The East Ridge City Council narrowed a lengthy list of candidates wishing to become the city’s next City Manager, Thursday night during a workshop prior to the regular council meeting.

Mayor Brent Lambert said that city officials had received a ranking of the 57 applicants from an employee of the state’s Municipal Technical Advisory Service. City Council members had been able to review those rankings for about a month. Mayor Lambert said he wanted to identify about eight of the candidates and then have another workshop next Thursday to delve into those candidates’ resumes. During the April 21 workshop, he wanted the council to identify four or five candidates the city would call in to be interviewed.

Each member of the council picked several candidates to discuss further. Those candidates are: Michael Brillhart, Christopher Dorsey, Mark Kutney, Gary Palmer, Bret Bauer, J. Scott Miller, George (Nick) Kouloungis, Joshua Ray, John Laux, Kelly Kautz, William Watson, James Ayers II and current East Ridge city employee Amanda Miller.

Mayor Lambert said he would like for city officials to contact these candidates and find out if they are still available to interview. He said some of them have probably applied for jobs in other cities and may have taken a position since having applied earlier this year. Deadline for the city to receive applications was Jan. 30.

Commissioner Tim Boyd addressed the council and passed out a proposed resolution that is before the Hamilton County Commission concerning the leasing of property at East Ridge High School for the construction of a cell tower. The lease would provide money to the school board as well as ERHS over the period of the 25-year lease.

Nobody on the council was aware of the resolution before it was brought before the Commission. Commissioner Boyd said he was unaware of the pending agreement until it was brought to the commission and that the cell tower would essentially be located in his “backyard.” Commissioner Boyd said he was asking for “guidance” from the City Council on voting either in favor of the proposal or to table it.

Mayor Lambert and the Council said they would prefer the vote on the resolution be tabled. Commissioner Boyd said he would vote to table and then recommend that the money from the lease not go to the school board but be used to build a new football stadium at East Ridge High School to replace the condemned stands of Raymond James Stadium. The total amount over the 25-year period would be about $280,000.

During “Communication from Citizens” portion of the meeting, Mark Bradshaw addressed the council with concerns over East Ridge police officers being endangered by dispatchers at the Hamilton County 911 center. Bradshaw, who worked for 12 years in dispatch when the city had its own dispatch capability, said “they (HC 911 dispatchers) are putting our officers at risk.” He cited a recent traffic stop in which an ERPD officer without backup had to switch from a regular channel to an “info” channel to run information about the three men he had stopped.

Bradshaw said that the city seemingly could afford all types of amenities at Camp Jordan Park and asked if the city could run its own dispatch service.

Frances Pope said she came to the meeting because Councilman Denny Manning had placed on the agenda an item to “discuss and take action” on the Interim City Manager. She was told by Mayor Lambert that the measure was going to be “pulled” from the agenda.

Pope turned her attention to another item on the agenda; dissolving the city’s personnel board, which may have never officially met since being instituted in 2012. She said that the personnel board was useless and that “our employees deserve a platform to be heard.” She urged that it be modified to become a more functional tool for administrators and the rank and file. 

Pope said a lot of employees are afraid to bring up grievances to their supervisors for fear of being fired, especially if the grievance concerns the supervisor. Instead, employees come to council members, who in turn go to the City Manager to discuss personnel issues _ a prohibited action under the City Charter.

Pope said she was “sick and tired” of the council overstepping its duties in defiance of the charter. She said it didn’t matter who the next City Manager would be if this kind of improper meddling persisted. Pope said she would report it to state officials if it continues. 

Mayor Lambert, at the request of Councilman Manning, had the issue of discussing Interim City Manager Mike Williams’ job moved forward on the agenda. Manning, who is recovering from a recent surgery, had tabled the measure from the March 31 meeting. Manning, along with Councilman Jacky Cagle, were critical of Williams having not returned phone calls from the two council members and not following through with requested information.

After a vote to remove it from the table, Manning quickly said, “I’d like to make a motion to forget about it.”  That motion carried unanimously and Councilman Manning apologized that he had to leave because he was in pain from his recent surgery. He was helped from the dais and the Mayor took a 10-minute recess.

The Council heard from Parks and Recreation Director Stump Martin and an official from the Chattanooga Football Club about an extension to a contract Martin  has crafted with the soccer league. Several changes were made including an “exclusivity” agreement with CFC which would not allow other select leagues to use the fields. The city receives $40,000 a year from the organization to use the fields at the park and provides an additional $15,000 per years in “stuff needed at the park,” Martin said.

Martin outlined a plan to use some of the proceeds from the contract to purchase new lawn mowers for the park. He said the lawn mowers being used now are essentially worn out. The contract extension will be on the council’s next agenda.

The Council granted a variance to Walgreen’s on Ringgold Road for package beer sales. 

A lengthy conversation ensued about giving Finance Director Diane Qualls a salary hike. Mayor Lambert proposed that Qualls be given $500 a month additional salary retroactive to September of last year when she assumed the duties of City Treasurer. She received a strong endorsement from Interim City Manager Williams, who said “I can’t praise her enough.” Williams said she had saved the city thousands of dollars in negotiating Border Region Act reimbursements from the state.

In the end, Qualls was given the raise. If the city hires a new City Treasurer _ Councilman Larry Sewell said he wasn’t in favor of such a move _ Qualls’ salary would revert back to its pre-raise level, about $52,000 a year.

Mayor Lambert had an announcement before adjourning the meeting: Camp Jordan Parkway, which has undergone massive improvements and widening over the last six months, should be reopened sometime late next week.

“I know a lot of people will be happy to hear that,” he said.