Good afternoon, everyone.

Welcome to the Chattanooga City Council meeting for Tuesday, February twenty fourth.

Like to invite Councilman Elliot to lead us in our Pledge of Allegiance and the invitation.

Nope.

Is it nope?

Do you have those name?

I don't think nobody's okay.

Look at that.

VC Noel says not lighten up.

Is it won't even click this Q is currently just if I put this here we'll that'll work.

I can talk loud enough.

I think everyone can hear me correctly.

Yes.

Okay.

All right.

Um thank you, Madam Chair.

Uh Council family and those are here to change it today.

I just wanted to say thank you.

Uh last week I sent out uh email inviting those that wanted to participate to wear something that would be um reflective of black history so that we could show unity here in our community in our city as a whole, and thank you to all of those that uh participated.

We really really do appreciate it.

Um my mother told me well behaved women seldom make history, and I never understood that when I was growing up, but that has held true.

If you well behave, you're probably not gonna make history.

So during this Black History Month, the last Tuesday of the month, um, I give thanks to the black women that paved the way.

Uh their resilience created opportunity, their sacrifice created access, and we are because they were.

So I say thank you to Harriet Tubman, Sir Jarna Truth, Rosa Parks, Shirley Chisel, Coretta Scott King, Maya Angelo, Angela Davis, Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, Katherine Johnson, and Stacey April.

That is just to name a few.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Okay, council.

Can I get a motion on the minutes, please?

So move.

Thank you.

Minutes will stand without objection.

Council, let's take a look at this week's agenda, please.

Please hit your light.

I think we might be up and running.

Hit your uh hit your light if you've got any questions.

Um we do have two items um under final reading for public works in district five.

My intent is to take this as a package, councilman Clark, unless you object.

Um there are two items under final reading for today's agenda, and my intent is to take them as a package.

They're in your district.

Fabulous.

We don't have any items on first reading, council, uh, but we do have some resolutions.

I'll be taking the mayor's office items as a package as well.

Not seeing any questions.

Let's take a look at the purchases for tonight, please.

Oh councilman Clark.

Uh, this is other business.

Okay.

The certificate of compliance.

Uh I'm sorry.

Well, no, no, no.

Is this the same?

This is not the certificate related to the one that we were supposed to sign.

No.

No, this is different.

Okay.

Do you do somebody want to explain?

Is this for the speedway for beer and liquor license?

It was added with the permission of the chair.

Yes, sir.

Yes, that's what this is.

Okay, so is it just for is it just for beer?

Would you like to explain this?

Which speedway is it?

Is it 4886 Bonnie Oaks Drive?

That was the one that previously opened, and I thought we had already signed the certificate because I already opened selling beer.

Don't believe so.

Unless there's another speedway on Bunny Oak, I'm not familiar with this address, at least.

No, we we got this address here uh as a request for uh this particular number at 4886.

And uh that that was the reason that it was brought up.

I'll I'll get you a copy of the at least the application, so you can see that here in the greatly appreciate it.

We'll get you a copy of that.

Thank you.

Yes, sir.

We all set thank you.

All right, great, thank you.

All right, council.

Let's take a look at purchases for this evening, please.

Before purchases tonight, no uh no renewals, no RFP requests, no emergency purchases, no sole source purchases.

Councilman Elliott.

Yes, ma'am chair, thank you.

This is for um the traffic operations or traffic management system catalog, and this is a question for the administration.

Is this for our um traffic signaling?

Do we know?

Yes, yes.

And question, follow up question that we have a like a priority list of corridors.

We're looking to implement the smart traffic signaling software.

No, sir.

We don't have a priority list.

We have uh uh locations that have already been identified in sectors, but there's not been a priority list, so to say.

How do we identify those?

I was given those that list before it was already produced, but I got here.

Okay.

Um I would like to follow up on this one if we can, you get a little bit better idea, just like how do we prioritize it?

What are the plans for adding new intersections to that list, and just kind of go okay?

I think that would also fall in line with DTS.

I think that's who we got it from.

I thought this was a BTS item, but um if I'm wrong, so let me know.

Okay, thank you.

Okay, thank you, Madam Chair.

Okay, council.

Any other questions about purchases?

Okay, seeing none, let's take a look at next week's agenda, please.

Another light agenda.

We won't have any items on final reading, but we will have a couple of things under first reading from the office of the city attorney.

Yes.

Public works.

Councilman Harvey.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Uh, Mr.

Attorney, under item 8A is that these speed on through streets, is that regarding my district?

Yes, sir.

