Signs in Lookout Mountain, Tn., were discussed at length at the October commission meeting. The issue has become especially relevant now because of the number of campaign signs that have started appearing leading up to the election in November.
The town has codes to regulate all kinds of signs but the commissioners are in favor of making the codes more restrictive. Currently, there can be no advertising signs unless it is for a town-sanctioned event. No sign, including real estate signs, can be more than 18 by 24 inches in size. They must be placed at least 10 feet off the city right of way and cannot be put on any city-owned property or they will be removed.
At the next commission meeting, there will be an agenda item to amend the city code to limit the amount of time prior to and after elections that campaign signs can be displayed.
Jim Bentley, commissioner of fire and police, said that license plate reader cameras have now been installed at all access points into Lookout Mountain, Tn. With them up and running, he said the whole town is covered and that police will be notified if a car tag with a warrant enters. Also, the department has eight new Motorola car radios and the old ones have been declared surplus so they can be sold.
The town’s athletic fields were redone last spring and people were kept off of them as the new turf took root. They are in good shape now, but Mayor Walker Jones said there are problems showing up mainly because of overuse. Another reason is that people are ignoring the warning notices that Director of Recreation Scott Shell puts up when a field is closed because it is too wet. Police Chief Dale Taylor has asked that Mr. Shell notify the police if a notice has been posted so the police can enforce it. Going forward, the warnings will be hung on the gates so that they cannot be missed. Because the fields are so heavily used, there was some discussion about finding a location for an additional one. Commissioner of Parks and Recreation Jim Hailey said that the fence has been put back up on Senter Field and flag football is now beginning.
Karen Leavengood, commissioner of education, gave the update of activity at Lookout Mountain Elementary. She said that the Carnival was a big success thanks to Kirin Eberle, Beth Campbell and Laura Patterson, and the many volunteers and the Lookout Rec Board, who all made it happen. Items to help with the relief efforts from Hurricane Helene were collected during the carnival. A special thank you was given to the Dixson family, who own “What Chefs Want,” for transporting the supplies to Cherokee, N.C. The sale of “Spirit Wear” specific to the carnival and for Lookout Mountain in general was a new feature added to the event this year. Those sales will continue through Friday of this week at LMS. Fall break is next week and that ends the first term. Also scheduled during the remainder of the month is a teacher professional development day on Oct. 21, parent teacher conferences and Lions Day.
William Valadez, commission liaison with the public works department, said that leaf pickup is starting a little later than usual this year because of weather conditions and a delay caused by the need to remove storm debris. He said that most people do not realize how much the public works department does. In addition to their regular work schedule, they prepared the area and helped set up the LMS Carnival and were out early the day afterward cleaning up the mess that was left behind. The department has just received a new $100,000 commercial grade backhoe that is capable of maneuvering the curvy roads on the mountain.
Town Consultant Brooke Pippenger said that the 2024 tax bills are still at the printer and will be mailed out once they are delivered to her. A little income has been received this month in delinquent property tax payments from 2023, she said. Some other income came from the parking meters around Point Park and the Incline. Lookout Mountain, Tn. received around $30,800 in parking fees through September. And the town’s share of Incline sales at the top station has been around $2,500 each month. That is lower than expected since the agreement with Carta was reinstated several months ago. Mayor Jones said the sales from the top station are not producing income at the same rate as before the COVID pandemic when ticket sales were only done online or at the bottom station. He said that 250,000 people are brought up the mountain on the Incline and let out on the town’s streets each year and Lookout Mountain, Tn. police and fire are then responsible for protecting them and the top Incline station building. The difference, he believes, is that now people are accustomed to buying tickets online rather than in person on location. Before the pandemic the town received an average of $52,000 yearly from ticket sales at the top. "We, or CARTA, are going to have to do something else to make up for the loss," he said.
The mayor urges people to vote early to shorten the lines on Nov. 5. Early voting will be at the Hamilton County Election Commission, 700 River Terminal Road, and satellite locations which can be found at the county’s election commission website. Dates are from Wednesday, Oct. 16, through Thursday, Oct. 31. Early voting must be done in person. Times vary according to location.