East Ridge’s municipal code was amended at the council meeting Thursday night pertaining to paid leave. In the past, time off for vacation, personal business and illnesses were all considered to be paid leave. City Manager Chris Dorsey presented a new plan that for now will only apply to employees who were hired after July 1, 2012. Eventually, the old plan will sunset and as time goes on all employees will be on the new plan.
In the new plan paid leave will be split into two categories, vacation leave and sick leave. Vacation time will accrue at a rate based on a chart, and can accumulate to a maximum of 320 hours. Above that, the vacation hours will be rolled over into sick leave balances yearly.
Sick leave will accumulate at the rate of eight hours per month with no cap on the total amount.
Employees who were hired prior to July 1, 2012 and who are on the old plan will have the one-time opportunity of converting to the new plan. It must be done before Aug. 31.
Mayor Brian Williams asked for amendments to the city code relating to council members and board appointments. He said that East Ridge depends on the important roles that the city’s boards play in running the city. They are an extension of the city council, he said. The council agreed and voted for the changes. Requirements were added to the ordinance that board members will have to meet before they are appointed. Included is that the vacancy will need to be announced in time to allow a two week notice so those interested in serving will have adequate time to apply. Applications must be completed to provide transparency that could reveal things such as a conflict of interest and to give the reasons that person would like to serve on the board and what their goals would be. There will also be written reasons for removing or disqualifying a person from a board. One person will only be allowed to serve on one city board at a time in the future.
The council accepted a donation of $1,000 from Madeline Orr for general care of the animals at the East Ridge Animal Shelter.
A settlement was authorized against Chattanooga Truck Center relating to an incident from two years ago when a firetruck was taken to the company for a full engine rebuild but it was not done. Instead of a lawsuit about the claim against what the city got versus what it expected, a settlement of $6,000 has been reached that will reimburse some of the expense.
Approval was given for the city to apply for and accept three grants that have all been awarded to East Ridge in the past. The Public Entity Partners “Safety Partners Loss Control” matching grant program is for helping municipalities purchase safety equipment for employees, such as work boots, safety glasses and gloves. If received, the city will get $6,000 with a 50 percent match.
The Public Entity Partners James L. Richardson Driver Safety Grant Program will provide $8,000 with a 50 percent match from East Ridge. It will be used for driver’s training and license checks for city employees, if received.
The Public Entity Partners Property Conservation Matching Grant for 2021 will also be for $8,000 with a 50 percent match. If awarded, this money would be used to installation of a security camera system at the playground, splash pad and community center areas.
A citizen’s request to make additions to the city’s noise ordinance stemmed from music coming from a neighbor’s house that is loud enough to be heard inside his residence, he said, day and night. The city’s noise ordinance addresses nuisance noise for the hours between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. The council will look at day time ordinances from other cities and discuss it at the next meeting.
The mayor announced a new polling location for all citizens of East Ridge for the November election. Voting will take place at Camp Jordan Arena which is big enough to accommodate social distancing. Early voting is not in the arena.
The next “Meet the Mayor” will be a virtual meeting on Thursday, July 30, from 7-8 p.m.
Mayor Williams announced that on Aug. 1, the Red Wolves will have their first home game at their new field. The match will begin at 5 p.m.
City Manager Dorsey said that planning for the city’s centennial celebration has begun. It is scheduled to take place on April 10, 2021. He also said that all the paperwork dealing with storm damage has been completed for FEMA and that grinding of all debris left behind has been finished.