The recycling center in Signal Mountain is used so much that a second compactor is being added. The bad news, however, said Town Manager Boyd Veal, is that WestRock, the company that provides the bins, collects the contents, hauls it away and processes the materials, is changing the way it charges. The town received a notice that effective immediately, the charge will be based on tonnage, not by the number of trips to take the single-streamed recyclable materials away.
Signal Mountain is looking at $13,500 per year in hauling fees in addition to paying the employees from Orange Grove who are stationed at the center.
The market is bad right now for plastics and paper, which makes it difficult for WestRock to sell recyclables, said Mr. Veal. The town is paid only for cardboard and scrap metal.
Mayor Dan Landrum said there will be no choice but to talk about a sticky issue, which is that a lot of people who use the town’s recycling center are not town residents. To limit use to those who live in the city limits of Signal Mountain, a procedure would need to be developed.
At the council meeting Monday night, other options for reducing the cost were discussed. The materials could be sorted, as they were in the past, or the town could use curbside pickup service from Republic. It is unknown now if these methods are more cost effective, however, if curbside pickup is used, the town would not be paid for cardboard, which averages around $700 per month, Public Works Director Loretta Hopper told the council. She said also that recycling has reduced waste that is disposed of by 25 percent, thereby reducing landfill costs.
Before the next council meeting, there will be discussions with WestRock and data will be determined relating to volume and the various methods of collecting recyclable materials.
Another topic discussed at the council meeting was the way to prevent payday lenders and pawn shops from locating in Signal Mountain while allowing other financial institutions such as banks and savings and loans. To dissuade a particular business, special approval from the council or a permit could be required. The town could list what lending institutions are allowed, that also have deposits, said Town Attorney Harry Cash. Council member Bill Lusk suggested that the market itself could regulate this, because he sees little use for these businesses in Signal Mountain. The matter will be sent to the planning committee to determine the best way to prevent them from locating in the town.
The rash of vehicle break-ins that have been occurring in Signal Mountain and around the Chattanooga area was also discussed. There have been some leads resulting in people being picked up in other jurisdictions, one officer told the council. The city manager said with the proliferation of surveillance cameras, the police have videos of some incidents. Some show the thieves checking car doors and they are not broken into if doors are locked, they merely move on. The best advice from the police is to be sure vehicles are kept locked.
In regular business, the council held a public meeting and approved, on the second vote, a zoning change at 1404 James Blvd. from Community C[GP1] ommercial District to Office District. The change will allow a day care center to be built in the previous location of the Olive Bean restaurant.
The council approved the purchase of two trucks. A work truck will be bought for an amount not to exceed $26,100 that will be used by the recreation department. The water department will get a crew cab truck at a price not to exceed $31,507.
Three appointments were made to city boards. Dick Graham was appointed as a member of the Historical Committee, David Wolfe as a member of the Parks Board and Jennifer Boyd as a member of the Tree Board.
An enforcement and response plan was adopted for the stormwater department to address violations or other non-compliance relating to the storm sewer system. Mr. Veal said that the plan is primarily for construction and developers and that it addresses stormwater issues and gives the town a way to enforce them.
An amendment was approved for the Stormwater Fund, which ended fiscal year 2018-2019 with a surplus of $120,000. That amount will be re-allocated to make urgent repairs for drainage improvements.
An amendment was also approved to the 2019-2020 General Fund to provide for revenues and expenditures that changed after the budget for the year was adopted. Some changes were expenses that were transferred from the past year. Two changes were for new expenses during the year that included an HVAC system and new windows at the Mountain Arts Community Center, and there was an increase in engineering fees for the James Boulevard project.