Signal Mountain has a huge amount of deferred maintenance that is needed for town owned properties. So much that Vice President Elizabeth Baker has suggested paying for it with a bond issue because she said that years of Band-Aid fixes have left so many places in bad condition.
Public Works Director Wesley Stokes has recently created a facilities maintenance plan that will help going forward. But the question of how to pay for the repairs that have been deferred through the years, has come to the forefront because the council has the deadline of Dec. 31, 2024 to allocate American Rescue Plan Funds or return it to the U.S. Treasury.
A portion of that money could be used for the deferred maintenance work, however some of the projects that need to be done are so large that just a few could soak up all the ARPA money, said Councilman Clay Crumbliss. The council has to decide before the end of this year, whether or not to use some of that money for those projects. The deadline for actually spending that money is Dec. 31, 2026.
The council is putting together a list of projects that are needed in the town, including deferred facilities maintenance. The list of projects for spending the ARPA funds, at this time includes:
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The Deferred Maintenance. The council decided that the first step will be to rank what needs to be done immediately, to prevent things from getting worse and to weed out what would just be nice to have but not necessary. Discussion about how to pay for it all included using some of the ARPA funds, issuing a bond for the work, or by a tax increase. The vice mayor said it would take 19 years to finish work if it was funded with a small tax increase, and the tax would have to be massive if it was used to do all that is needed.
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Updating the bathrooms in the town parks. Mayor Poss said bathrooms at the pool are embarrassing, but they might not be the most pressing need, said Councilman Crumbliss, since they are usable
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Rebuilding tennis courts that has been discussed for the past eight and a half years. Unlike the bathrooms at the pool that are in bad shape, the courts are unusable. The foundations have eroded from running water and will need to be rebuilt completely. Relocating the tennis courts was discussed since that maybe a better and less expensive solution rather than keeping them at the present location.
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Lighting the ball fields, is estimated to cost $200,000
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Repairs or replacement of the Signal Mountain Library’s roof. The leaks were discovered after the 2024-2025 budget was created, so if it will not be done if not with ARPA funding. City Manager Matt Trollinger said he is talking to the city’s insurer about covering the damage. Public Works Director Wesley Stokes has had three roofers look at it and there could be leaks that are unknown until resulting water damage becomes visible. He told the council that for the time being the known leaks have been handled. And if it is not repaired the damage will continue to increase and cost more in maintenance.
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Repairs are needed to the city hall building itself that has drainage problems and structural damage, said Councilman Crumbliss.
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Electrical Work at the MACC, which has already been done for $23,000
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Sidewalks in the Old Town neighborhood that have been talked about for years.
At the next meeting, the council will discuss what are the most pressing needs for the town facilities and to prioritize work to be done. They also will decide which part of that work will be paid with ARPA funds.
Also discussed at the work session was the town’s vehicle replacement policy and whether it would be more beneficial to lease rather than buy new vehicles and equipment. There are pros and cons for both. If they are leased, there will be a down payment, monthly payments and at the end of the lease a small residual cost would be due and then the town would own the vehicle. Then there would be the option to keep or trade in in. The lease agreements discussed so far, would allow the town to do basic maintenance such as changing oil and rotating tires, and being reimbursed for it. Major repairs would be sent to an approved garage.
City Manager Trollinger is working on an overall strategic plan. This year he said the council’s top goals all were related to the town’s finances. Some improvements have taken place such as with new software, but not having a finance director has made it a challenge, he said. He credited Matt Justice, head of the Signal Mountain water company for his good decisions in the months that he served as interim town manager. Mr. Trollinger said that Mr. Justice had worked with department heads to maximize and most effectively use tax dollars.
Mr. Trollinger said the new policy is for the council to be presented with a monthly financial report from the financial director when one is hired, to keep them informed. And that person will need to create a long-term plan instead of doing just a single plan for just one year at a time, he said. Ideally, the financial plan would be for three to five years out.
The city manager’s plan also includes operating efficiently in regards to deferred maintenance and he plans on doing a comprehensive review of employees in town hall, to make sure there is efficiency in their job duties and responsibilities. He also said that deciding the best way forward for vehicle replacement is another way to achieve financial stability. Another goal for Mr. Trollinger will be to have increased communications. He said he hopes to follow the lead of the Signal Mountain fire and police departments for using social media and email blasts and incorporating surveys, to keep citizens informed.
The council was told that Signal Mountain’s stormwater must be in compliance with the state’s policy. City Attorney Harry Cash said he has reviewed the plan and what Signal Mountain will be using is the model from Municipal Technical Advisory Service which originated with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Vice Mayor Baker asked for the language in the town’s subdivision ordinance to be consistent with the language in the new stormwater ordinance.
And “sidewalks are on every agenda,” said Mayor Charles Poss. “Public Works Director Stokes has come up with a plan to make sure the project gets done in our lifetime,” he said. The new plan is to reduce the portion of sidewalks covered by the TDOT grant that was received many years ago, so that the money will cover the cost for that segment of the work. The public works department will build the balance of the sidewalks in house. Mr. Stokes conservatively estimates that 100 feet per week can be built. The total project that public works will build is 3,200 feet. The cost of sidewalks that the city will build, has to come from ARPA funds because they were not included in this year’s budget, said Ms. Baker.