Gray Road, yes, or uh Grace Mark.

Yes, sir.

Okay.

We'll get it, we'll get it eventually.

Okay, thank you.

That's all I had.

Yes.

Okay.

Okay, council.

We have some resolutions for next week.

Get your light if you've got any questions.

That's all.

One of the items that um we do have uh we do have a plan to have some additional information on today is uh actually the ordinance item D related to the ponds.

I believe that Maria is here today to teach everybody a few things about ponds because she knows the scoop.

Good afternoon, council.

Uh Maria Price, assistant city engineer and the stormwater division director.

So the single family residential pond program or the SFR pond program um had come about when we realized there was a need.

There were a lot of ponds across the city that aren't getting maintained.

So, into digging a little bit more about why we found that there were some ponds that were located on private properties, like with a home, which basically means this one particular lucky homeowner is now responsible for the pond for potentially their entire development.

That is an unfair burden.

And so this program is designed to take if the person we we have reached out to some of these that we know are out of compliance to let them know about the program, um, and then some others have applied for the program that don't need any maintenance, which is great.

Um, so we have some that have applied, and so we go out and we figure out what needs to be done with these ponds to bring them into functional compliance, which means they work like they function like they're supposed to.

These ponds and other stormwater control measures, they could be a naturalized basin, they don't necessarily just have to be a pond, they could be a dry pond or a wet pond.

Either way, they perform that function to handle their developments, water quality and quantity controls.

So, in order to bring them, some of them have um they may have erosion issues, they may need some concrete work, and some may just need mowing.

And so we go out and inspect uh there we have probably 1600 ponds in the city, and a little over 200 of those are on parcels with a single family home.

So that is an unfair burden, as you can imagine, because some of these repairs may be anywhere from 10 to 50,000, which is a big ask for a homeowner to foot the bill for their entire development.

So this program is designed for those homeowners to work with us so that we can bring their pond into compliance.

We can make sure that the we can fix their erosion issues, we can do any concrete work or any uh vegetative maintenance, stabilization, anything that needs to be done to bring them into compliance, and we have an inspection and maintenance agreement that they are then required to uh sign.

Some of these are older ponds that never had an inspection and maintenance agreement.

We've learned some things along the years, and we have those now with all new ponds, and that's been that way for our 10 years, 10 plus years.

Um, and then these will get um inspection and maintenance agreement, we'll come and we'll do the work, and then we hand it back to the homeowner to perform general maintenance, like mowing and things like that, the aesthetics basically.

And so they're tasked with every year they go out just like all the other pond owners, they're supposed to go out and inspect their ponds once a year, take some pictures, do some visual inspections, mow it, take care of the vegetation, and note any issues.

Uh, we've had pretty good success with that, and then we try to like I said, we have a lot of ponds.

We can probably get to 40 or so um a year, so we don't inspect all of them every year, but we have them on rotation uh so that every five in theory, every five years we would have inspected all the ponds.

Okay, thank you, Maria.

We do have um, we do have a question from Councilman Elliott.

Thank you, Madam Chair and Maria.

Thank you for clarifying this.

I think the only question I really have with these ponds, because I agree that it is a big burden for residents.

How do we addemnify the city as we're going on private property?

Oftentimes we're doing work on easements and whatnot.

We very seldom do you ever see us going on private property doing work?

But if something happens on that private property, how are we addressing those situations?

Something's damaged, or there's adverse effects.

What does that look like?

Excellent question.

So we have worked with the city's attorney's office and have a temporary construction um I forget what it's called.

It's a basically something that the homeowner signs that the attorneys have approved that gives us permission to go on to the property and do the work, and then before we leave, we check with the homeowner.

Are you good?

Just like with any other construction project, we make sure that they're happy with the things as they are.

Okay, perfect.

And then the inspection and maintenance agreement clearly lays out what they have on their property, where it is, what needs to be done to it, and how often to help them going forward.

Perfect, thank you.

Okay, thank you very much.

Looks like that's all of our questions.

Thank you, Maria.

Thank you.

We appreciate your expertise on that.

Okay, council.

Do we have any other questions about next week's agenda?

All right, seeing none, let's take a look at our future considerations document, please.

If you have any questions, please hit your light.

Going once.

Going twice.

Okay, it looks like we are good.

And we do not have any committee meetings today.

Um we do need to have an attorney client meeting.

So we will take a um should we take a 30-minute recess?

30 minute recess.

Um, we will return on the quarter hours because that's what councilman Henderson likes to do, not on the different hours.

