The first discussions by the Soddy Daisy commissioners about the 2023-2024 budget will be next week. One of the most pressing items will be the creation of a pay plan for the city’s employees across the board. Commissioner Gene-o Shipley said that the city has lagged behind in salaries, plus there is a need for more employees, specifically citing Fire Chief Dusty Morgan who said that three more firefighters are needed. Mayor Steve Everett said not only do the fire and police departments need additional people but administration also needs help.
The city has been facing a lot of retention issues, said the mayor. Most of those who left this year have gone to better paying jobs. Soddy Daisy can match some of them and others they cannot, he said. The expectation is that better pay will stop people from leaving. The commissioners will be looking for ways to do that without raising property taxes. Retaining employees saves money for the city, said the mayor. He said that in the last eight months, the fire department has trained 11 new firefighters which costs about $8,000 for each. He said the $88,000 the city spent in training expenses this past year is about half of what the city wants to add to the pay plan. And he said that Fire Chief Morgan has come up with a way to fund a pay plan for his department. Nobody on the board of commissioners is for a tax increase, he said, but if it happens "it is only because we had to do it."
Commissioner Shipley said it is not the time for a tax increase and that working together may result in a way to raise pay without raising property taxes.
Mayor Everett also would like residents to know that the city is having road work done. He said he is aware that people question the priority of projects the city takes on, but they are not aware sometimes of where the money comes from such as from grants that require matching funds from the city and sometimes that process moves slowly. The city will work to inform citizens in Soddy Daisy of what is planned and the status of the projects by putting the information on social media and the city’s website.
The volunteer organization Keep Soddy Daisy Beautiful has three projects planned over the next two months. First is a day to clean up Little Soddy Creek. Volunteers will start at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, to remove tires and various other litter. Nate Sandin told the commissioners that last year, the first time the cleanup was held, over 200 tires were taken out of the creek.
The second annual Cleanup Challenge, another beautification project, is scheduled to take place on April 7. More information about this will soon be on the Keep Soddy Daisy Beautiful website.
The third event will be celebrating Arbor Day on March 4. Volunteer Jim Stewart said it was originally planned to be done around the lake but has been switched to Veterans Park because TVA was unable to do an environmental review in time. Volunteers that day will plant 35 trees. The public works department has equipment that will dig the holes - they do the hard work, said Mr. Stewart.
While Nate Sandin was at the park planning for the Arbor Day event, he saw many people using the track, the dog park and the basketball courts. He told the commissioners that it is not said often enough, but that the citizens are appreciative of all the updates that have been done there.
The city itself is also in the process of cleaning up eyesores. In response to seeing a house that burned down several months ago, where he saw people living in a storage shed on the property and sleeping in cars, Commissioner Marcus Keith asked the city to intervene. Public Works Director Steve Grant said the city has already responded by condemning the house and is requiring them to clean up the property and move out of the shed. Commissioner Keith also asked the city to require residents or the owner of the duplexes at Soddy Daisy Hill, in the 11000 block of Dayton Pike, to move 15 trash cans that constantly stay along the road spilling out trash. Mr. Grant said the city has sent notices and they do nothing. The next step will be to cite them to court.
Commissioner Mark Penny said a solution is needed for providing a way in and out for the Cox Lane neighborhood when trains park on the track and block the roads. That also prevents access for emergency vehicles, he said. Discussion took place about providing a right-of-way with a gate on church property that could be used to get out of the neighborhood. Commissioner Shipley said 15 years ago the city tried to do that but the church did not agree, however, things could have changed, and the city will contact the church with the proposal again.
The commissioners voted to amend the city code relating to purchasing limits. The limit that has been $10,000 is outdated, said City Manager Burt Johnson. The amendment raised that limit to $25,000. He said that the commissioners will still have to give approval for purchases over $10,000.
The public works department will be doing three projects that use lumber - building a pier at the lake, a bridge at Soddy Creek and a storage facility for batting cages. Bids were received for pressure treated lumber and Trex. The cost of lumber was a little over $40,000 and Trex was $53,500. If the city is able to get donations to make up the difference Trex will be used because it has a longer life expectancy.