On the final vote, the commissioners of Soddy Daisy established compensation for the mayor and commissioners who, in the past, have volunteered their time. The payments will not begin until after the 2026 election, so this plan will not benefit anyone who is currently on the board unless they run for re-election in 2026. Only Commissioner Marcus Keith voted in opposition. He said the city has so many needs and paying him is not one of them. He ran for the job knowing he would not be paid, he said.
The mayor will be paid $500 per month and the commissioners $450 a month.
A business at 8644 Dayton Pike requested for the city to abandon a portion of right-of-way along the east side of Dayton Pike, parallel to the road. Best Port-a-Toilets is expanding and wants to use the extra 30 feet of property for additional employee parking. City Attorney Sam Elliott recommended stipulations be added to the ordinance to require a privacy fence be built to obscure the portable toilets that the company will be storing at the location. A second reading and second vote will be held on the ordinance at the next commission meeting.
A resident of the city living near the ball fields took the opportunity to tell the commissioners of his concern for safety of people caused by cars parking along one side of the road because it narrows the street to one lane. He suggested blocking that area, or putting up signs, to prevent drivers from parking there. Mayor Steve Everett said the city is aware of the problem and is trying to find an area to create more parking places. Another suggestion was to get coaches to remind parents it is illegal to park there.
There are 744 children playing baseball this year in the city. The Kid’s Club is packed. "It is a wonderful problem to have," said the mayor. While the kids are having fun, they are learning life lessons by working with others for a common goal on group projects, he said. Soddy Daisy has one of the most successful youth organizations in Hamilton County, and a lot of people in Soddy Daisy are working to make that happen, he said.
Public Works Director Steve Grant told the commissioners that in the last two months the recently installed license plate readers have given 2,000 speeding tickets in the school zones. And the city has collected over $18,000 in fines from those citations. Most of the traffic stops have been from drivers gong in excess of 20 m.p.h. over the speed limit. The goal is not to collect money but to stop speeding, he said.
Statistics from last year show that police made 6,000 traffic stops but gave just 51 citations for speeding. The Soddy Daisy Police are not focused on giving traffic tickets but they give a lot of warning tickets, it was stated. Now it is the LPR cameras writing the tickets.
"Drivers are given every opportunity to not get a ticket. If you get one, you earned it," said the mayor.
Keep Soddy Daisy Beautiful is sponsoring a recycling event for North Hamilton County in recognition of Earth Day. On Saturday from 9-2:30 at Soddy Lake Park, large items such as mattresses and electronics will be accepted for recycling. Then from April 22-24, old tires can be disposed of at the Sequoyah Recycle Center. The cost will be just $1 per tire.