Citizens Say City Facing Crime Problem
posted August 28, 2008
The East Ridge City Council voted 4-1 on Thursday night on second and final reading for a 21-cent property tax increase.
The council also decided to separate eight proposals for city charter changes over fears that voters might strike down the whole package over one that calls for much-higher higher pay for the mayor and council members.
And a number of citizens expressed concern that East Ridge has become plagued with a crime problem.
Denny Manning was again the only council member to oppose the tax hike, which brings the levy to $1.28 per $100 of assessed valuation.
Mayor Mike Steele said it is a "bare-bones" budget except for three percent raises for employees, $1,000 each to 38 police officers, the hiring of three more police officers and the addition of a parttime codes inspector.
The charter change proposals will be on the Nov. 4 ballot.
Dick Cook, who served on a citizen group that drew up the proposals, said he was afraid the whole group would be voted down if they are all lumped together because of opposition to the pay hike.
The pay proposal calls for the salary of the mayor to go to $12,000 and the council members to $7,200. That would go into effect next July.
The pay is now $3,000 for the mayor and $2,400 for the council members.
Jack Jordan, a former council member, said he spent 14 years on the council and other boards and was not paid anything.
He said of the pay measure, "I'm against it. I hope it gets voted down."
He said it would be a new $40,000 budget item for the city (minus the $5,400 now paid).
Mr. Cook said he felt the higher pay "would draw a better quality of candidates."
The council voted unanimously to have the issues voted on separately.
Some of the other items include changing the election of the city judge to the same date as General Sessions Court judges, eliminating the necessity for reading entire ordinances at council meetings, cutting out mayor runoff elections, requiring that vacancies be filled in 90 days, and setting requirements for city managers (bachelor's degree in public administration, at least three years in municipal government, and certified by a national city/county group.
Mr. Cook said the charter had not been changed since the move to the council form of government in 1992.
Mayor Steele said the work of the panel "was not driven by this mayor and council." Vice Mayor Jerry Petty said he had stayed away from the charter study meetings.
On the issue of hiring a new city manager, Mayor Steele said there are now over 30 candidates.
A deadline of Sept. 15 was set for applications. The resumes will be graded by the Municipal Technical Services Agency (MTAS).
On the crime issue, Elaine Taylor told the council, "I have been a resident of East Ridge for 45 years and for the first time I don't feel safe."
She said there had been a rash of burglaries and the robbery of a woman at gunpoint at her mailbox on Mission Oaks - without any publicity.
Ms. Taylor said, "These kind of incidents should be put in the paper so the residents will know that this is going on."
She said the woman who was robbed was at her mailbox when several black males came up, pointed a gun at her, and took her purse. She said the woman is now terrified and sleeps with the lights on and all the doors locked.
A police officer at the meeting said the robbers carried out a similar holdup in Chattanooga and were caught. He said they are East Ridge residents.
Debbie Lehigh said she and her partner have expanded to over 20,000 square feet of antiques at their location near the freeway exit. She said they spend $1,600 a month in marketing.
But she said the business is threatened by the adjacent Superior Lodge extended stay motel. She said the business has numerous panhandlers, there are prostitutes (including one at work at 2 p.m.), "crack heads," and a man who walks by without a shirt and pulling a dog with a phone cord.
She said the windows were knocked out by teens on a customer's car on Sunday.
Ms. Lehigh said she fears if the hotel-motel room tax is raised as the council is considering, then other motels in East Ridge will convert to extended stay.
Mayor Steele said the Superior Lodge has been a focus of city officials.
He said the increase on the room tax would bring it in line with Chattanooga's. The council put off a vote on that issue so that Mayor Steele can meet with hotel and motel operators.
Mayor Steele said the city is working on a tighter panhandling ordinance.
Debbie Moorefield said she grew up in East Lake, and she said she recently saw a street in East Ridge that reminded her of her former neighborhood.
Derek Elledge, youth minister at the Calvary Assembly of God, said there are a handful of skateboarders who cause vandalism and other problems, but he said his church is trying to reach out to the skateboarders.
He said a special Extreme skating event was organized and over 400 attended. He asked the city to consider buying ramps that skateboarders can use - either at his church or at the city recreation center.
He said his church allows skateboarding at its property and has not suffered vandalism.
On another matter, Mr. Jordan asked city officials what had become of "Splish Splash." He referred to a multi-million-dollar water park that was supposed to go in on Ringgold Road, but has never opened.
Mayor Steele said he knew only what he has read in the paper - that a major investor on the project had died.
Councilman Manning said he just spoke with promoter David Mays, who told him that other backers have been lined up.
He said Mr. Mays stated he is looking at two sites, but right now it is set for East Ridge.
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