Collegedale Vice Mayor Tim Johnson said he was shocked to find out at the last meeting, that Collegedale was in the hole by $340,000. At the Aug. 19 commission meeting the board of commissioners was told that everything it takes to run the city has increased in cost, including salaries, benefits and contracted attorneys and engineers. At the same time it has been 15 years since the fast-growing city has increased fees that it charges for permits, plan reviews, inspections and developments. The cost for those items in Collegedale are all below what Hamilton County and other surrounding municipalities charge. That may be one of the reasons developers are coming here to build, said Commissioner Katie Lamb.
A study conducted in conjunction with the state of Tennessee recommended for the city to raise these fees, said City Manager Wayon Hines. As it is, Collegedale is subsidizing new developments. Not increasing these fees is how we got so far in the hole, he told the commissioners. And he said that the anticipated increase in revenue from the higher fees was included in this year’s budget.
At this time new building permits are down, but it is believed to be the calm before the storm since a lot of new developments are in the works. When building these subdivisions begins there will be many hundreds of new homes and townhomes under construction. It is important for the city to implement new fees regarding the new development before permit applications for the new construction starts.
The increases are not being raised enough to be a deal-breaker, said Mr. Hines. The proposed rates are less than the state agency, Municipal Technical Advisory Services recommended, he said. The city cannot afford to go deeper in the hole over this, commented Mayor Morty Lloyd. The only other thing Collegedale could do to reduce costs would be to reduce employees, said the city manager, but it is a pretty lean department now, he said. The increased fees would be charged to the developers, not homeowners, with this move. The measure passed on the second and final vote with three in favor and Vice Mayor Johnson and Commissioner Tonya Sadler opposed.
The commission approved two large purchase requests. The Public Works department will be getting a Ditch Witch, which was in the budget. It will be used for maintenance of the greenway, such moving and spreading mulch, moving dead wood and other landscaping needs. This mini track loader will come with a 48” bucket and other attachments are available as needed. The cost including freight is $52,228.
The payment terms for a contract with Tyler was approved concerning moving financial software to the cloud. With the amendment the date that the contract begins will be effective upon delivery of services.
The collapse of a headwall on Pine Hill Road continues to get worse and City Manager Hines told the commission that it will be dealt with as an emergency repair. He will coordinate with Mayor Lloyd and have the repair done before getting commission approval.