The Signal Mountain Council has approved the purchase of two software packages that will help make the town run more efficiently. One of these programs is the First Due Fire Department Management application. It has been used by the Signal Mountain Fire Department since 2023, and Fire Chief Larry Sloan said it serves the department’s needs, Town Manager Matt Justice told the council. The annual payment is $16,151, and is due at the end of July.
Competitive pricing from other companies offering the service was researched before the town settled on this company. However, the records cannot be found and there is not time now to see if there are better options before the payment is due. It is critical to get it aid now so the fire department will have their records, officials said. This software keeps records of all the fire department’s functions, including incident response, equipment and apparatus inventory and maintenance, training, codes enforcement and community risk reduction activities.
The public works department will be getting software for street assessments. Two companies that provide similar services for managing road work were considered, iWorks and Vialytics Americas Intelligent Road Management. Both are excellent products, said Town Manager Justice that work in different ways. iWorks collects data and provides recommendations for an area once every three years. Vialytics installs cameras on vehicles and gives up-to-date information constantly.
Both make assessments of the conditions and sets up a maintenance plan in coordination with the available budget. Considering the budget, it prioritizes which roads need to be done first. The software also manages a road sign inventory, striping and reflectors and guardrails in addition to the paving. Public Works Director Wesley Stokes is familiar with iWorks having used it when he worked in Fort Oglethorpe. iWorks will do what the town wants and is the cheaper of the two. And city manager Justice said it makes sense because Signal Mountain already uses iWorks software to generate work orders so “keeping it all together will be a one-stop-shop.” A consensus of the council members favored iWorks too, because it was the lowest cost option and does what the town needs. A resolution for using iWorks software for road assessments will be on the agenda for the next meeting.
On the second and final reading, the council approved the addition of $1 to court fees in response to the state of Tennessee requiring the additional charge. It will be passed on to the recipient of the citation rather than the town paying it.
Signal Mountain is running out of space to put brush. There are two locations where it can be stored. The location on Timberlinks Drive is near capacity now and there is an agreement with Prentice Coooper State Park for a back-up, secondary spot. There is no longer the option to use the burn-box that was used in the past, so it is critical to contract for a chipping service. In the past, Signal Mountain piggy-backed with Cleveland for chipping and the city wants to resume that partnership, said Mr. Justice. The budget has $25,000 allotted for a chipping service.
The discussion about volunteer advisory boards and committees continued from the last council meeting. An application to fill a vacancy on the Planning Commission came from Jamie Blanton, who is a well-qualified and a good applicant, said Councilman Charles Poss. He is a veteran of the planning commission and a former chairman. He ran meetings very well and kept them orderly and considered the opinions of others, said the councilman and the town would benefit from having him back. Mr. Blanton was appointed with unanimous approval.
One of the most active boards is the Parks and Recreation board but there are still one or two of those board members who do not attend meetings. Andrew Gardner, the council liaison, plans to talk to those members to see if they are still interested in participating or if the town should appoint replacements.
After a previous discussion about combining boards, particularly those who do not meet on a regular schedule but only when there is an issue to decide, Mayor Elizabeth Baker contacted EMTAS, which assists municipalities in Tennessee. The opinion she got was that boards can be combined and that the town council can function to replace those boards. Another option is that the town’s Administrative Hearing Officer can take the place of some boards. Under discussion at the meeting on Monday night, was the Condemnation Board and the Construction Board of Appeals.
The Administrative Hearing officer is qualified take the place those boards. He already has the knowledge and responsibility of recognizing buildings that ae not being kept up to the town’s codes and standards. Mayor Baker will discuss and verify with MTAS, if this option this viable and how to ensure that there is a proper appeals process in place.
Announcements of interest to the community include that in response to requests from several citizens, the city manager will look into an affordable way to provide some shade at the pool. The suspension bridge at Rainbow Lake suffered catastrophic damage when a large tree fell on it last week. The state, which owns that section of the trail, was already planning a replacement due to its age. Construction on the new bridge is expected to begin in a couple of weeks. Until it is finished, signs notifying of the closure are at the trailhead and at the bridge.
The third Dive in Movie Night at the Signal Mountain pool featuring Finding Nemo, will be Aug. 23. Sidewalk construction being done by the public works department is underway on Tennessee Avenue. The Lion’s Club will hold a Labor Day raffle and BBQ on September 1. Proceeds will be used for youth programs and scholarships in the community. And the parks and recreation community clean-up is scheduled for Sept. 27.