(upbeat music) - You're watching highlights of the Chattanooga City Council meeting a production of WTCI PBS.

- [Chair] Welcome everyone to Tuesday, December 13th City Council Business agenda session.

I will now call the meeting to order.

We have no special presentations this evening.

We'll accept a motion for our minutes please.

Minutes have been motioned and approved without objection, they will stand.

Ordinances on final reading this evening.

We have none ordinances on first reading without objection from Council Finance items A, B, and C. Madam Clerk item A, please.

- [Madam Clerk] In ordinance to amend Chattanooga City, city code part two, chapter 14 section 1415, and chapter 19, section 1936 and chapter 22.5 section 22.5 dash three and chapter 27, section 27 three, regarding permit fees for electrical, gas, mechanical, and plumbing.

- [Chair] Dr. Burs, have a motion to approve?

- [Dr. Burs] Second.

- [Chair] I have a second to that motion.

Questions or comments before we vote?

All those in favor say aye.

- [multiple speakers] Aye.

- [Chair] Opposed?

Item A carries.

Item G, Madam Clerk.

- [Madam Clerk] In ordinance to amend Chattanooga City code part two, chapter 38, zoning ordinance, so as to rezone property located at 806 Spears Avenue from R one residential zone to RTZ residential townhouse, there are lot lines zone subject to certain conditions.

- [Chair] Is the applicant present?

I do have an applicant.

Is there any opposition present?

Councilman Henderson I have an applicant with no opposition.

You have the floor.

- [Councilman Henderson] Mr.

Chair I think we probably need a presentation on this.

- [Chair] All right.

Karen, if you would please.

- [Karen] Okay.

This is a request to zone from R one to RTZ residential townhouse zero lot line zone to build an additional single family dwelling.

The property's located 806 Spears Avenue, which is in Hill City.

Property is zoned R one residential which is that light yellow shade on the screen, that is the zoning map.

As is the block front on Spears, the rest of the block front on Spears.

There is manufacturing property budding the site to the rear along North Market Street.

You see that strip along the western side of North Market Street.

It's that purple shade and that's the M two zone.

The sites surrounded by small urban lots with historic cottages and bungalows in the residential portion.

There are some commercial warehouses, lots to the rear of the site with large metal buildings and parking areas.

The sites located in the Hill City Northside plan, neighborhood plan which recommends urban single family residential as the land use.

Urban single families described as detached single family dwellings with lot sizes as small as 5,000 square feet.

The plan notes that this area is historic urban neighborhood with lots (cough) and lots that size and notes that the majority of residential development should be limited to urban single family land uses in the core of the neighborhood.

Staff felt that the proposed rezoning to RTZ was compatible with the land use plan because it allows small lot sizes and setbacks that match existing urban residential development form.

Staff did recommend that a condition related to single family detached swellings only might be helpful in retaining the neighborhood form and meeting the plan goals.

This did have opposition at planning commission.

Staff and planning commission had similar findings that with that condition of single family detached only the request is compatible with the plan adjacent land uses and development form.

This was discussed briefly at last week mentioning that there was concern there was opposition to townhomes.

There was also a, a letter received from the president of the Hill City Neighborhood Association and just highlight the point that says "We wish for a zoning in the neighborhood to remain R one and request a developer pursue his plans with requesting variances opposed to a zoning change."

And this was not supported by the Neighborhood Association.

It does come with a recommendation from planning commission to approve the RTZ zone.

Subject to single family detached only townhouse zero lot line and multi-unit up to four dwellings located on one lot are prohibited.

- [Chair] All right, the applicant has seven minutes to present if you would.

and the opposition, if there's any present, will have a nine minutes to present and then a two minute response.

- [Jeremiah Reynolds] Alright.

- [Chair] If you would, state your name and address for the record and you have seven minutes sir.

- [Jeremiah Reynolds] Yes.

Thank you.

My name's Jeremiah Reynolds and I'm here on behalf of, do you want my personal address or the address of the property that we're your address discussing?

- [Chair] Your address is fine.

- [Jeremiah Reynolds] My address is 2204 Kirby Avenue in the Ridgedale neighborhood.

So yeah, thank you for hearing us out and for listening to our, our case here.

We're looking to build a single family home on this open space here.

We basically are actually just looking to reestablish what was already in this location.

If you can see on the map there, there's a 802 and then it skips over to 806.

There actually was a 804 single family home in between these two properties at one time.

And as I understand long ago it's burned down and was bulldozed and that lot kind of got incorporated into the current lot that you see there.

