The town of Signal Mountain is continuing to update the way it operates including the addition of jobs, new procedures, equipment and a new website. At the Monday night council meeting, approvals were given that will allow some of these initiatives to move forward. A resolution passed that made changes to the administrative organizational chart and job descriptions. An additional job was approved for the administrative department which adds a Human Resources assistant. The person filling this position will bring together responsibilities that are currently spread out through multiple employees. With one person having oversight, it is expected that miscommunication will be minimized. Another job that has been added is an IT specialist.
The internal controls manual currently being used was last updated in 2016. On the recommendation of Town Manager Elaine Brunelle, the council approved an updated version. One new provision gives the town manager the ability to respond to emergency situations without council approval when there is no time to spare, however any changes that have been made throughout the year must be approved by the council at a yearly vote.
A lengthy discussion took place about janitorial services for the city’s facilities. Requests for proposals had been sent out twice yet only two bids were received, and only one of those met all the conditions listed on the RFP. The council members questioned the $45,500 annual cost or $3,725 per month, which is higher than the monthly charge of $2,800 that is now being paid. The current company is unable to provide all the services the town wants and the frequency of the work, so there was difficulty in comparing the two companies. The town manager will compile cleaning costs of both companies and the cost of extra services and supplies to present them at the next council meeting, before deciding how to move forward with a yearly contract.
Ms. Brunelle reminded the council that a kickoff meeting with the company chosen to develop Signal Mountain’s new website will be in mid-January. She also told the council that the “state of the town” presentation will be made on Jan. 23 at the council’s work session.
The Signal Mountain recycling center that has been closed for renovations will reopen on Tuesday. Public Works Director Loretta Hopper reported that in November around 5,000 visits were made to the center. Council Member Clay Crumbliss has found two EPA recycling grants - one for solid waste recycling and the other for education and outreach about recycling, and suggested that the city apply for them. One idea is to see if the grants could be retroactive and used to pay for the new building at the recycling center. Being aware of the long application time needed for federal grants, consensus of the council was that it would be difficult to meet the Jan. 16 deadline to submit the application this year.
Picking up leaves has been the focus of the public works department, said Director Loretta Hopper. There is a goal to provide for one round of leaf pick-up for each address before Christmas, she said.
Reports from other department heads highlighted activities that took place during November. Fire Chief Eric Mitchell said that, in addition to typical calls, his department had participated in some fun activities. The police and fire departments had a cornhole tournament at Station 2. Proceeds were used to benefit social services on Signal Mountain. And Santa Claus was taken to the MACC in a fire truck on the night of the Christmas tree lighting. MACC board member Dick Graham said a contest to ride in the fire truck was almost as popular with the kids as seeing Santa. Two firefighters have advanced to the EMT registry, he said. The fire department has also been doing safety inspections in homes checking and installing fire detectors, said Council Member Crumbliss. Money from the state is paying for this service so there is no cost to the homeowner.
Police Chief Mike Williams said the police received new in-car printers that will allow officers to scan and print as stops are made, and enables violations to be sent to the state and court system immediately from the vehicle. The devices will streamline the whole process, he said.
Jarred Thompson, director of the parks and recreation department, said that all fall programs are now finished. Basketball season has just begun with 720 kids playing. His department is doing maintenance on the pool daily to keep it in good shape during the winter and the employees oversaw 16 pavilion and 14 gym rentals in November. These employees also helped to mitigate drainage problems that have been causing flooding in some offices of city hall. The Lions Club Christmas train was put up and playgrounds were mulched.
Dick Graham told the council that the Christmas Tree lighting this year was a very successful community event, estimating that around 900 people attended.
Vice Mayor Elizabeth Baker reported on a meeting of municipalities in the Chattanooga area, for a push to share in the state sales taxes. She encourages people living in Signal Mountain to ask their representatives to support the effort.
A representative from the council is assigned to each of the boards and committees made up of volunteers. The purpose of these liaisons is to alert the council to what the boards are doing and what they have concerns about. The council liaison appointments were made for the coming year. Council Member Vicki Anderson was appointed to the Historical Committee, the Stormwater Appeals Board, the Library Board and to the Recycling Subcommittee. Vice Mayor Baker was appointed to the Condemnation Board and Municipal Planning Committee. Mayor Charles Poss will also be a liaison to the Municipal Planning Commission and the council representative to the Construction Board of Appeals. Council Member Crumbliss was appointed to the Board of Zoning Appeals, the Design Review Commission and the Personnel Committee.
The next regularly scheduled council meeting, which was for the day after Christmas, has been cancelled.