The Soddy Daisy commissioners adopted the fiscal year 2019-2020 budget ordinance at the Thursday night meeting on first reading. No citizens spoke for or against the ordinance at the public hearing that was held prior to the vote. A second and final vote will be required.
This budget includes no tax increase, the rate remains at $1.3524 per $100 of assessed value of a property. Commissioner Jim Adams said that the city is in good financial shape with money in the bank and no debts and that will allow investments in capital projects.
Mayor Gene Shipley said that if the amount of growth that Soddy Daisy has been seeing continues, he feels like the city can continue with this tax rate indefinitely.
Included in this budget is a two percent across the board raise for the city’s employees. The purchase of four vehicles is planned for use by the police department. Analogue radios used by the police and fire departments have become obsolete and repairs cannot be made to them so the budget includes replacing them with digital radios that will be universally used. Included also is the replacement of 20 sets of turnout gear for the fire department. The playground is also getting all new equipment. The city will be responsible for $165,000 of the total cost of $330,000 because a 50/50 Grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation was received for the project. About eight miles of Dayton Pike will be paved with help from another grant that will pay 80 percent of the total cost.
The budget will be available at city hall for review.
One of the two backhoes used by the public works department is in the shop, and to fix it will cost about $33,000. Because it is 15 years old, it was decided not to spend that amount of money on such an old machine, but to instead buy a new one. Steve Grant, public works director has received a quote for $92,500 as a replacement. This unexpected purchase was not included in the new budget.
Mr. Grant also told the commissioners that an old wall built by WPA, along Dayton Pike that fell is the city’s responsibility to replace. “There’s no saving it,” he said. He said it was undermined with all the rain this year. The dangerous debris that collected in the lake, also due to heavy rains, remains a hazard. The city is in the process of determining a method for removing it.
An update to the city’s lien on property where the old Green Gables Motel sat, was discussed at the commission meeting. The city condemned and demolished the building several years ago and placed a lien on it for the $40,000 it took to remove asbestos along with the buildings. There are four or five other liens on the property that take precedence over Soddy Daisy’s, City Attorney Sam Elliot told the board. Mayor Shipley would like the land to be available for new development.