Candidates Should State Facts, Not Fiction

  • Wednesday, September 17, 2014

At a recent forum for candidates for the Signal Mountain Town Council, one candidate, Mr. Chris Howley, discussed a number of issues and presented “facts” using incorrect or misleading statements.  Here are several issues that should be clarified:

1.      On the road up the mountain:  “I called TDOT.  I talked to Ken Flynn.  He said he hadn’t met with the town about the roads going up and down the mountain—one of those goes down we’re in trouble—said he hadn’t talked to anybody about a plan with the town in 5 years.”

FACT: The town has had an on-going and excellent working relationship with TDOT for the past 8 years.  I worked with our Council, TPO and TDOT to restrict commercial truck traffic on our road.  I sit on the Board of the Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) where we were successful in securing a study that supported the road’s inclusion in TDOT’s 2040 Regional Transportation Plan, which provides for $13 million in improvements to our road by 2020.  All of this information is readily available at www.chcrpa.org/2040rtp.htm.

In addition, our Public Works Director sits on TPO’s Technical Coordinating Committee where she regularly works on issues, grants, and projects such as sidewalks, the resurfacing of James, and others.

While he is a valuable resource at TDOT and for all municipalities in the 24 counties in Region 2, Mr. Flynn does not decide which projects are approved and funded and which are not.

2.      On paying down our school-related debt:  “When we annexed Fox Run and Windtree that pool of revenue increased over what we expected.  So your options are you leave it in there to collect interest or you pay off the bond, it’s the only thing it can be used for.”

FACT:   This is the first year the town has collected taxes from Windtree and Fox Run.  No revenue from either subdivision has been applied to the school-related debt to date.  Meanwhile, the debt is on track to be retired by 2016.  Our conservative approach to budgeting and debt reduction has contributed to our recent Aa3 bond rating from Moody’s, which is a significant accomplishment for a town, our size.

3.      Referring to the Town Council:  “They forgot about the schools.  That’s why we need a family representative, somebody who has kids in schools.”

FACT:  The Council voted, consistent with the referendum, to borrow and pay up to $7.7 million to fund our portion of the construction of SMMHS and invested approximately $700,000 through the years to pay for an SRO even though that cost rightfully belongs to Hamilton County.  We continue to work to ensure that an SRO is placed at SMMHS and to that end, we have met with various representatives of the County as recently as last week.  During that meeting, we confirmed that no municipality, other than Chattanooga and East Ridge, provides a full-time SRO to a Hamilton County school. In the interim, we are rotating SMPD officers through SMMHS to ensure coverage until we reach a mutually agreeable long-term solution.

We all have families, and are parents and grandparents of kids in schools. I have a son at SMMHS.  A third of the town’s volunteers on significant boards, commissions and committees have kids in schools.  In addition, about 14.9% of our budget funds programs that benefit our kids at the Mountain Arts Community Center, our Recreation Department and our Library.

From all candidates for public office, we deserve an honest, well-researched and straightforward presentation of the issues of importance to our community.

Bill Lusk

Mayor

Town of Signal Mountain 


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