The fiscal year 2016-2017 budget was given approval on the second and final reading Tuesday night at the Red Bank Commission meeting. It has been described as a basic budget and did not require a property tax increase. The property tax rate will remain at $1.35 per every $1,000 of assessed value of property. The 2016 budget also was amended as a bookkeeping measure, so that expenditures and revenues last year were reconciled with the actual costs, which in some cases were higher than planned.
Updates have taken place at city hall to comply with two policies.
From time to time, said City Manager Randall Smith, rules, regulations and polices need to be reviewed to ensure that its employees know how to operate equipment and vehicles safely. The adoption of an ordinance and implementation of the OSHA program was passed on first reading Tuesday night.
The other program that was put into place was to satisfy the comptroller for the state of Tennessee, who has required that every city create and submit an Internal Controls Policy relating to financial issues. This policy is to make sure that funds are not mismanaged. The Red Bank commissioners approved the plan which will now be forwarded to the comptroller for state approval.
The renewal of a contract with the Humane Education Society in the amount of $69,990 for animal control services was approved. This is the same amount the city paid in 2016.
Mayor John Roberts told the audience that there will be two fireworks displays available on the Fourth of July, one in Soddy Daisy and the other on Signal Mountain. Red Bank will not have a display, he said, with Fire Chief Mark Mathews announcing that Red Bank has a no burn policy in effect until September. t.
One of the items that this commission has been focused on is economic development in Red Bank. Mayor Roberts said that since 2010 the city has been trying to find a business that would locate in the old BiLo site at Dayton Boulevard and Browntown Road. He announced that B and B Discount has now bought the building and will move to that location.