Red Bank is a hot market, said Mayor John Roberts. Along with the new commercial and residential development, traffic has also increased. The infrastructure has not kept up with the growth, he said, and the city recognizes the need to improve some secondary roads. The cost to do this will be around $1 million. Half of that will come from the State Street Aid fund. A 20-cent property tax increase is needed to cover the remaining $500,000. The State Improvement Act passed last year has caused a decrease of state sales tax that the city receives, plus revenue from the Hall Tax is going away, said the mayor.
The new tax rate will be $1.39 per $100 of assessed value, up from the current rate of $1.18. This will mean that property taxes on a $150,000 house will increase $75 a year. The FY 2018-2019 budget that includes the tax increase passed on first reading at the commission meeting Monday night after a public hearing. The second and final vote will take place at the June 19 commission meeting. The commission also amended the current budget to account for overages during the last year.
Part of the overall zoning plan for the central business district is to build pedestrian islands along Dayton Boulevard. The commission approved a contract with Adams Contracting in the amount of $359,271 for the construction. A state grant will pay 80 percent of the cost, with the city responsible for the remaining 20 percent.
Examples of the residential growth taking place in Red Bank were evidenced with two rezoning requests Tuesday night. Developer Tyler Smith received final rezoning of about an acre and a half at 525 Hedgewood Dr. The property was rezoned from R-1 to R-T/Z Residential Townhomes Zero Lot Line Zone for the single-family dwellings that he said will become an energy efficient “net zero community.” Property located at 128 Goodson Ave. was also zoned from R-1 to R-T/Z.
The commission approved an amendment to the city’s Mobile Food Truck/Push Cart Ordinance. They will now be allowed in all commercial zones. The hours that they are allowed to operate will also be expanded.
Since the state law was amended to allow it, Red Bank’s Administrative Hearing Officer will hear zoning related citations and infractions.
A group of residents came to the meeting on Tuesday to ask the city to prohibit homes in their neighborhoods from being used for short term rentals. Since houses have been used this way, they said cars are coming and going all times of the day and night and strangers who could cause harm, are in what used to be quiet neighborhoods where residents all know each other. They said that there currently are 81 houses advertised in Red Bank on Airbnb alone, not counting the other similar websites. Mayor Roberts responded that City Attorney Arnold Stulce is now attempting to interpret a new state law to determine how Red Bank can regulate these rentals because the bill passed by the state of Tennessee took control away from local governments.
City Manager Randall Smith announced a new program the city will provide to communicate with residents regarding events that affect Red Bank. The notification service is REACH Alert. It will alert residents to things such as road closures or delays, waterline breaks, power outages or hazmat situations. Residents and businesses must register to opt in to the system by going to www.reachalert.com.
Starting on June 6, WWTA will be conducting smoke tests within Red Bank as part of a program to detect failures and leaks in the sewer system. Mr. Smith said the non-toxic smoke may be seen coming from roof vents. He suggests pouring water into all infrequently used fixtures to keep the smoke in the pipes. If it is seen entering the house, it would indicate a problem with plumbing in the building. It is expected that the testing will take about two days. More information is available on the city of Red Bank website.
Red Bank has also added a new “problem button” on its website that will email the town about any problem the city should know about. The city manager gave an update on the Kids Corner Park, which has already been closed about a month for improvements. He said the work is now around 80 percent finished, but depending on the weather, it may be another month before it will be open again.
Construction has also been started on renovation of the building on Dayton Boulevard that will become the new city hall. That work is expected to be finished by December.
The Red Bank Farmer’s Market is open now through October on every Monday from 4-7 p.m. at Kids Corner Park. It is set up by the stage.