The town of Signal Mountain is in the midst of making a lot of technological upgrades that will benefit the city offices, the council and the public. At the council meeting Monday night the vote was unanimous to enter into a contract with Champ Video Services to provide remote access to commission and committee meetings. Of the proposals received, this company offers most of what the council was looking for. Approval was given for the one-time cost of $9,600 and the annual $3,000 charge.
A new website for the town will also be created. The desired features include being responsive to feedback, adaptive and easy to access. There are basics that need to be on the website, but the companies being considered also offer add-ons for additional charges. From the presentations, Mayor Charles Poss said it was difficult to know exactly what the town would be getting from the two main contenders making it impossible to compare. A request will be made from each, for the features that are included in the base cost without any add-ons.
Town Manager Elaine Brunelle is also requesting to put out a request for proposals for financial management software. She would like to set a goal of implementing the new system at the beginning of the next fiscal year.
Signal Mountain is also discussing a new native plant ordinance that would affect both subdivision regulation and plantings on town owned property. The council will rely on the tree board working with the parks board to determine what will be appropriate and enforceable.
The repair of sidewalks in the Old Town neighborhood has been up in the air for 13 years. A grant was received to help with the cost, but along with the money, came requirements from TDOT, and they have changed over time. Now, Ms. Brunelle has received a new estimate for completing the project, which is March 2023. She has been told the longest part of the remaining process is for the acquisition of right-of-way from over 100 property owners. Councilman Andrew Gardner proposed building the sidewalks without using the grant money if the timeline is pushed back again caused by all the added work that TDOT requires.
The town manager has received requests from residents who are eligible to receive tax credits to also make adjustment to their stormwater fees. She said that after studying the stormwater ordinance, the fees cannot be waived. The user fee can only be changed up or down with a variation in volume or a rate change. Any resident can appeal their charge to the stormwater appeals board if they believe it is too high.
An assessment has been made of the town hall that noted significant sinking on one side of the building that has been caused by water intrusion under the building. Monitoring equipment will be used to determine if the movement has stopped. The suggestion was to jack-up the building until then. A new roof will also be needed.
It had been hoped that good information for a new pay scale for town employees would be provided by the advisory service MTAS. What was received was insufficient and now the city will need to develop its own pay scale. Information from municipalities similar to Signal Mountain will be utilized as well as meetings between the city manager and the department heads to hear their expectations.
Property tax information is now online on the Signal Mountain website, where payments can be made.
On Monday night, appointments were made to complete various town boards. They are:
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Planning Commission - Laura McCormick
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Recreation Board – Chelsea Cole
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Recycling Subcommittee – Karen Ditmar, Cheryl Graham, Paul Hendricks, Debbie Poss, Suzanne Riggle, James Rockwell and Stewart Williams
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Stormwater Board – Joshua Rogers