At the East Ridge City Council meeting which was held electronically on Thursday night, Changes to the zoning ordinance dealing with flooding were passed on second and final reading. The amendments to the ordinance will regulate development within the corporate limit of East Ridge in areas of special flood hazard. These areas have been identified by FEMA and by a study for a flood insurance rate map done in 2016. The new regulations are intended to minimize danger to life and property due to flooding and to maintain eligibility for participation in the national flood insurance program.
Strong storms and tornadoes on Easter night caused damage and flash flooding in East Ridge. City Manager Chris Dorsey met with the Tennessee Emergency Management Office about cleaning up the city and he told the council that they encouraged the city to clean up the debris itself. In order to have the equipment needed to be able to do this, the council awarded a bid for the emergency purchase of a heavy-duty trash/brush loader, bulk trash/junk body, mounted on a new cab and chassis. The cost of this equipment is $154,325.
The city manager has also found that Hamilton County has a disaster debris management plan which had been discussed in 2018 by the East Ridge Council but he could find no record that the city had joined. Municipalities in Hamilton County joined for a coordinated effort to clean up debris in the most efficient way in the case of an emergency event. The partnership of the municipalities and pre-planning provides a road map to help the damaged area through an event like the one East Ridge just experienced. At the Thursday night meeting the council adopted the Hamilton County debris management plan.
The final passage of another ordinance amends the zoning ordinance regulating standards, construction, co-location, modification, operation and the removal of communication towers. The revision will give the city more input on the number of and site location of towers. It also deals with permitting and aesthetics and includes the new small cell structures in addition to traditional tall towers.
A bid was awarded for the purchase of a fire hose for use by the East Ridge Fire Department, in the amount of $11,979, the low bid.
While developing the 2020-2021 budget, the city manager told the council that he is addressing two accounting issues that are not sustainable. The city has allowed employees who work overtime the choice of being paid time-and-a half on their pay check, or with comp time at the rate of one and a half hours for one hour of overtime work. The problem is that some people have accumulated a huge amount of comp time, as much as 500 hours for one employee, which equals three or four months, said the city manager. The worth of that time is continually increasing because the amount is based on that employee’s current salary which has increased since the time it was earned. In just the police department there is $51,688 in comp time and the fire department currently has $67,222. Those numbers create debt on the city’s books.
Mr. Dorsey said that the city would stop comp time for overtime work. Employees will be paid time and a half for overtime, but the city will no longer bank the equivalent time. The plan is to pay off all that is owed by the end of the year. The money will come from the city’s fund balance.
Accumulating vacation time is also an accounting problem. Before 2012 a limit of 320 hours was put on the amount of time an employee could accumulate. After 2012 they have been allowed to accumulate as many vacation hours as they want to. The goal, said Mr. Dorsey, is for an employee to build up 320 hours, which is equivalent to two months. He said this is a good cushion in the event that personal time off is needed for emergencies. East Ridge has one employee who has accumulated 1,000 hours of vacation time which amounts to almost a half year. The city manager plans to cap accumulated vacation time to 320 hours this coming year. This practice has created a huge liability and the city cannot afford to keep it on the books, he said. He stressed that this "will not take a dime out of the employees' pocket."
The city also pays for long-term disability, starting at six months for employees, and offers a short-term disability policy if the employee wants to buy it.
To fix both the accumulated comp time and vacation time problem will cost the city $150,000-$170,000.
Mayor Brian Williams said TDOT closed the Belvoir bridge this past Monday and it will remain closed throughout the rest of the year. Work is also starting on Germantown Road. Because of all the construction in that area, he said people should expect difficulties in traveling on that side of town.
The small cities coalition has recommended that East Ridge follow the state of Tennessee and Hamliton County in beginning to open up the city. Guidelines from the state and county will provide guidelines that must be followed. A full list of conditions should be available on Friday.