Editor’s Note: To see a video of the meeting Click here.
The East Ridge City Council met Thursday night for its first regular meeting of July.
The council passed the following measures:
By resolution, the council appointed Lynda Stephens to a position on the East Ridge Housing Commission. Stephens’s appointment was made by Vice Mayor Larry Sewell.
The council passed a resolution that would allow the city to move forward with legal action against Chattanooga Truck Center regarding repairs made to one of the fire department’s trucks.
According to a city memo, ERFD staff took the truck to Chattanooga Truck Center for repairs. The truck was consuming a large amount of oil. According to the memo, representatives of CTC advised the engine needed to be rebuilt to the tune of $7,163. After the rebuild the engine was still consuming oil. According to the city memo, Fire Chief Mike Williams met with the CTC shop foreman who admitted his mechanics only did part of the work that was quoted.
The council approved by resolution the City Manager opening a checking account for the Border Region Economic Development Fund. This account will be used exclusively for monies received or payments made that are associated with the Border Region Act.
The council voted by resolution to enter into a franchise agreement with Comcast of the South to provide cable related needs to the City of East Ridge. Under the agreement, the City would receive five percent of the annual gross revenues from the operation of the cable system in the City of East Ridge. According to a city memo, the city had been operating under a similar agreement with Comcast from 2007 to 2017. The new agreement was reviewed by City Attorney Mark Litchford and found to be acceptable.
The council approved a resolution to enter into an agreement with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office to be the host agency for the server which supports the East Ridge Police Department’s record management system and its field base reporting system.
The council passed a resolution awarding bids for street department materials for the next fiscal year.
The council passed a resolution authorizing the city to apply for and accept a 2019 grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Multimodal access grant. According to a city memo, the maximum amount of the grant is $1 million, which would require a five percent match ($50,000) from the city. The memo continues by saying any money the city uses to match would be reimbursed by the state under Border Region Act provisions.
The city had previously applied for a grant under the Transportation Alternatives Program. The grant applications must be submitted by July 26. The final application, according to the memo, must be submitted by September 28. Any money received would be used to construct a multi-purpose path along Ringgold Road from Swope Drive to Keeble Street.
The issue which received the most attention during the council meeting was a proposed purchase of a used Ford F250 4X4 pickup truck for the Parks and Recreation Department. Cost of the truck was $29,500. Councilman Jacky Cagle took exception and made a motion to put out for bid the purchase a new 2-wheel drive vehicle. That motion passed unanimously.
