The 2023 audit report for the town of Lookout Mountain, Ga., was presented at the Thursday commission meeting. CPA Paul Johnson with Johnson, Murphey and Wright, said the city received a clean audit opinion and that overall the city is in great financial condition except in one area. That is the sewer fund, which is supposed to stand on its own. During the past year, the sewer fund made $820,000 but spent $942,000 on the sewer system. It is spending more that it is taking in and $275,000 had to be borrowed from the general fund in 2023. The auditor said expenses have to be cut. Vice Mayor Arch Willingham said that he and Wes Hasden, director of the sewer board, are aware of the problem and are working on a way to reduce costs related to the sewer.
In regular business, Kevin Leckenby, council liaison with the public works department, said that leaf season is in full force now, but the city is ready and the dry weather has helped them stay ahead. He requests for residents to be sure that leaves are placed where the truck will be able to reach them and to be careful not to cover any obstructions such as fire hydrants and guy wires.
Starting at the end of this week and lasting around 2-3 months, depending on the amount of mountain stone that is encountered, Atlanta Gas Company will be putting in a new gas line from the corner of Rainbow Drive through Fairy Dell Trail up through Wood Nymph. The community will be asked to avoid this section of the city unless they live on Wood Nymph and Fairy Dell.
A special project that the public works employees have done this month include hanging flags in observance of Veterans Day, Saturday.
Councilman Leckenby, who is a volunteer firefighter for the city, also cautions everyone to closely adhere to the burn ban that has been imposed by Walker County due to the extremely dry conditions. He said that the use of outdoor fire pits is banned until further notice. Just a single spark from a fire can ignite the dry leaves, he said.
The next dumpster day will be Dec. 2. He said come early since it usually fills up by 11 a.m.
Activities at Fairyland Elementary include a fundraiser for the school, the Great Pumpkin Chase, which was a success this year. The goal of raising $30,000 actually came in at around $31,000-$32,000. Cheerleaders from Ridgeland High School came to the school for the pep rally and parents enjoyed watching the kids race. On Thursday the school held “Pastries with the Principal.” This was the school’s third open meeting for parents who want to get to know the school, the teachers and the PTO. There will not be a PTO meeting in December. The Fairyland Elementary book fair hosted by Mrs. Cairns will be Dec. 11-15. The Christmas program for pre-K through first grade will be Dec. 12 and the program for second through fifth grade will be Dec. 13.
Vice Mayor Willingham reported that this month, the Planning Commission approved three secondary buildings with the condition that they cannot be rented. One application was denied because of problems with the set-backs.
City Manager Kenny Lee announced upcoming events on the mountain during the holiday season that include the Amani Ya Juu Christmas Sale next Thursday and Friday at Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church, where handcrafted gifts will be sold to support marginalized African women. The Lookout Christmas Market will be 10 a.m. on Dec. 2, Photos with Santa, is on Dec. 3 with donations going to Children’s Hospital at Erlanger, and Stockings Full of Love , which is a charity event to help all children in Walker County, will be Dec. 8.
Recent events held in the city and at the Fairyland Mountain Hall have been a success, said Mayor David Bennett. Halloween on Hardy raised money for the Lookout Mountain Fire Department and the Mountain Opry concert with bluegrass music and food trucks on Oct. 27, that was organized by Love Lookout, was "awesome," said the mayor. "The successes of these events are why we built the Mountain Hall," said Mayor Bennett. He said the city intends to keep planning events and using it for the special programs like these for the community.