Photo courtesy of David Tulis/Noogaradio 92.7 FM
Angry residents turned out en mass at Thursday night’s East Ridge City Council meeting rebelling against a boundary map and a plan to redevelop the city formulated by the East Ridge Housing and Redevelopment Authority.
Mayor Brent Lambert, the man who put the East Ridge Housing and Redevelopment Authority into motion was not there to defend the actions of the board, instead leaving that daunting task to Vice Mayor Larry Sewell, who lost control of the “communication from citizens” portion of the meeting numerous times.
The expansive boundary map where houses are subject to being taken by the city and redeveloped encompasses more than 1,600 acres of East Ridge soil and the 28-page redevelopment plan is vague and gives the five-member panel too much power, citizens said during the one and a half hours in which their questions came fast and furious, not only from the microphone but from all corners of the room.
“Who allowed the committee (ERHRA) to get this far off track?” one person from the audience beckoned from her seat.
Another person responded from the audience, “He’s not here,” referring to Lambert.
More than a dozen people addressed the council members to vent at the prospect of the city taking their home that they had lived in, often times for many years.
Leslie Grant Bostain, who presented a petition to the council opposing the ERHRA map and plan, asked if dissolving the authority was an option?
Councilman Jacky Cagle said, “It’s an option to me.”
Leslie’s husband, David Bostain, said he and his wife who live on Germantown Circle, said the couple were “blindsided” by the letter sent by ERHRA informing residents and business owners their property was subject to seizure.
“It’s like the doctor said you’ve got terminal cancer,” he told the council. “This just can’t be true.”
One after another residents came forward or called out from the audience complaining that the boundary map included residential areas that were well-kept, established neighborhoods and contained a complete absence of blight.
“What did you do, have a child draw the map?” said Chester Green, a longtime resident of South Moore Road. “I’ve lived here 47 years and I’ve paid my taxes.”
Vice Mayor Sewell’s brother, Randy Sewell, took his turn at the microphone and saying that he lived in the area near the Waverly Motel, a haven for criminal activity. Randy Sewell said that city officials have done little to address the problems coming from the business.
City Manager Scott Miller told Randy Sewell that the ERHRA redevelopment plan could be a tool to eliminate the Waverly and businesses like it.
Frances Pope, a long-time activist who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2014, told the council that the city should reconsider the “bizarre” boundary map that randomly includes established residential areas free of blight.
Pope said that the City has “tools” in place already to deal with blight, starting with a codes enforcement department. She reminded the council that the City was the first in the state to establish the position of Administrative Hearing Officer, a judge who can levy fines of up to $500 a day on owners not complying with city codes. She reminded the council that city officials asked for the Hamilton County Legislative Delegation to sponsor a bill that would permit the City to create a residential rental inspection program. She said the city never followed up in creating the program.
“Yes, we want redevelopment,” Pope said. “We don’t want intrusion.
“Hit the business section and let our residents live in peace,” she concluded
The entire room stood and applauded as she returned to the back of council chambers.
Councilman Brian Williams tried to put residents’ concerns to rest by reading a statement proposing that the ERHRA produce a new boundary map, with a much smaller area.
“We should back up and start slow and address specific areas of blight,” Williams said.
Meredith Moore addressed the council and asked what kind of qualifications the members of the ERHRA had in terms of education and prior experience in redevelopment and planning?
“This is a lot of power for a handful of people,” she said.
City Attorney Mark Litchford, who is also the ERHRA attorney and crafted the organization’s charter and bylaws, began to flip through state law pertaining to the question of qualifications. After some time he told the woman that according to state law the only qualification for serving is that they be a resident of the city of East Ridge.
Vice Mayor Sewell concluded “communication from citizens” by getting a consensus of the council that City Manager Miller would convey to the ERHRA board to revise the map to make it smaller.
Cagle wanted to go further and attempted to make a motion to dissolve the ERHRA and it be placed on the May 10 agenda. City Manager Miller said that would take another council person joining with Cagle to accomplish his wish.
Everyone else on the council remained silent at that time.
_ Miller said that the May 3 meeting at the gym in the Community Center was still on. The meeting will give concerned residents an opportunity for one-on-one questioning with ERHRA board members and city officials. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m.
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