mr. Miller then received an email from Mr. Barnes at Capital Waste stating they wish to terminate the agreement for $33.91 per ton. Mr. Miller would like to advertise a Request for Proposals for solid waste disposal. The City Manager will check with our insurance carrier, Public Entity Partners, to see if there are restrictions about transporting solid waste across state lines in case we have a proposal from a Georgia company. Councilmember Tyler made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Witt, to approve Resolution No. 3594. The vote was unanimous. Motion approved. Discussion of Tentative Agenda Items for the September 26, 2024 City Council Meeting • Old Business: None September 2024 Council Meeting Page 3 of 8 • New Business: o RESOLUTION NO. _____ – A RESOLUTION OF THE EAST RIDGE CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZING THE CITY TO ACCEPT THE PUBLIC ENTITY PARTNERS 2024 – 2025 JUDY HOUSLEY SAFETY PARTNERS MATCHING GRANT – City Manager Miller stated the City will receive $875 from the grant and match that amount to purchase high visibility contrast jackets for firefighters. o RESOLUTION NO. _____ – Approval of Bids for Construction of Town Center – City Manager Miller stated that the bid opening was on September 10th with nine bids received. The architects will review the bids and make their recommendation late next week. o RESOLUTION NO. _____ – Approval of Trophy Bids for Parks and Recreation - Director Skiles stated that one bid was received and opened on September 11th and will be presented at the next meeting.. o RESOLUTION NO. ____ – Approval of nomination to fill an unexpired term on the East Ridge Beer Board (Mayor Williams) – Mayor Williams stated that Beer Board Member Eric Avans has taken a position as a reserve officer making him ineligible to serve on any boards. The Mayor thanked Mr. Avans for his service. The Mayor will have an appointment for the next meeting. Mayor Williams stated he attended the Housing Commission the previous night and Commission Member David Sherrill stated he was resigning from the Commission, effective September 30, 2024. Councilmember Cagle stated he received a letter of resignation from Mr. Sherrill and an application for the vacancy on the commission. This vacancy must be advertised for two weeks on the website, so it will come before the Council on October 10, 2024. Being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. September 2024 Council Meeting Page 4 of 8 REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EAST RIDGE September 26, 2024 6:00 pm The East Ridge City Council met pursuant to notice on September 26, 2024, 6:00 pm at East Ridge City Hall. Mayor Williams called the meeting to order. Robert Jones gave the invocation. All joined in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Present: Mayor Williams, Councilmember Cagle, Councilmember Tyler, Councilmember Witt, City Manager Miller, City Attorney Litchford, and Deputy City Recorder Qualls. Attendance: five Consent Agenda: A. Approval of Minutes September 12, 2024, Council Meeting B. Approval of July 2024 Financial Report Councilmember Tyler made the motion to approve the consent agenda, Second: Councilmember Witt. There being no further discussion, Mayor Williams asked for roll call. The vote was unanimous. Motion approved. Communication from Citizens: None Communication from Councilmembers: Councilmember Cagle, Vice Mayor Haynes, Councilmember Witt, and Councilmember Tyler had nothing at this time. Mayor Williams stated the grand opening of the new Animal Shelter was today, and he wanted to thank the staff for all their hard work. The Mayor highlighted the upcoming events: • Cooking the Books Club @ the Library – September 30th • Crafting Cauldrons@ the Community Center on October 25th 6 – 8 pm • Community Thanksgiving @ the Community Center on November 26, 4:30 – 7:30 pm • The Fall Festival is still on for Saturday as of right now. Communication from City Manager: • Update on North Mack Smith – EPB, AT&T, and Comcast still must move their lines, and they will each need 3 weeks to do it, total of 9 weeks. Construction may then begin depending on the weather. September 2024 Council Meeting Page 5 of 8 • The city has received a Department of Justice Bullet Proof Grant in the amount of $11,072.07. • Staff is watching Hurricane Helene closely and departments are prepared. Old Business: None New Business: RESOLUTION NO. 3595 – A RESOLUTION OF THE EAST RIDGE CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZING THE CITY TO ACCEPT THE PUBLIC ENTITY PARTNERS 2024 – 2025 JUDY HOUSLEY SAFETY PARTNERS MATCHING GRANT - City Attorney Litchford read on caption. Community Development Coordinator McAllister explained that this grant will be used to purchase Hi-Vis Contrast Jackets for the East Ridge Fire Department. Councilmember Witt made the motion to approve Resolution 3595, second Councilmember Taylor. The vote was unanimous. Motion approved. RESOLUTION NO. 3596 – A RESOLUTION OF THE EAST RIDGE CITY COUNCIL AWARDING A BID FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE EAST RIDGE TOWN CENTER TO PILLAR CONSTRUCTION - City Attorney Litchford read on