Reclaiming Local Control: Is It Possible To End The Era Of Bureaucratic Planning In Hamilton County?

  • Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Centralized power often leads to problems like corruption, inefficiency and disconnection from the people it is supposed to serve. History shows that when a small group of people hold too much authority, they ignore local needs and focus on their own interests instead of helping the community. Hamilton County is facing this issue. Our reliance on a regional planning agency controlled by unelected officials has weakened trust, silenced community voices, and forced one-size-fits-all solutions that don’t work for the county's unique needs. Now is the time to move away from centralized power and embrace a system where local citizens take the lead in decision-making.

Local Control Through Citizen-Led Committees

Hamilton County has already shown the effectiveness of focused, localized groups like the McDonald Farm Committee and the District 9 Transportation Committee. Expanding this model to include committees for each of the 13 areas ensures that planning decisions are directly informed by those who live in and understand their communities, rather than by a centralized, bureaucratic body. These committees should be composed of local residents selected through a transparent nomination process, ensuring that elected officials do not solely determine membership. Additionally, individuals who have previously run for office and lost should not serve on these committees, as voters have already expressed their will.

Eliminate Conflicts of Interest in Planning

To rebuild trust in county planning, all employees involved in planning decisions should be thoroughly vetted to ensure they reside in Tennessee, have no direct ties to development projects, and do not stand to benefit financially from the plans they create. The Chattanooga Regional Planning Agency’s current structure raises questions about transparency and accountability.

RPA’s Plans Are Generic and Disconnected from Local Needs

The Chattanooga Regional Planning Agency has demonstrated a lack of genuine engagement and creativity in its approach. Its plans mirror prepackaged templates used across the state and country rather than being tailored to the specific needs of Hamilton County. I challenge you to look for yourself—surrounding regions are using the exact same wording, maps, colors, buzzwords and more in their plans. Additionally, it is my understanding that the RPA only collected around 2,000 email addresses to communicate with local citizens. These plans will impact hundreds of thousands of county residents, their children and grandchildren. In my opinion, this shows a blatant disregard for effectively consulting the community. Citizens have repeatedly asked for changes to the plan, but those changes have not been made. Planning decisions should prioritize thorough input from local citizens who will be directly affected.

Infrastructure Concerns Are Ignored or Mismanaged

Critical issues like sewer capacity, road maintenance and overcrowding have been neglected under the current system. The county’s infrastructure is either strained or failing—particularly in the east—and the RPA’s focus seems disconnected from these pressing realities. At the last town hall meeting, Nathan Janeway said the sewers are tapped out, highlighting the severity of the problem. Page 34 of the Dec. 20 Area 9 plan is particularly revealing: "Other system technologies may be used in the more rural areas" is a clear reference to decentralized sewer systems—sewer plants with drain fields that could create unpleasant odors throughout the county.

The RPA plan’s mention of decentralized sewer systems, coupled with Hamilton County’s consideration of allowing these systems, has understandably alarmed residents. An article in The Tennessean from April 2021 further underscores these concerns: "The use of private sewer services, self-contained and disconnected from municipal sewer lines, allows developers to sidestep the public approval process to connect to municipal sewage and to build in rural or other remote areas far from the nearest municipal sewer grid." This lack of oversight could enable unchecked development in unsuitable areas. Local control of the RPA is essential to ensure that bureaucrats and developers do not further compromise our county’s infrastructure and quality of life.

Additionally, the current planning commission’s practices raise concerns. A review of recommendations reveals that staff often recommend denial based on the current Wolftever plan, only for voting members to later approve the same plans in committee. 

Planning Must Be Driven by Residents, Not Bureaucrats

Hamilton County’s future should not be decided by a small group of unelected bureaucrats with potential conflicts of interest. Citizen-led initiatives empower communities to take charge of planning decisions, ensuring they reflect the needs and desires of local residents rather than outside interests. Community planning groups would represent a significant shift by breaking off from city-driven influences. An agency created by the city of Chattanooga currently dominates decision-making for the entire county. Think about Davidson County or Miami-Dade—do we want Chattanooga deciding Hamilton County's future?

If you feel led to do so, please reach out to your commissioner and share your thoughts.

Rebecca Day

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