So we will return at 4 15.

Thank you.

We are oh thank you.

I told you I might forget.

Hold on, we'll see how long he talks.

We might not return it.

No, not alone.

Councilman Elliott.

Uh Council, I am uh I just turned you off.

Put your light again, sorry.

Sorry.

So I'm gonna be introducing a resolution on March 10th, asking public works to create some type of strategic plan to address citywide litter.

Uh, this is a problem that is uh in all of our communities.

Um I'm asking them to look into deploying any type of funds, especially our stormwater dollars or any other funds that may be readily available to do this, and to even go as far as looking to potentially put out contracts or even hire dedicated staff to spend their time cleaning up our communities.

And so um you'll have language on that uh in the coming days or weeks, and but I want to just announce that so you guys can inspect that on March 10th.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Councilwoman Burst, yeah.

Uh this is either a question for you, or it may be for Jeremy.

You know, we used to have, or maybe a member administration, we used to have a partnership with Scenic City Beautiful.

Is that still where does that organization stand?

Who's oh so Jeanette Engelsbach and it is she still have that program?

Yes, however, we don't have the grant anymore.

So recognizing that litter is more than likely if it's not addressed properly, it's gonna end up in our waterways and become a stormwater issue.

Much easier to get when it's on the land versus in the water.

So we are now funding the Scenic Cities program, and so we have kind of absorbed her into stormwater because we are doing a good bit of litter efforts anyway, so it just made sense for her to work with our team.

Okay, and is she still working?

I know she was so good at working with community organizations and getting volunteer groups together.

Is she still uh I haven't seen her in a while, so I know she's out there working, but I just was curious.

Okay, yes, she is she's still doing all the things that she does.

Okay, so now we just need to find the funding.

Yes, well, stormwater.

We find it.

Yeah, yes, it'd be nice to have another grant, absolutely.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you, thank you, madam chair.

Thank you.

Councilman Clark.

Uh sorry to prolong us.

I know we're trying to go to attorney client, but we from my understanding, what we have currently in-house, we have litter issues on um the road, life foot meal road quite a bit in dumping, and I just normally call it public works and they come out and do it and do a great job.

Um quickly.

So that's what we're lacking.

That's what I'll get built for Councilman Elliott and everyone else.

That's it.

Anyone else?

Okay, we'll come back at four fifteen.

We're recessed.

Thank you.

Items 7A and B.

We will take those as a package, please.

Item A.

An ordinance closing and abandoning a portion of the unopened right of way in the 4200 block of Bonnie Oaks Drive as detailed on the attached maps, subject to certain conditions.

Item B.

An ordinance closing and abandoning an unopened right-of-way in the 400 block of Maplewood Avenue as detailed on the attached map, subject to certain conditions.

Thank you.

Council, we have a motion on the floor to approve with the proper second.

Do you have any questions or comments?

All in favor?

Opposed?

Motion passes.

Um we are having a hard time hearing the clerk.

Thank you.

We don't have any items on first reading.

Let's move to resolutions.

Let's take items A and B as a package, please.

Item A, a resolution confirming Mayor Kelly's appointment of Richard Sledge to the passenger vehicle for hire and record board for a term beginning on February 25th, 2026 and ending on February 24th, 2029.

Item B, a resolution confirming Mayor Kelly's appointment of Donna Shepherd to the tree commission for a term beginning on February 25th, 2026 and ending on February 24th, 2030.

Thank you.

Council, we have a motion on the floor to approve with the proper second.

Do we have any questions or comments?

All in favor?

Opposed?

Motion passes.

Item C, please.

A resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an interlocal agreement between the city of Chattanooga and the City of Collegedale with regard to adjusting boundaries in the city of Collegedale on property located at 8883 Old Lee Highway, Utawa, Tennessee 37363 from property described in the interlocal agreement and petition for de-annexation by Versailles Land and Development Company LLC.

Attached as exhibit A to this resolution.

Move to approve.

Thank you.

Council, we have a motion on the floor to approve with a proper second.

Do you have any questions or comments?

All in favor?

Aye.

Opposed?

Motion passes.

We are ready to take a look at purchases.

Good evening, Council.

We have four purchases recommended for approval this evening.

The first one is for wastewater.

It's a new blanket agreement for SURE video and inspection services.

This will be a four-year agreement not to exceed $750,000 annually.

The awards will go to Amtec Surveying Dukes Root Control, Performance Contracting, and Red Zone Robotics as the best bids.

The second one is for technology services.

They are requesting an extension to agreement PA 100010 through November 2nd, 2026 with KCI Technologies.