And so, so really we're just looking to reestablish what already existed there.

A lot of the homes on that part of the block have kind of a little bit smaller lots or at least smaller road frontage.

Our, our neighbor is 32 and this would, 32 feet, and this would established a very similar pattern along that block.

And so, yeah.

Basically we're just looking to add one more housing unit to a city that needs a lot more housing units.

And it's, so that's, that's pretty much our plan.

We have been in talks with the Hill City Neighborhood Association for quite a while.

I've worked with, with Grant and Sam and spoken with a lot of neighbors and people there in the neighborhood.

We, we've had some for of what we're doing.

We've had some opposition.

I've spoken personally to the people who oppose what we did.

Some of that was just misunderstandings.

Some of them, one of 'em is our neighbor who just would prefer for nothing to be developed on that space, which I understand.

But yeah, that's, (laughs) yeah, that's, that just what it is.

And so we, yeah, I, I've been having lots of conversations with the Neighborhood Association and I do understand that they would prefer us to seek a, some other way to do this.

I didn't get the sense that actually they were opposed to what we're trying to do.

They were just wanting us to find some other kind of way to get the zoning including a variance or some other type of thing like that.

We've gone down all of those paths.

We've been talking with RPA for about six months now and we've exhausted all the other potential options.

So kind of what they recommended doing.

We've kind of already been there.

And so, anyway, so since the RPA gave us approval and we've been in conversation with 'em for a long time, we're basically now appealing to you to see if we can get this lot reestablished to the way that it was before.

So yeah.

Any questions?

- [Chair] I'll ask around.

Thank you for that presentation.

You have three minutes and 40 seconds left.

Counsel, does anyone have any questions for Mr. Reynolds at this time?

Okay.

Is there any opposition present?

I don't wanna cut your time short.

Is that all you have for us?

- [Jeremiah Reynolds] That's all I have.

- [Chair] Okay.

- [Jeremiah Reynolds] Unless there's any specific questions or anything I can clarify.

- [Chair] I'm not seeing any.

No, no lights on the board sir.

All right.

Is there any opposition present this evening on this case?

Councilman Henderson I see no opposition.

- [Councilman Henderson] Well there's no opposition present here this afternoon Mr.

Chair, but I was at the Hill City neighborhood when they took a vote on this and it was unanimous.

They have stood united through the years to fight for R one in their neighborhoods.

It's unfortunate that we can't come up with a solution in our zoning that would allow single families on a smaller size lot in an urban type setting such as this because they have no problem with the use.

It's just they want to keep the zoning consistent and, and they've held that ground since I've been on this council.

So with that being said, I'm gonna move to deny.

- [Chair] Counsel, I have a motion to deny.

I have a second to that motion.

Questions or comments before we vote?

- [Jeremiah Reynolds] Can I make, can I make one more comments or is my time finished?

- [Councilman Henderson] It's, it is in the council's hand now.

- [Jeremiah Reynolds] Oh, sorry.

- [Chair] We're in the middle of a vote sir.

Yep.

That's why I asked if you had anything to add.

- [Jeremiah Reynolds] Okay, that was good response.

- [Chair] Sorry.

- [Jeremiah Reynolds] No problem.

- [Chair] Questions or comments before we vote?

All those in favor of denial say aye.

- [multiple speakers] Aye.

- [Chair] Opposed?

Item is denied.

Item N. Madam Clerk.

- [Madam Clerk] An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code part two Chapter 38 zoning ordinance.

So as the reason on property located at 1109 Fairview Avenue from UIX four, urban industrial mixed use zone to URM three, urban residential multi-unit zone.

- [Chair] Is the applicant present?

I have an applicant.

Is there any opposition present?

Yes ma'am.

Public works Madam Clerk item O please.

- [Madam Clerk] An ordinance closing and abandoning two wastewater easements in the 1800 through 1900 blocks of Southern Street and the 1900 through 2200 blocks of Roanoke Avenue with then tax map numbers 136EA005005.01 and 005.02 for economic development of the former Harriet Tubman home site as detailed on the attached map subject to certain conditions.

- [Chair] Councilwoman Nole, this is in your district.

- [Councilwoman Nole] Move to approve.

- [Chair] I have a motion to approve.

Have a second to that motion.

Questions or comments before we vote?

All those in favor say aye.

- [multiple speakers] Aye.

- [Chair] Opposed?

Item carries.

Under resolutions under Mayor's office, Madam Clerk, item A please.

