The proposed 2021 budget for Lookout Mountain, Tn., comes full of uncertainties due to the coronavirus pandemic, said Assistant Treasurer Samantha VanAlstyne. She said it will be a basic budget, planned with a five percent property tax increase. There is no cost of living increase for employees and no capital improvements are planned. The public works employees will have a pay scale change, so that hourly wages increase $1 for every five years they work for the town.
Ms. VanAlstyne said a tax increase is needed to off-set income that has previously come from the Hall Tax which has been phased out, she said, with 2020 being the last year any money will be received. In April, the town revenues included $20,000 in delinquent taxes and penalties, and the $105,000 PTA contribution for the school, said Ms. VanAlstyne in the financial report. Income from the parking meters was much less than normal because Point Park and the Incline have been closed. Expenses during the month include remodeling bathrooms at The Commons, buying an additional body cam for the police department, the cost of new car decals and renewal of membership in Bee City USA. The school board made the decision to give each teacher a bonus of $1,500 and a two and a half percent salary increase for the remainder of the year, with those payments funded by the town’s support.
Lookout Mountain should be receiving a local government support grant of $71,000 from the state, to be used for COVID related issues. If it is received, the money will be spent on public safety equipment and paving.
Despite the building being closed because of the coronavirus, there is a lot of activity at Lookout Mountain Elementary School, said Commissioner of Schools Brooke Pippenger. The last day of online learning is Friday. From May 18-22 there will be a coordinated schedule that will maintain social distancing, to drive by and pick up students’ belongings, report cards and awards and for returning items that belong to the school such as textbooks and chrome books from the fifth graders. The schedule will be emailed to parents and details are available at www.lookoutmountainschool.com.
Residents of Lookout Mountain, Tn. with rising kindergarteners need to register online for the coming year at www.HCDE.org. from May 18-22. On May 20, from 9-11 a.m. registration for parents who need Internet access can register in person by appointment only. Fifth grade graduation has been postponed until Saturday, Aug. 8, at 9 a.m. in the LMS Auditorium.
The school had open enrollment to fill 22 available seats divided among Kindergarten and first through fourth grades. Ms. Pippenger said more applications were received than the number of available spots, so students were chosen by a lottery controlled by the Hamilton County Board of Education. The winners were contacted on May 8. No transportation will be provided for those students.
The Commons is being prepared for summer activity even though it remains closed at this time. Opening of the playground will follow what Hamilton County does, said Mayor Walker Jones, but for now, it is closed until further notice. Commissioner of Parks and Playgrounds David Paschall said the sandbox that routinely collected water has been paved over and now the space has the flexibility to be used for tables.
Bathrooms in the pavilion have been revamped and are ready when the facility opens back up. Baseball and softball registration fees have been returned because the season will not take place this year. It is now certain that Commons Camp will not open on time, which had been scheduled for June 1 through July 17. If things do improve, changes could be made to the schedule such as having a shorter session that could open in July, said the commissioner. Soccer registration opened on May 4 for ages three years up to sixth grade.
Statistics from the fire and police department for April show that 175 calls were made to the police during the month and there were 12 calls to assist citizens and 18 calls to 911. Officers patrolled 4,806 miles, checked three burglar alarms that were all false and investigated 21 suspicious persons/vehicles or activities. There was one auto theft where a key had been left in the vehicle. It was recovered by the Chattanooga Police Department. There were 82 traffic stops made in April and one accident without injuries. One parking citation was written and one arrest was made for outstanding Hamilton County warrants. During the month, response was made for four medical calls - two in Tennessee and two in Georgia. There was just one false fire alarm in Tennessee but the department assisted with two fires in Georgia.
Commissioner of Fire and Police Jim Bentley reminds residents to be vigilant and to report any suspicious people to the police. When a road is closed, he said that means it is closed to walkers and bikers as well as vehicles. For the time being, the National Park Service is keeping Sunset Rock closed, said the commissioner. During the Covid-19 threat, there has been an attempt to prevent as many in-person court cases as possible. The ones that have not been settled remotely, will be heard on June 17-18.
The last dumpster for spring cleaning will be at the public works yard this coming Saturday. After this weekend, the once a month dumpster scheduled for the first Saturday of the month will resume, said Commissioner of Public Works Frank Schreiner. A budget amendment was approved at the commission meeting for the emergency purchase of a new garbage truck for Public Works. The low bid was $143,600 said Assistant Treasurer VanAlstyne. It will be delivered in the next couple of weeks and the old truck will be sold for salvage
The large amount of brush left along the streets for public works to pick up shows that there are a lot of people at home, said the commissioner, and the public works department this month will focus on removing it. The size of brush piles should not exceed 4x4x8 feet.
At the meeting, commissioners approved a new restrictive sign ordinance. Requirements include, among other things, limiting the size, placement, and location where signs can be placed. No advertising or directional signs and no lighting is allowed.
Carrington Montague, resident of the town, received permission from the commissioners to have the state archaeologist identify graves sites that are in the city owned property just south of the Baptist Church and possibly build a barrier to protect them.
Mr. Montague also suggested restricting commercial trucks from emptying their loads of debris at the town’s recycling center. He said that Lookout Mountain, Ga. had discontinued recycling, causing the bins in Tennessee to fill up. Mayor Jones said he was aware and that the town of Lookout Mountain, Ga., will be billed for half the cost of recycling.
The next meeting of the Lookout Mountain, Tn. Commission will be June 9 at 5:30.