Chattanooga City Council Meeting: August 5, 2025
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Chattanooga City Council Meeting: August 5, 2025
The Chattanooga City Council met on August 5, 2025, at 7:23 PM. The meeting included routine approvals, a contested fire chief confirmation, a senior tax freeze resolution, and a public hearing schedule adjustment for the proposed 2025-2026 budget. Council members deliberated on the fire chief appointment process and the tax freeze reopening, while multiple public speakers addressed the proposed property tax increase, first responder pay, and budget transparency.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes from the previous meeting were approved without objection.
- Public Works Items: Two items (A alternate version and B) for district two were approved unanimously after first reading.
- Resolutions:
- Item A (tax freeze) passed unanimously after an amendment to reopen applications was withdrawn due to state deadlines.
- Item C (appointment of Manuel Douglas to Downtown Redevelopment Corporation Board) passed.
- Items D, E, F (TDOT proposals for US41, rockfall mitigation) passed as a package.
- Items G and H (street naming for Milton L. Jackson Sr. and Florence High) passed.
- Item I (on-call contracts for wastewater services) passed.
- Purchases: Five purchases approved including janitorial supplies ($170,000), pharmacy benefit name change, Harley-Davidson repairs ($61,000), Enterprise rental extension, and playground equipment ($234,537.59).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Scott Burkeville (District 4 resident) opposed the proposed tax hike, citing personal financial strain from tornado damage, increased insurance, and property assessment increases. He called for eliminating “pork” in the budget.
- Jack Thompson (President, Chattanooga Firefighters Association) supported the mayor’s proposed 1.99 millage rate, stating it is needed to recruit and retain firefighters and maintain services.
- Jason Brown (SEIU Local 205) supported the 1.99 millage rate, highlighting the need for improved on-call pay for city employees, including fire and police.
- Stephen Russell (SEIU member, wastewater employee) supported the mayor’s budget and opposed cuts that would lead to layoffs. He also expressed solidarity with UAW workers at Volkswagen.
- Keith Lyles (Vice President, Chattanooga Firefighters Association) supported the budget and noted that Chattanooga firefighters are among the lowest paid in the region, affecting retention.
- Monty Bale performed a song about the budget.
- Marie Mott (District 6) criticized the council’s handling of pension obligations, which grew from $5.8M to $18M (210% increase), and accused the council of hiding pension costs while giving tax incentives to corporations like Nippon Paint. She warned of potential bankruptcy.
- Terry Bonfilio (District 8) questioned the senior tax freeze, noting it only freezes at the current high rate, and asked why property taxes are needed despite new commercial construction generating revenue.
- Melanie Stover (District 7, retired widow) asked why the mayor’s budget approved in June did not already include fire/police raises, and requested a line-by-line review of the supplemental budget.
- Eric Atkins (Co-chair, Unity Group of Chattanooga) criticized the redistricting process as flawed and urged transparency, referencing past community benefits agreement failures.
- Sabrina Daniel (retired teacher) called for a careful line-item review of the budget to eliminate waste before raising taxes.
Discussion Items
- Fire Chief Appointment: Council considered the confirmation of Terry Knowles as fire chief. Several members (Councilwomen Dotley, Vice Chair Noel, Councilman Clark) expressed concerns about the selection process, citing lack of transparency and fairness. Councilman Henderson, who was on the interview committee, defended the process, stating a scoring matrix was used in the first two rounds and Knowles scored highest. Mayor Kelly acknowledged concerns but took responsibility for the decision, emphasizing that all finalists were excellent. He also apologized for comments made in a previous meeting. The vote was 7-0-2 (Dotley and Noel abstaining).
- Senior Tax Freeze Resolution: Councilman Elliott proposed an amendment to reopen applications for the tax freeze until September 12, 2025, to allow seniors to lock in before potential tax rate changes. Finance staff (Phil and Weston) clarified that the state’s 35-day application window after the delinquency date (March 1) had closed for 2024 taxes (deadline April 4/5), so the amendment could only apply to 2025 taxes. Elliott withdrew the amendment, and the main resolution (increasing income limit to $60,000) passed unanimously.