caption. City Manager Miller stated that on September 10, 2024, bids were open for this project. There were nine bidders, and all the numbers looked good. They did include the three alternates within those numbers. Staff recommends the bid be awarded to Pillar Construction in an amount not to exceed $5,080,736. This amount includes a contingency of $400,000. Mr. Miller then recognized Heidi Hefferlin with Hefferlin + Kronenberg and asked if she wished to add anything. Ms. Hefferlin stated that our City Manager and staff have been so good to work with, one of the best and wanted the council to know that. The mayor noted that with the cost of the project that there would still be around half a million left after the FF&E was completed. Mr. Miller stated the any funds remaining would then be used at Camp Jordan on improvements. Councilmember Witt made the motion to approve Resolution 3596, second Councilmember Tyler. The vote was unanimous. Motion approved. RESOLUTION NO. 3597 – A RESOLUTION OF THE EAST RIDGE CITY COUNCIL APPROVING A BID FOR A TROPHY VENDOR TO SUPPLY TROPHIES FOR VARIOUS SPORTS PROGRAMS FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT EFFECTIVE FROM SEPTEMBER 2024 THROUGH AUGUST 2025 - City Attorney Litchford read on caption. Director Skiles asked that Council approve staff’s recommendation to accept the bid from Awards of Excellence in the amount of $7,595.00. Councilmember Tyler made the motion to approve Resolution 3597, Second Councilmember Witt. The vote was unanimous. Motion approved. RESOLUTION NO. 3598 – A RESOLUTION OF THE EAST RIDGE CITY COUNCIL APPROVING A NOMINATION BY MAYOR WILLIAMS TO FILL AN UNEXPIRED TERM ON THE EAST RIDGE BEER BOARD - City Attorney Litchford read on caption. Mayor Williams stated the current board member resigned due to a conflict. The Mayor nominated Robert Maner for the vacant position. Councilmember Witt made the September 2024 Council Meeting Page 6 of 8 motion to Resolution 3598, Second Councilmember Tyler. The vote was unanimous. Motion approved. RESOLUTION NO. 3599 – A RESOLUTION OF THE EAST RIDGE CITY COUNCIL TO ACCEPT THE 2025 TENNESSEE AMERICAN WATER FIREFIGHTER SUPPORT GRANT - City Attorney Litchford read on caption Mr. McAllister, stated that the FY 25 Tennessee American Water Firefighter Support Grant has been awarded to the city in the amount of $ 1,000.00. This grant will then use these funds to purchase a “Roll N Rack” holder for one of the engines. Councilmember Tyler made a motion to approve Resolution 3599, Second Councilmember Witt. The vote was unanimous. Motion approved. Discussion of Tentative Agenda Items for the October 10, 2024, City Council Meeting • Presentation of Life Saving Awards – Fire and Police Chief Williams, recognition of our Public Safety personal that were involved with a call. • Employee Milestone Awards for September • Old Business: o ORDINANCE NO. 1205 – AN ORDINANCE OF THE EAST RIDGE CITY COUNCIL TO AMEND ORDINANCE 1028 WHICH AMENDED THE EAST RIDGE ZONING ORDINANCE NO. 481, BY ADDING AN ADDITIONAL SECTION THERETO, BEING SECTION 111 OF ARTICLE VI (SUPPLEMENTAL REGULATIONS AND EXCEPTIONS), IN THE EAST RIDGE ZONING ORDINANCE AND AMENDING THE NUMBER OF DAYS FOR COMPLIANCE WITH THIS ORDINANCE (1st reading) – Per Chief Building Official the Planning commission approved the changes that were made by Council on August 22, 2024 on September 2, 2024. No questions. • New Business: o PUBLIC HEARING FOR ORDINANCE NO. ____ - Rezoning of 4012 Bennett Road from R-1 Residential District to C-5 Neighborhood Commercial District (first reading) – This item was approved at the September 2, 2024 Planning Commission, with the conditions that it be used for office space only and that a privacy fence be installed. o ORDINANCE NO. ____ - Rezoning of 4012 Bennett Road from R-1 Residential District to C-5 Neighborhood Commercial District (first reading) - No questions. September 2024 Council Meeting Page 7 of 8 o PUBLIC HEARING FOR RESOLUTION NO. ____ - Use on Review for Property Located at 4306 S. Terrace for Extension of a Child Care Center Located at 4308 S. Terrace. - No questions o RESOLUTION NO. ____ - Use on Review for Property Located at 4306 S. Terrace for Extension of a Child Care Center Located at 4308 S. Terrace - No questions o RESOLUTION NO. ____ - Approval of Nomination by Councilmember Cagle to fill an Unexpired Term on the East Ridge Housing Commission No questions. o RESOLUTION NO. ____ - Approval of Nomination by Mayor Williams to fill an Unexpired Term on the East Ridge Housing Commission. - No questions. o RESOLUTION NO. ____ - Approval of Parkridge Medical as a Mental Health Services Provider for 1st Responders - HR Director Sinigaglio stated that first responders are exposed to stress and trauma daily, so we need a social worker who specializes in Public Safety. Our insurance broker is willing to donate $7,000 for the costs for the first year, but after that the City would assume the costs for the program. o RESOLUTION NO. ____ - Approval to Accept the FY25 Tennessee Highway Safety High Visibility Grant. - No questions. Being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. September 2024 Council Meeting Page 8 of 8