Chattanooga Pulse

Here is one of the interesting agenda items set to be discussed at the October 27 meeting of the Chattanooga City Council.

6. Ordinances – First Reading:

a) An ordinance adopting a Plan of Services and extending the corporate limits of the City of Chattanooga, Tennessee, to annex certain territory contiguous to the present corporate limits of the City of Chattanooga known as area 3C, which includes certain properties adjacent to Ruby Falls and the U.S. Park Service Land Resource Division, on the side of Lookout Mountain, within the Urban Growth Boundary of the City of Chattanooga, in Hamilton County, Tennessee, as shown by the attached map.

The above ordinance is just the first of four such on first reading (also included are annexation ordinances for areas 6A, 6B and 6C), part of what is known as “Phase Two” of Chattanooga’s planned annexations. However, at question is whether or not the council will take up these new parcels or defer them—as Mayor Littlefield had requested—as an enticement to get the county commission to come to the metro government negotiating table.

It’s akin to a legislative game of “chicken”.  If the county isn’t willing to discuss consolidation of services (which they have said they are) and a unified metro government (which they have said they are not), the council may go ahead and continue annexing everything available to them under the Urban Growth Plan.

The curveball in the equation is that this current council is far removed from the “rubber stamp” councils of the past, who acted in near lock step with whomever was mayor back then. This group has shown far more independence and a willingness to ignore or even actively oppose suggestions from the mayor and his staff.  So what will happen with the Phase Two annexation?  Good question…

The Chattanooga City Council meets each Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the City Council Building at 1000 Lindsay St. For more information on the agendas, visit www.Chattanooga.gov/City_Council/110_Agenda.asp