A resolution to select a council member to serve on the East Ridge Planning Commission was decided after much discussion. That commission consists of five members, one being a member of the city council. Council member Aundie Wiitt has been that appointee for the past four years. Councilman Cagle nominated Jeffrey Ezell, the newest member of the city council, who is already a member of the East Ridge Housing Commission. The nomination received no second and discussion ensued. Council member David Tyler said putting Mr. Ezell in the seat could give too much power to one individual since he would be on multiple city boards and the city council.
An earlier resolution the council passed had the intent of diversifying involvement and of protecting residential districts from commercial encroachment. The council wanted to ensure that spirit is maintained by limiting the number of boards an individual can serve on. If Mr. Ezell was appointed, he would have a vote on the council, a vote on the Housing Commission and a vote on the Planning Commission and “that would be too much power for my liking,” said Councilman Tyler. Most of the council members expressed they would have supported Mr. Ezell’s appointment if he dropped off of the Housing Commission. In the end, Council member Witt was reappointed for another term.
For the pas seven years, the city of East Ridge has used Nicole Watson, with Holland and Knight LLP, as a lobbyist with the Tennessee General Assembly. She represents the city’s interest for bills that could affect East Ridge regarding the Border Region tourism development district. That firm has helped determine which expenses qualify to be reimbursed and they assisted in the five-year extension of the agreement with the state. They provide help by keeping the city abreast of legislative issues, said Mayor Brian Williams. A vote was unanimous by the East Ridge Council to continue the contract with Hollard and Knight through December 2025 at the cost of $4,166.67 per month for the service.
Before the vote Councilman Jacky Cagle asked for clarification about various entities that might provide overlapping services. The city also employs consultant Bridgett Raper with the Small Cities Coalition of Hamilton County. City Manager Scott Miller said that organization looks at all bills that have ties with other government entities in Tennessee. But she does not get involved at all with Border Region issues. Holland and Knight work directly with representatives and senators in Nashville specifically about bills that affect only East Ridge and what the city wants to achieve. "And what does Tennessee Municipal League (TML) do?" asked the councilman. “TML could do a lot better job and should be more involved in bills,” answered Mr. Miller.
The council granted a 40-foot utility easement to Principal Acres, LLC, across city owned property at 1623 Springvale Road. The city purchased the property, which is in a flood zone and is being used for open, green space. The 40-foot easement will be used to get all utilities across the parcel to provide underground utilities to a single house which will be on one acre of property zoned R-1 single family.
The expense of replacing the water line from the street to the East Ridge fire station No. 2 was approved as an emergency order authorized by the city manager due to a major leak. The leak occurred on Dec. 19 and the city made an initial repair. When the water was turned back on, another leak occurred between the meter box and the station. The line was buried under six inches of reinforced concrete to be strong enough for the weight of the heavy fire trucks. It was determined that sub-standard material originally used in 2017 was to blame, even though at the time the gauge of the water line met the specs from the architects. The lesson to be learned, said Mayor Williams is for the city to have better requirements. The newly installed lines are a heavier gauge and cost $16,562.
City Manager Miller updated the council on two construction projects the city is engaged in - the new town center development next to the city hall and the community center. Underground work is close to being finished and the foundation will be started next for the multi-use pavilion referred to as the town center. Plans for the community center’s expansion and improvements have been submitted to the state for approval since $600,000 of the cost will come from a Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant (LPRF). The schedule that is planned for the renovations includes the project will be going out to bid by Feb. 2, bids opened March 1 and awarded by May 1. Construction is expected to take 270 days. It is hoped that both the community center and the multi-use pavilion will be finished toward the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026, said Mr. Miller.