The town of Signal Mountain has been updating its fee schedule. The new or revised fees are for covering the cost of services that are being provided to residents and business owners. At the Monday council meeting, changes were approved for the Public Works fees that will be charged to commercial customers regarding the removal of refuse.
The changes to the municipal code that passed on the first reading are what will be charged for additional trash receptacles, in addition to the first one. Non-residential customers will be provided with the first can at no charge, but the second, third and fourth cans will each cost $240. There also will be no charge for the pick-up of one can, but the rate will be $20 per month for the second, third and fourth. The $20 monthly fees will be charged to customers quarterly on the same schedule residential customers will be billed.
Another amendment to the fee schedule pertains to notary services provided by the town. Going forward, there will be a $20 fee per person per visit for this service.
The council approved using American Rescue Plan money received by Signal Mountain to purchase items for the fire and police departments after verifying that the uses were eligible as investments in public health and safety infrastructure. New Tasers will be bought for the police department for $63,367. And $22,663 will be spent to buy radios for the fire department.
In a quarterly report delivered to the council, Public Works Director Wesley Stokes said that reorganization of the department is almost done. He said the employees are being given all the free training that is available for various parts of their jobs. During the snow and ice season 50 tons of salt and 3,000 gallons of brine were used to keep the roads operational and passible for emergencies. Scraping the roads also scraped off reflectors, but they have been replaced. An air curtain burn box that was bought several years ago but never used will be put into service. Mr. Stokes said a suitable location has been identified and the incinerator has been put on the site. The permit for operating it is pending and expected to be approved by the end of this week. Staff will be trained to use the burn box which was designed for pollution control.
A new plan to divert cardboard out of the transfer station has been working, he said. The town has to pay to have materials transported from the transfer station. But if cardboard is taken to the recycling center, it can be sold. A new recycling dumpster has now been placed at the transfer station so cardboard can be disposed of there in addition to the recycle center, and it all can be sold. Another project taking place is a hydrology survey that is being done for the town hall building to develop a plan to eliminate water intrusion.
The last weekend in March the fire and police departments handled several emergencies when a hiker fell from Signal Point and assistance was given to Walden’s first responders when a biker fell from Edwards Point. That same weekend another hiker broke their ankle on a trail and response was made to an overdose. Fire Chief Larry Sloan said that the training given to first responders in Signal Mountain was put to good use during that time. From January through the end of March he said the fire department had handled 141 incidences that were non-fire related. Medical and rescue calls make up most of the calls that are received, said the chief.
The department also handled 35 service calls for assistance from citizens including falls by residents at Alexian. There were three mutual aid calls for help from other agencies during that time and the Signal Mountain Fire Department assisted other cities three times in those three months. A fairly new program that the fire department is participating in is installing residential Knox Boxes. The boxes hold a key to the building and only the fire department has a key to open it in the event of an emergency.
The Signal Mountain Police Department has been participating in safe driving initiatives since January, Police Chief Mike Willliams told the council. The last three months, traffic stops have doubled in response from complaints coming from the neighborhoods. The department also held a successful blood drive in January. Chief Williams said that the police will be watching for cars parked on the sidewalks in Old Towne in response to concern for walkers from Mayor Charles Poss.
Finance Director Jennifer Broomfield said the town has received $5,780,000 in property taxes and some is still trickling in. The majority of stormwater fees have also been paid.
The Water Utility experienced above average repairs and leaks during the cold and snow this past quarter, said Matt Justice, director of the Signal Mountain water utility. There were nine main breaks associated with the bad weather, causing significant leaks, though he said the department reacted to repair them as fast as possible. The 50 percent reimbursement for the large water project that was done on Palisades Drive has been received from TDOT, and reimbursement for the interconnection project with Walden is starting to come in, the council was told.
The applications for another grant from TDOT was denied which was for striping and paving and assessment of the roads. The likely reason is that Signal Mountain has a TDOT grant open for sidewalks in the Old Towne district. Another consequence of the outstanding status of that grant is that the planning commission will not pursue, at this time, another grant for a multi-modal project along Taft Highway.
In his report from the library, Director John Atkinson said that the notary and passport services now being offered at the library, are bringing in around $2,000 each month. Plans are in progress for the summer enrichment programs for children with activities such as art and dance classes and a petting zoo. This program will start June 4 and will continue for the following seven weeks.
Signal Mountain’s new Town Manager Matt Trollinger begins on April 15. The afternoon before his first council meeting an open house will be held at the MACC where other town managers in the area will be invited to meet him.