Lookout Mountain, Tn., has no debt, has money in the bank and is in really good shape, said Paul Johnson who performed the town audit for 2012. He gave the good news at the monthly commission meeting Tuesday evening. In May, the last payment was made on a bond debt for the addition to the elementary school, which was the town's final debt. He also reported that income exceeded expenses. On a cash basis, the net change in the fund balance was a positive $50,091.
Town Consultant Dwight Montague, giving the financial report for the month of October, said, “I think this may be some kind of national record - our health insurance costs have gone down two years in a row.” David Bennett helped negotiate the contract and was successful in creating a bidding war, said Mr. Montague. A 15 percent increase had been budgeted for health insurance, to begin in November. Instead, the cost is going down $9,000 from last year. The health insurance provider is changing from UnitedHealthcare, River Valley, to Cigna. Dental insurance will also now be offered to employees through Delta Dental.
Commissioner of Fire and Police Ernie Minges read the report for the past month created by Chief Randy Bowden. The statistics show 102 police calls, 4,376 miles patrolled, 22 burglar alarms - all false, six assist citizen calls, four 911 calls, 40 traffic stops and no arrests. There was one auto accident with injuries, two thefts, seven medical calls and two false fire alarms. Commissioner Minges said one of the thefts had occurred when a door was left unlocked. Mayor Carol Mutter added, “Not all the people that come up the mountain have pleasant things on their minds.” Mr. Minges reminded homeowners to lock doors and use their burglar alarms.
Joe Hailey, commissioner of parks and playgrounds, said the signup for wrestling will be Wednesday and Saturday for basketball. He also reported on the status of the $100,000 state grant that was awarded to the town for replacing a tennis court and for repairs to Navarre Pavilion. He told the commissioners that Sam Saieed from Southeast Tennessee Development District, who helped to secure the grant, will also help administer it. The procedure requires that there is a contract from the state in hand before work actually begins. A resolution was passed, however, to allow engineering and testing of the site in order to determine the scope of the work. Commissioner Hailey has been given the authority to execute a contract with an engineering firm. Construction and repairs will likely be done next summer. Work on the pavilion is planned to be done before Commons Camp and replacing the tennis court would be after baseball season.
Lookout Elementary School is “a beehive of activity” so much is going on there, said Commissioner of Schools Don Stinnett. He invited all the commissioners and the mayor to the patriotic musical program Friday at 8:30 a.m. Prior to that will be a meeting of the school board. The PTA meeting is Tuesday night. Commissioner Stinnett told of the reading program that will encourage parents to read to students from kindergarten through second grade, and challenges for third, fourth and fifth graders to read themselves. He also reported that proceeds from selling the coupon books went toward the purchase of 10 desktop computers and some projectors.
It’s mostly about leaves for the public works department this month. Walker Jones, commissioner of public works, said the leaf machine is out almost daily. He reminded everyone to separate brush piles from leaves to make the work go faster. The department recently finished re-striping the roads in time for the foggy conditions on the mountain in fall and winter. He also noted the many blind spots along the winding, curving roads and asked residents to keep their property trimmed to help visibility for cars.
The same weekend that the dumpster was available, a Salvation Army truck was parked alongside it. Both were filled to capacity, Mr. Jones told the commissioners. They will both be on the mountain one weekend each quarter. The next time will be the first Saturday in February.
The house of a town employee, John Milligan, burned last month and his family lost everything. Commissioner Jones asked for help from the community for the Milligan family. Chief Bowden added that the dispatchers at city hall are making a collection of cash for the family if anyone is able to contribute.
Chief Bowden announced that Calvary Chapel Lookout Church has moved into the building that formerly was Lookout Mountain Baptist Church. Services have been held for the last two Sundays at 11 a.m. Mayor Mutter said she welcomed them to the mountain.
Oktoberfest hosted by the town merchants was a success, reported Chief Bowden. The weather was good and the crowd was larger than at last year’s event. There were twice as many vendors, good music and a lot of activities for children. The mayor thanked the police and Corey Evans’ maintenance department for their help in putting on the street fair.
Mayor Mutter announced that at 7 a.m. on Dec. 13, the town will host the Christmas breakfast for employees. It will be held at the golf club and all the commissioners are invited, she said.
The next meeting of the Lookout Mountain, Tn. Commission will be Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 5 p.m.