East Ridge Facing More Infrastructure Costs At Exit 1; City Told Insurance To Go Up $600,000

  • Friday, June 9, 2017
  • Gail Perry

East Ridge City Manager Scott Miller, at the council meeting Thursday night, said the city is responsible for even more costs associated with the reconfiguration of the Exit 1 interchange leading into the Bass Pro Shop development. The newest expense is associated with sewer repair/replacement of an existing 12-inch clay pipe that runs under the northeast loop of the interchange where a ramp will be built. There is the threat of the line collapsing with additional weight over it.

 

That sewer line is owned by WWTA, but it will be abandoned when WWTA constructs a new inceptor line in several years. Therefore, WWTA has asked for an interlocal agreement in which East Ridge will be responsible for the cost of engineering and repairs made to the line in the amount of $60,530. The city will also be required to maintain the improvements and pay insurance on the facilities until it is replaced by WWTA. The costs will be funded with the Border Region sales tax dollars, said the city manager. The work must be done before the project moves forward.

 

Mr. Miller told the council that with the passage of a new Tennessee gas tax, redesigning and rebuilding the I-24/I-75 interchange is the number one highway project in the state. He said he expects construction to begin the summer of 2018.

 

The council approved a budget amendment appropriating money to pay for unexpected items that were not included in the fiscal year 2016-2017 budget. Approval was also given to operate the city on a continuation budget while waiting on final appraisals and a tax rate that will be established by the Hamilton County’s assessor’s office. After it is received, a finalized annual budget for 2017-2018 can be adopted.

 

City Manager Miller said that a 15 percent increase has been included in the proposed budget for increased costs expected for employee health insurance. The city’s current insurance provider is Blue Cross Blue Shield, which has notified East Ridge that there will be a $600,000 increase in insurance coverage, amounting to 38 percent. Because the city had several large claims this past year, the insurer lost hundreds of thousands of dollars on East Ridge, he said. To get the cost lowered, the city manager and insurance agent are in the process of investigating offers from two other insurance providers.

 

A new state bill has been passed making it difficult for cities, county governments, towns and municipalities to prohibit guns, said Mr. Miller. He said that if there is a sign on a public building that says “no weapons allowed,” then it must be enforced by providing metal detectors at each exterior door along with a security officer or private guard to make inspections. This would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars he said, and is the reason that he will be recommending that all such signs be removed from public buildings in East Ridge. “This bill is of concern,” he added.

 

After hearing from citizens that have been affected by noise and dust from a recreational motorized vehicle track in their neighborhood during the past two council meetings and hearing an explanation from the owner of the track, the property is now up for sale. City Attorney Mark Litchford drafted an ordinance regulating the operation of four-wheelers within the city limits of East Ridge. The property is now up for sale, but Mayor Lambert suggested voting on the ordinance to establish a base line regarding use of these vehicles.

 

City Council member Esther Helton asked for an amendment that would loosen the restrictions concerning hours and days of operation. She suggested allowing the vehicles to be driven from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. on Sundays and federally recognized holidays. Commissioner Brian Williams said that he did not want to stop children from being able to use the vehicles, but when it becomes a nuisance he believes that those affected should be protected. Despite that explanation, Mr. Williams voted in favor of allowing the vehicles to operate from 1-5 p.m. on Sundays and holidays. The ordinance that regulates use of RMVs within the city limits was passed unanimously.

 

Codes Enforcement Officer Kenny Custer proposed updates to a series of city codes in order to simplify the processes and tracking as well as the fees charged by the city. Ordinances amending the building code, the fire and life safety code, the fuel gas code, the electrical code, the plumbing code and mechanical codes were all approved.

 

The council voted to apply for four grants. The 2017 Petfinder Foundation Kong Pet Toy Grant Program, if received, would offer enrichment toys to the East Ridge animal shelter while waiting on their forever home. The 2017 Bureau of Justice Assistance Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant would provide 50 percent of the cost to buy 10 new ballistic vests for the East Ridge Police Department. If received, the city would be responsible for the other 50 percent. The cost of each vest is $725. Another grant that will be applied for will also help the police, if received. The U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services Hiring Program would be worth $525,000 for four years, and would be used for the addition of two police officers, for community policing and crime prevention. The Georgia-Pacific Foundation Bucket Brigade Grant would give the city $18,750, with no matching funds required, for replacement gear for the East Ridge fire department.

 

 

 

 

 

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