The Soddy Daisy Commission Thursday night voted to accept a gift of $50,000 from Hamilton County Commissioner Fred Skillern’s discretionary fund. The money comes to the city to be used for the expansion or replacement of Fire Hall # 3 on the south end of town. The funds must be used for that building in the next three years and, if it has not been used by then, it must be used for a facility at the Kid’s Club ball field.
Commissioner Gene Shipley said that he anticipates work on the fire hall will start within the next year. The city will combine this gift with money that the city has set aside and gifts from the Red Bank Soddy Daisy Foundation for the building project.
The budget for fiscal year 2014-2015 was approved on second and final reading. The property tax rate was established at the rate of $1.3524 per $100 of assessed value.
The commissioners also adopted a classification and pay plan for city employees. Commissioner Patti Skates amended this resolution to change the police budget by adding $2,000 for the salary of the chief. This was approved unanimously.
Compensation of the city judge was also established for a period of time between Sept. 1, 2014 through Aug. 31, 2022. Mayor Janice Cagle explained that the salary was established for eight years because by law it is not allowed to be changed during the judge’s term of service. She said that an escalating clause of a two percent increase per year was included in the ordinance.
A resident of Walden Street asked the city for help. The city widened the road in the past and put up four no parking signs at a busy intersection. At that time a house located on one corner was vacant. Someone is now living in that house, and one of the no parking signs in front of the house has been knocked down. Three or four cars are always parked on the street in front of that house, which blocks sight to the intersection.
City Manager Hardie Stulce said the public works department could replace the sign and enforce the no parking rule due to it presenting a dangerous situation.
Due to a policy established by city leaders several years ago dealing with retirement, two retiring police officers will be left uninsured because of the way the city handled it, The city manager was given approval to extend the date that Soddy Daisy will provide insurance for these men until the issue has been resolved.
In her report, the mayor said she had been getting a lot of questions about E-cigarettes being used inside city-owned buildings. She said the vapor is offensive to some people. There actually have been people doing it during City Court. The commissioners were asked to either act on it or think about it for future discussion.