- Budget Timeline: Councilman Henderson requested moving the public hearing for the council’s alternative budget from August 19 to August 26 to allow time for an ad hoc committee meeting (scheduled for August 12 at 1:30 PM). After debate, the council agreed to hold the administration’s public hearing on August 19 and the council’s alternative budget public hearing on August 26. First reading for both versions will be on August 26, and second reading on September 9. Budget Chairwoman Dotley noted the September 9 date is a tight deadline for finalizing tax bills.
- Planning & Zoning Committee: The committee reviewed seven upcoming rezoning cases, including a request for storage containers (recommended denial), a townhome proposal (recommended denial due to compatibility), a conditional lift for single-family development (recommended approval), and a drive-through coffee shop (approved with a condition). No votes were taken; these are scheduled for first reading the following week.
Key Outcomes
- Fire Chief Confirmed: Terry Knowles confirmed as fire chief with a vote of 7-0-2.
- Senior Tax Freeze Resolution Passed: Income limit raised to $60,000; amendment to reopen applications withdrawn.
- Budget Public Hearing Schedule Set:
- Admin budget public hearing: August 19, 2025.
- Council alternative budget public hearing: August 26, 2025.
- First reading (both): August 26, 2025.
- Second reading: September 9, 2025.
- Street Naming Resolutions Passed: Central Avenue segment to be designated Milton L. Jackson Sr. Avenue; West 45th Street segment to be designated Florence High Avenue.
- Other Resolutions: TDOT agreements, contracts for wastewater services, and purchases approved.
- Ad Hoc Budget Committee Meeting: Scheduled for August 12, 2025, at 1:30 PM to discuss alternative budget.
- Councilman Elliott’s District 9 Town Hall: Announced for August 18, 2025, at 6 PM at Redemption to the Nations Church.
Meeting Transcript
I'd like to call to order the meeting of the Chattanooga City Council for Tuesday, August 5th, 2025. Councilman Henderson, would you please lead us in our Pledge of Allegiance? Okay. God, we just pray that you would lead us and guide us, help us to make the decisions that are in the best interest of the people of this city. In your name would pray, amen. Are we waiting or council? Can I go ahead and get a motion on the minutes, please? All right. Minutes will stand without objection. Okay, you want us just to keep keep going? Yeah, go ahead. Yes, Covenant. Sorry about that. We're expecting Mayor Kelly. Um okay, so council, let's take a look at our agenda for today. We don't have any items on first reading, but we do have some items, or excuse me, we don't have anything on final reading. We have several items on first reading. Um under public works, there are two items uh for district two. I'd like to point out that we will uh be reading the alternate version of item A. And as listed for item B, that is planning version two, which reflects the uh changes we discussed in uh the agenda meeting last week. So both of those council are ready to go from the perspective of district two. Um for resolutions, item A under finance, councilman Elliott um has an appointment and he will be a little bit late today, but he said that he is intending to bring a text amendment to item A. Um Phil, do you have any uh additional information you would like to share with us right now? Yes, uh we were discussing whether there could be some extension of the time period for 2024 taxes, but I believe that uh folks in the uh comptroller's office have said that it will only work for 25 taxes going forward here. So just want to be aware of that. So that may uh alleviate your need for a change. You do need to get the tax rate amount increased to sixty thousand dollars. Okay, so council, we may anticipate um some kind of amendment from councilman Elliott, but we won't know until we get there. Uh all right, so um we do have a resolution to appoint Terry Knowles as fire chief this afternoon. Um let's see, we've got council first on the board. Thank you, Councilwoman. I mean, Chairwoman. I just uh wanted to back up to the resolution about the senior tax freeze. Okay. Um Mr. Attorney, I'd mentioned that I had asked to co-sponsor that and it didn't make it to the agenda, so I just wanted that on the record. Yes. Thank you. And you're in support. Yes, I am. Well, let's see. I think who does that leave out? At least me, I'd be happy to be a co-sponsor. We could all do it. Yes. Um councilwoman Dotley. Yes, this one is about uh mayor's office item B resolution confirm Mayor Kelly's appointment of uh Terry Knowles as fire chief. Uh I did want to make just my statement on the record. While I respect the individual selected, I have uh concerns about the selection process that I've discussed with both the administration as well as assistant chief Knowles. Uh with that in mind, I remain fully committed to supporting the Chinese department is personnel, the incoming chief uh in their continual efforts to serve our community with excellence.
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