The Chattanooga City Council on Tuesday afternoon discussed a resolution known as “8 Can’t Wait,” which is a policy for police reform. It provides guidelines for the use of force and, if an officer violates the guidelines, he is putting his career at risk. The goal of the policy is to save lives. City Council member Demetrus Coonrod brought the item to the attention of the council. She said that Police Chief David Roddy implemented the plan before being asked to.
“I’m proud of his efforts,” she said. She would like to put safeguards in place for what Chief Roddy has done so that anyone new coming in cannot undo it.
Council member Darrin Ledford said that the chief has been way “ahead of it.” What the council would like to do with a resolution is to acknowledge the accomplishments of the Chattanooga Police Department regarding policing policies. “I think we need to shine a light on the police department’s accomplishments,” said Councilwoman Coonrod. The policy will be on the council’s agenda in two weeks for a vote.
Council member Coonrod also verified with City Attorney Phil Noblett that in the city’s charter there is an allowance for police and firefighter uniforms and equipment. She said that she wanted to confirm that the charter provides for the uniforms so that the council will not get complaints from protesters.
The council approved spending $500,000 for the purchase of uniforms for police officers.
A unanimous vote adopted the “Historic River-to-Ridge Area Plan.” An amendment was made to the Planning Commission’s version which will cause the plan to go back to the Regional Planning Commission for a final approval. This policy will serve as a guide for decision making for multiple organizations. As examples, it can be used by the RPA to inform monthly zoning requests. City departments and other agencies such as CARTA may use it to prioritize capital improvements for roads and other forms of transit. Private investors may refer to the plan when considering the best location for development projects. The community can use it to ensure that new development aligns with the community’s vision. And having the plan may be helpful when applying for grants for community projects or programs.
Multiple leases involving the city as a tenant or landlord were discussed and most were renewed. One that was denied was for the lease and management of the Ross’s Landing Marina properties. The agreement was for a term of 10 years with the option to renew for two additional terms of five years each. The rent would have been a sum equal to three and a half percent of the gross revenue derived from the premises. That would have included the sale or rental of boats and fuel. Council member Darrin Ledford said the council has just recently been discussing concerns about long term contracts. This one with Erwin Marine would potentially be for 20 years, effectively giving them control of the riverfront for that length of time. “I’d be more in favor of a five-year lease." said Councilman Ledford. The vote was to deny the resolution extending the lease as it is now written.
The council voted to extend additional terms of two years each for leased spaces in the Family Justice Center at 5705 Uptain Road. The Helen Ross McNabb Center, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Partnership for Families, Children and Adults, Inc., Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee and Southern Adventist University will all be able to continue renting offices in the building.
The city runs a senior center in a portion of Eastgate Town Center at 5600 Brainerd Road. The space is leased at the rate of $7,048 per month for a total of $84,579 a year. The agreement to renew the lease with East Nooga, LLC was questioned by Ms. Coonrod. She said it currently is closed because of the coronavirus pandemic and when it will be able to reopen is unknown. She was reluctant to renew a lease for property that is not being used and suggested converting city-owned spaces to a senior center. Those spaces are now also closed. Chief Operating Officer Maura Sullivan responded that the city is also a landlord and has places that cannot be used now because of the coronavirus pandemic; however, the tenants still have to pay rent. It is just the cost of doing business, she said. Another suggestion was to put a condition in the lease in case the space continues to be unusable. The councilwoman cited many things that the city is unable to do because of limited income due to the virus. Councilman Ledford asked if the landlord would consider not charging for the time it must be closed and extend the end of the lease that amount of time. If the terms are changed, said city official Richard Beeland, the costs will likely change too. In the end, the vote was nine in favor of extending the lease as is.
Also, on the agenda was for the council to accept a donation of $24,000 from Norfolk Southern for a workforce development program that will identify career paths for under-served and hard to place individuals. Charita Allen, deputy administrator, told the council that in the age of COVID-19, how it will be done is still unknown, but at this time, the city is looking at a partnership with UTC. The program is considered a career readiness program and there are potential employers for possible job opportunities. The participants who are accepted into the program, however, will have no guarantee of a job after the training ends. Council member Coonrod suggested letting this be known before a person joins the program because in other workforce development programs, some participants believed the training would result in jobs. She also said there is a need to educate them about interview preparedness.
A resolution passed authorizing the Administrator of the Department of Youth and Family Development to provide services to 200 children through collaborations between Head Start/Early Head Start grant and multiple non-profit agencies for a total amount of $981,349. Another resolution authorizes allowing $60,000 previously donated to the Office of Family Empowerment by Chattanooga Gas to be transferred to Greenspaces. It will administer the grant program to families impacted by COVID-19 and for tornado recovery.
One ordinance was passed Tuesday night. On the second and final vote, a new fee schedule was approved for the city’s municipal golf courses.
The city attorney was authorized to engage various law firms for representing the city in legal matters for the upcoming year. And the reappointment of Tom Snow to the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority Board was confirmed.