I'm calling out the city of Chattanooga’s millage proposal and demanding the public get the full truth - not clever soundbites, political games, or backdoor budget padding.
What started as a push to increase pay for firefighters and police officers has now spiraled into something else entirely. Let’s be clear, this proposal was packaged and promoted around public safety, but now the cat’s out the bag. They’ve added extras - personality testing, admin costs, and non-urgent fluff - that were never included in the original budget that passed back in June.
The FY2025 City of Chattanooga budget was unanimously approved by City Council on June 10, 2025, following its first and second readings. Yet, instead of addressing other initiatives then, the administration is now trying to attach them to a supplemental budget, leaving residents questioning the process and the intent.
If you fail to be upfront from the beginning, don’t expect trust when you try to slide it in after the fact. You don’t get to play shell games with people’s money - especially not in a city where folks are being evicted, businesses are closing, and inflation is squeezing families to the breaking point.
While the mayor has since apologized for his language toward the City Council, some interpreted it as a threat toward the council members who don’t support the proposal. And now the damage is done. Whether intentional or not, no member of council should feel their district will be punished if they don’t fall in line. That’s not leadership - that’s pressure.
I am proposing a measured, people-first solution: reinstate the city sticker, also known as a wheel tax, at just $5 annually, but with one critical difference - earmark the revenue directly for firefighter and police compensation.
Let’s stop dumping it into the general fund. If we’re serious about sustaining these raises - not just approving them when political pressure is high - we need an ongoing, dedicated pot of funding. This $5 commitment gives every driver in Chattanooga the opportunity to support public safety without placing the entire weight on homeowners and renters.
“This isn’t just a feel-good raise. We’re in danger of losing seasoned, trained officers and firefighters to better-paying cities. These folks aren’t seasonal workers - they don’t show up when it’s convenient, they show up when it’s critical. But we’re treating them like temps.”
Of efforts to gut Community Development by $1.6 million, part of a proposal led by Councilwoman Jenny Hill, it's a fact that you can’t cut the department that shows up first for our most vulnerable - housing, food access, reentry, seniors - and then pretend you’re balancing the budget with compassion. That’s a political stunt, not policy.
Elected officials take the oath: " I, do solemnly swear that I will support the constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Tennessee, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of ....according to the best of my ability."
The administration and those elected officials should: stay focused. Public Safety should never be a political pawn.
If the narrative was about our firefighters and police officers, let’s keep it there. Everything else? Hashtag it. #wait #notnow #itsnotaimmediatepriority.
Demetrus Coonrod
Former City Council member