There will be no additional funds added.

Number three is for traffic operations.

It's a new blanket agreement for traffic signal parts installation and maintenance.

This will be a four-year agreement not to exceed 400,000 annually.

Number four is for Parsons Outdoors.

Parks and Outdoors is requesting an increase of 48,132 to run power to the lot fixtures at the Champions Club tennis courts.

The new total cost will be 1,141,842.

Thank you.

Council, can I get a motion?

Move to approve.

Thank you.

We have a motion on the floor to approve with a proper second.

Do we have any questions or comments?

All in favor?

Opposed?

Motion passes.

Thank you very much.

Okay, council.

We're gonna go around the horn for committee reports.

Councilman Henderson.

Councilman Davis.

We do have our meeting of the council's homelessness working group next Monday.

Uh that's March 2nd at 9 o'clock.

That'll be in the council uh conference room next door here.

Thank you.

And I'll get an agenda out sometime tomorrow for that.

Thank you.

Councilman Harvey.

No report.

Councilman Clark.

No report.

Councilman Elliott.

No report.

Councilwoman Dotley.

Councilman Burrs.

Yes, no one.

We will have a planning and zoning committee meeting next week.

Thank you.

Vice Chairwoman Noel.

No report, Madam Chair.

Okay, thank you.

We have now reached the portion of our meeting where we are happy to hear from folks who are here and would like to address the council.

Oh, my apologies, Josh.

Go on, but we have one other thing to talk about.

We do have another item.

Yeah, yes.

That we need to have our attorney announce.

Yes, and it's a certificate of compliance for a retail food store, wine and grocery license here for the 711 DBA speedway number 42185, number 1886 at 4886 Bonnie Oaks Drive.

This is one that you've seen before once before here, and it was approved.

T Dot did not like, or T the TABC did not like our certificate.

So we had to revise our certificate for this location, and we have approved it in a form that they like.

And apparently it's an issue as to retail food store versus location of a liquor store here on the form.

And this is a forum that we believe will be approved.

Okay, thank you very much.

All right.

All right, back to it.

If you are here and would like to address the council, we're glad you're here today.

Please go ahead and line up uh behind the podium and listen while our attorney reads the rules.

Sure.

At the end of each council business meeting, the chair will recognize members of the public who wish to address the council, and here's your rules.

Each speaker wishing to address the council can only be recognized at the microphone up front for that purpose, can't have more than three minutes to speak, and you can address the council only upon matters within their legislative and quasi judicial authority and not on matters which are not under their authority or regulated by other governmental bodies or agencies.

Do not engage in vulgar or obscene language, nor use the floor to personally attack or personally denigrate others and address the council as a whole and not make comments directed towards individual council members.

And lastly, do not engage in disorderly conduct or disrupting a public meeting, which is prohibited by Tennessee law.

Someone commits that offense if a person substantially obstructs or interferes with the meeting by physical action or verbal utterance with the intent to prevent or disrupt a lawful meeting or gathering.

Having stated those rules, please go ahead, sir.

And if you'll give your name and your district, please.

It hit us hard enough to warp our front end.

So you can imagine how she felt.

There's no lights.

There should be a warning light there that can detect oncoming traffic because I mean we were hit so hard that he bent the frame on our van.

And the van wasn't my first concern.

My first concern was my handicapped wife.

So I just want to leave you guys with that note.

Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

Hello, my name is Melanie Norwood.

I'm the owner of Amma Safe Haven.

Umstance abuse, supportive housing, and I'm coming down today for some help with housing some of my uh residents.

I currently have 42 residents, but had to turn down over 40 more the lay in the last two weeks because I don't ran out of money for getting how they to accommodate them.

So I'm just coming to see if it's any options here that can maybe help me or benefit our company.

Melanie, I think what might be great is for you to talk with our chief of staff, Kevin Roig.

Okay, he's he's back in the back corner.

He's got his glasses above his eyeballs.

Um if you'll just talk with him after the meeting, he can he can get you connected.

Unfortunately, housing, you know, is and we've got the realtor fellow right behind you, but housing is a very, very difficult situation right now and in high demand, and we do not have enough for um for anybody.

So um it's hard, and I'm glad you're here, but Kevin will talk with you after the meeting.

Okay, thank you.

Hello, Josh Branham, governmental affairs director for Greater Chattanooga Realtors, 2963 M.

Nicola Highway.

Um bringing you all today, uh a beautiful flyer that I made the template for a number of years ago when I was communications director.

