Collegedale has received the calculations for property tax rates which is $1.3897 per $100 of appraised value, said City Manager Wayon Hines. He told the commissioners on Monday night that the certified rate from the state should be received at the end of this week. A public hearing will be held on the property tax rate at the Aug. 16 commission meeting.
The Collegedale Police Department will be getting more vehicles and equipment. Five Dodge Durango SUVs are in the new budget and at the commission meeting Monday night, Police Chief Jack Sapp received permission to order the vehicles so the purchasing process can begin.
The price of each SUV will be $34,060 for a total of $170,315, which is under the budgeted amount. The price does not include the additional police equipment that will need to be added to the cars.
Mobile CAD software that will work with the city-leased laptops for each full-time officer was also authorized. The total price is a little over the budget, said the chief, but can be made up elsewhere. The total cost of $33,541 includes 26 licenses that will not expire, plus training and fees. There will be a recurring expense each year for maintenance of $6,500-$7,000.
Chris Swain, director of the Collegedale Municipal Airport, will apply for an Airport Maintenance Grant from TDOT that the city receives each year. The grant will cover maintenance costs up to $15,000 with 95 percent paid by TDOT and Collegedale being responsible for just $789 or five percent.
Commissioners also gave the approval to renew the lease with the flight school Aviation Specialists, Inc. which operates out of the Collegedale Airport. The business has two aircraft and Mr. Swain said a least one of them is used every day. The term of the lease is for five years at $8,640 annually with $720 paid monthly.
Collegedale Commissioners gave Eastside Utility an easement for the Apison Pike relocation project. The easement is on city-owned property that is adjacent to the airport. There will be a ribbon cutting for adding the name “Veterans Memorial Parkway” to Apison Pike. City Manager Hines will coordinate a date for the ceremony between the city and TDOT.
Public meetings and the second and final vote took place at the meeting for two ordinance amendments. Language was reinstated in the city’s animal control code that had been inadvertently deleted 8-10 years ago. The ordinance now specifies dogs cannot be running at large and requires that they be confined.
Final approval was given to the ordinance that regulates camping on city-owned properties. Camping is not allowed in city parks or rights of way without permission, which mirrors state laws.