I’ve lived in Chattanooga my whole life. I’ve seen this city change in more ways than I can count. Some of those changes have made me proud. But what I’m seeing out of City Hall lately makes me shake my head.
Since 2021, the city budget has jumped from $255 million to $345 million. That’s a $90 million increase in just four years. And now the mayor wants to raise property taxes by 44 cents, saying inflation is the reason. I may be older, but I’m not stupid. Prices have gone up, sure, but not enough to explain a 35 percent increase in spending.
The city is spending more because it chooses to, not because it has to.
And when regular folks like me question it, we get told we don’t understand how it works. What I understand is how to live within my means. I’ve done it for decades. City Hall should try it.
What really bothers me, though, is the attitude from the mayor. He recently told council members he’d “support our friends,” meaning those who back his tax increase. And he made it clear that those who don’t might get left behind when it comes to things like paving and infrastructure. That’s not leadership. That’s a threat.
We had a county commissioner get in serious legal trouble for something similar not that long ago. Just because you are a mayor and can hide behind politics doesn’t make that kind of behavior acceptable.
I’m not against paying more taxes when they’re needed. But I am against wasteful spending and political games. The city keeps asking for more, and regular folks keep getting less in return. It’s not right, and it’s not sustainable.
I’ve got kids and grandkids growing up in this city. They deserve a government that tells the truth, spends wisely and serves everybody—not just the ones who play along.
Enough is enough. It’s time for the mayor and the City Council to get serious about accountability. Inflation didn’t cause this mess. City Hall did.
Harold Parker