Now people just plug in numbers, but I know who originally did it.

Um it is announcing our uh community scholarship fund that we have.

Uh applications are due on March 1st.

I apologize for not getting this to you last week.

Last week was our realtor day on the hill.

So uh we were in Nashville.

Uh but uh if you have constituents um who would be um um interested in this, this is for graduating seniors uh for not only Hamilton County, uh, but the all the also the other four counties that are within our footprint.

So Hamilton County and Sequatie County, but also we dipped down into Georgia as well for Catusa, Walker, and Dade counties.

Um the majority of over the years, the applicants have been from Hamilton County.

Uh this year we are giving five recipients up to four thousand dollars, and that is for college and also trade school.

Uh so over the years, uh I looked up the numbers before I came here.

We started this in 2022, uh, and in those four years, uh, we've awarded almost uh $53,000 to local high school students.

So uh wanted to let you all know about that.

Uh if you have any questions, please let us know.

Uh it's another example of all the good things that our realtors do for the community, and I'm very proud of that.

So uh thank you all very much.

Hi, I'm Olivia Batson.

Um, I'm in district eight, I believe.

Clect correct me if I'm wrong.

I um live on UTC campus on South Campus, and I want to talk to you guys about accessibility, especially the sidewalks and the curb cuts, um, both on UTC's campus, which I know is a state college, but also on the sidewalks, like on East MLK.

It will be sometimes just easier to take my mobility scooter on the street or on the shoulder because the curb cuts either the sidewalk is too cut up, or it will be you get to the end and there's not even a curb cut, or the curb cut is nowhere near the end of the sidewalk, and it feels like you kind of gotta go through a maze, and I'm someone who is lucky enough to have a motorized mobility aid.

I can't imagine what it's like if you are someone who is using a manual wheelchair to try to get around.

So I just want to see what if anything could possibly be done.

Okay.

Okay.

Councilman Harvey.

Thank you.

Um, if you don't mind hanging out after the meeting, um, you know, let's exchange contact information.

Uh I'm working on some city council policy uh when it comes to accessibility.

Would love to have your input.

Um so I'm working with a friend of mine on the mayor's council for disability, and uh we we just talked about this last week.

So um your your timing here is perfect.

Um so stick around, we'll we'll get together.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And you are in the great district eight.

Okay, thank you.

Come on.

Councilman Clark.

Thank you.

Olivia, uh, thank you for coming to council.

I just want to give some context on why you're here today.

I had the opportunity to speak as a guest speaker and Dr.

Chris Acuff's political science.

Is it the Yeah, it's state and local government.

I was a guest speaker in Olivia, Councilman Harvey had a lot of questions about public policy, and I invited her and her classmates to come to council to address this.

And I think I'm just so overwhelmed, like literally almost in tears to see you here.

Because I know that was something you were serious about.

And I know we've got some I can I see some of our administrators attentively listening to you from our public works person or Mandy and Lawrence and we have an amazing team here with the mayor's office and with what councilman Harvey is doing to address that.

and local government local government was a guest speaker and Olivia Councilman Harvey had a lot of questions about public policy and I invited her and her classmates to come to council to address this I'm just so overwhelmed like literally almost in tears to see you here because I know that was something you were serious about and I know we've got some I can I see some of our administrators attentively listening to you from our public works person or Mandy and Lauren Simon we have an amazing team here with the mayor's office and with what councilman Harvey is doing to address that and so I'm just so proud to see you here because you see where your advocacy can end up and I hope you will come back again and address the council on um legislative matter so you get to see us at work so thank you for coming thank you so I just had to say that Chairman Hill and you got a short one last the last few weeks we've been here to like seven glad you're here for coming thank you good evening uh nice to be here uh I came to introduce myself and to look up on you all's face to see who's running the city my name is Shirley Moon I'm in district nine I live at 2107 Bennett Avenue I've been there for over 35 years and um the city my neighborhood is Riddale and it have quite a few uh errors that it would make I am uh composing a letter to you all uh I would not be presenting it today on the different things that's going on around my household so that's when I came to see who you all are and uh let you all see who I am I am a mother a grandmother and a great grandmother most of all I'm a child of God I am eighty two years old and I'm retired person I am a homeowner I'm registered to vote and I do vote yes yeah thank you thank you thank you very much okay is there anyone else here this afternoon that would like to address the council council I don't see anyone thank you we have a motion on the floor to adjourn with a proper second all in favor of adjourning we're not adjourned yet y'all we haven't voted all in favor of adjourning well motion passes well passes with the eight