All members of the Signal Mountain Town Council agreed that the Signal Mountain Elementary Preservation Fund (SMEPF) has been effective over the past three years to restore the building that is used for a community center. They disagreed about a future plan to manage the facility that was presented for the first time to the council on Monday night.
A proposal for the SMEPF to be given a five-year lease to operate the Mountain Arts Community Center (MACC) was met with caution.
The group managed it during the past year that was dominated by COVID causing it to be closed down from June 2020 to March 2021. Because of the extent of the closure, most of the council members felt that there was not a sufficient track record to rely on for future performance.
With their lease on the building about to expire, the SMEPF requested an extension of the lease for five years. Mayor Charles Poss made the recommendation to take smaller steps and extend the lease for one additional year to begin with, asking for a more formal plan to be given to the council. "The way we were approached is backward," he said. The original goal of the SMEPF was to preserve the building, which has been done by raising money and using volunteers for much of the work. The goal has shifted now and it is asking to manage the facility. Mayor Poss would like to know what the current mission is for the group.
He also objects to extending the current lease which would continue to hold the town responsible for paying all expenses. He said that he would like to know at the end of a five-year lease that the MACC is revenue neutral and the Preservation Fund is self-sufficient.
The Preservation Fund should have informed the council of the five-year lease proposal before their current lease was set to expire, said the mayor, adding that it should have been on the agenda for discussion and not for a vote.
Council member Dan Landrum countered, “What’s your plan?” He said that the town pays expenses for all of the properties it owns, including the sports fields. The mayor answered that he believes that baseball and football leagues should work toward becoming revenue neutral too. Councilman Landrum also said that if the council members had attended the MACC board meetings, to which they were invited, they would have known the plan. He told Mayor Poss that questioning the SMEPF was demoralizing and that he was tired of it. He said that those involved do good work and conversations about the long-term goals should be done in private.
“Dan, we’re a public entity and have to air our issues in public,” said the mayor.
Council member Andrew Gardner asked Town Attorney Harry Cash if the lease extension had to go first to the planning commission before coming to the council. Mr. Cash replied that the planning commission had approved the lease and that it could be extended with terms not included, and his opinion is that it would not need to go back to the planners. Councilman Gardner said after the renovations, the building is outstanding. He said he has respect and trust for the SMEPF but it is an asset that belongs to the citizens and did not get a good test last year, making it hard to judge. He said that he would like to see long-term objectives, and he, too, suggested a one-year lease to give time to develop a good plan, working toward a five-year lease. "If we had discussed it months ago, there would be a plan now," he said.
Vice Mayor Susannah Murdock suggested setting “goal posts” and including timing of goals in a new lease. She said it is common for non-profits to be required to document and give reports. She said that the SMEPF "has earned our trust but because it must be in the interest of the town, it is legitimate to raise the questions even though a short lease could make it harder to plan. The least we can do is to be civil and patient with each other.”
Town Manager Boyd Veal told the council that at a recent MACC board meeting, the members felt that their committee should be disbanded and recommended that the board be dissolved. They think the Preservation Fund should be operating it, and they have asked the MACC board to join them. He said that the town council can require quarterly reports and a yearly audit.
Angie Landrum, president of the SMEPF, told the council members that the organization is saving the town money because it is replacing a former employee and improvements have been made in the way it is run. She said it would be hard to get grants with a one-year lease because it makes the organization look “iffy.” She said, "We are offering you staff that costs the town nothing." And, she said it was unrealistic to think it could become self-sufficient in a short time and asked for the matter to be tabled.
"I’m not saying that you’re not doing a good job and that you shouldn’t operate it," said Mayor Poss. He said the ideal plan would be for another one-year lease when the building is open all year, working toward a five-year lease. “I’d be happy for you to run it , but after seeing a strategic plan,” he said.
“I’m happy to do that,” said Ms. Landrum.
After over an hour discussion, the motion passed to table the memorandum of agreement with the SMEPF.
In other business, the council voted to offer the administrative hearing officer position to Jeffrey Duke.
Special projects and compliance manager Sam Guin told the council that he has given precedence to update the town’s email service before the website. He said the cost would be partially reliant upon the amount of information that is archived and preserved. Council member Gardner will work with Mr. Guin on this process.
Information will be pulled together and put into a survey about Rainbow Lake Park. The survey will be online about four weeks and publicized to notify citizens.
A pay scale study is being done for town employees. It will be given to the personnel committee to look at and make recommendations before the council talks about it at a special meeting.