Matt Justice is now officially the full-time town manager for Signal Mountain. He was chosen with unanimous support from the council. In his role as the Signal Mountain Water Company Director and two stints as interim town manager, Mr. Justice has shown that he is more than capable of moving the town forward, said Vice Mayor Clay Crumbliss.
Councilman Andrew Gardner said that in the four years he has been on the council that there were two rounds in the first search for a town manager without hiring anyone. Then there was the third round of another very expensive and extensive search, and Signal Mountain was again looking for a long-term town manager. He said that in the three months that Matt Justice has had the interim job, he feels that more progress has been made than had been made under any other manager. Mayor Elizabeth Baker said that Mr. Justice "is far more qualified than people we paid to interview the last time."
After the vote with no opposition, a resolution passed to negotiate an employment agreement with Matt Justice The negotiations will include any agreement about residency status. The current ordinance says the town manager must live in the town of Signal Mountain. That requirement will be eliminated because Mr. Justice does not live in Signal Mountain or in the state of Tennessee. "Why would you allow residency to narrow the application pool when Mr. Justice is the right candidate?" asked the vice mayor.
But Signal Mountain resident Gail Green questioned the decision. She said there is nothing personal at all about Matt Justice being the town manager but because of the "unfortunate events"' surrounding that job after past town manager Elaine Brunnell left. That is when the unsuccessful searches began.
“I am left with more questions than answers," said Ms. Green, adding that the new commissioners should be questioning the process. She said Matt Trollinnger had not been given a formal list of grievances or the opportunity to correct them. And that because there were only brief minutes of the meeting when he was let go, the public does not have all the facts about why it happened ”Something doesn’t add up,” she said. “People are watching and wanting to know the answer to this question.”
Ms. Green has asked the same questions before, said Vice Mayor Crumbliss, yet she continues to bring up the issue. He told her that she was welcome to call himself or the other council members with questions. “It was done in a way that wasn’t transparent so people have to ask questions if they want to know the answers, she said, and asking council members individually is still not in public she said, while leaving the podium.
"You are entitled to free speech," said Vice Mayor Crumbliss, but he said asking speculative questions becomes a story itself. "Ask us first. Creating a bigger story doesn’t help anything,” he said.
There is a legal reason that it is not being discussed in public that opens the city up to liability, said the mayor.
Mayor Elizabeth Baker will meet with Town Attorney Harry Cash and Mr. Justice about negotiating his salary. At this time he is doing two jobs with the annual pay of the lower job as water company director. The pay adjustment for his new job cannot be made before an agreement between him and the town is approved at a special called meeting Dec. 17 at 6:30 p.m. Once he signs a contract, the advertisement for a new water department manager can be posted.
In regular town business, the council approved the proposal to offer a lower priced library membership. There will be the option now to have an electronic membership for $35 per year for people who live outside of the town versus the $70 for the traditional membership. There is no cost for residents of Signal Mountain to use the library.
This year “what could go wrong, did,” when it comes to leaves, said Mayor Baker. With two leaf trucks available, first one went down and then the other. The new public works director, Wesley Stokes, has been with the town around a year and he inherited some significant maintenance and equipment issues, she said, but he has handled it well, Now the department is working through the issues to remove leaves because the giant piles are not safe. Residents are asked to keep the roads clear until public works can pick them up. The first round of pick-ups is being prioritized now, said Town Manager Justice. And he said that now, maintenance checks are being made on equipment before taking it out to make sure maintenance is up to date.