- [Madam Clerk] At resolution authorize the mayor his designee to enter into an interlocal agreement with Hamilton County, Tennessee.

And substantial the form attached to contribute funds in the amounts of $50,000 each to the Homeless Coalition in an effort to provide extended temporary accommodations through the holidays and until permanent housing can be located.

- [Chair] Councilman Henderson.

- [Councilman Henderson] Mr. Chairman, Madam Clerk, you did read the alternate version on that?

- [Madam Clerk] I read the original version.

- [Councilman Henderson] Could we read the alternate version please?

- We're good.

- [Chair] Please read the alternate version.

- [Madam Clerk] Yes.

A resolution authorized [Inaudible 00:11:52] his designee to enter into an interlocal agreement with Hamilton County, Tennessee, and substantially the form attached to provide the city, that the city can contribute funds up to the amount of $50,000 from the contingency fund providing an ordinance number 13840 to the Homeless Coalition, in an effort to provide extended temporary accommodations through the holidays and until permanent housing can be located.

- [Chair] Councilman Henderson.

- [Councilman Henderson] Thank you Mr.

Chair.

In order to avoid a humanitarian crisis I do move for approval.

- [Chair] I have a motion to approve with several seconds.

Questions or comments on this item before we vote?

All those in favor say aye.

- [multiple speakers] Aye.

- [Chair] Opposed?

Item carries, unanimously.

Under Public Works, item B please.

- [Madam Clerk] And resolution authorizing the administrative for the Department of Public Works to award the on-call blanket contract number W two two zero two two two zero one, focus SSES and rehab blanket contract for wastewater consent decree for year one of four to Sac Construction LLC of O'Fallon, Illinois and in liner solutions of Orleans, Indiana for the annual amount of $24.5 million and accepting the valued engineering costs of both contractors.

- [Chair] Counsels.

I have a motion to approve.

I have a second to that motion.

Questions or comments on a consent decree item?

All those in favor say aye.

- [multiple speakers] Aye.

- [Chair] Opposed?

Item carries.

That concludes our ordinances and resolutions for this evening.

We will now move into purchases.

I believe we have one purchase this evening.

Ms. Satterfield?

- [Ms. Satterfield] Yes.

Good evening.

We have one purchase recommended for approval from the Fleet Management Division of Public Works.

This is a one-time purchase of a Vector Van Con 2100 I combination sewer cleaner for the Wastewater Division of Public Works.

This purchase utilizes Sourceful contract number 101221-BTR.

The vendor is Sansom Equipment Company and the total cost will be $497,712.

- [Chair] I have a motion to approve.

I have a second to that motion.

Any comments or questions before we vote on our purchase tonight?

All those in favor say aye.

- [multiple speakers] Aye.

- [Chair] Opposed?

Purchase is approved.

We have two RFP's this evening.

- [Ms. Satterfield] Yes, we are requesting approval to issue these RFP's.

Not approval to award any contracts at this time.

The first is from purchasing.

This is for a small dollar loan program for city employees.

The city is seeking a 501C3 nonprofit entity or community development financial institution to provide small dollar loans to city employees as an alternative to payday lending loans.

At this time there is no identifiable approach for this program.

Competitive sealed bid proposals will help us in determining a proposal that is of best value for the city of Chattanooga employees.

And the second is from the Air Pollution Control Bureau.

This is for insurance broker services for an insurance package policy.

The Air Pollution Control Bureau is seeking to update their insurance policies.

There is more than one solution to this purchasing issue and the competitive sealed proposals will help us in determining a program that is best value for the Air Pollution Control Bureau.

And just quick note, the city acts as the fiscal agent for the Air Pollution Control Bureau, which is why this is coming for you this evening.

- [Chair] Understood.

I have a motion to approve our RFP request this evening.

I have a second to that motion.

All those questions or comments before we vote?

All those in favor say aye.

- [multiple speakers] Aye.

- [Chair] Opposed?

RFP requests are approved.

Okay.

Committee reports.

I think Councilman Henderson we'll start with you this evening.

All right.

Councilwoman Hill?

- [Councilwoman Hill] No report.

- [Chair] Councilman Smith?

- [Councilman Smith] No report, chair.

- [Chair] Councilman Hester, you wanna hit your light?

- [Councilman Hester] We did meet today.

We will meet again.

- [Chair] After the new year.

(laughs) - [Councilman Hester] January.

Yeah.

Thank you.

- [Chair] Yeah.

Councilwoman Coonrod.

- [Councilwoman Coonrod] No report.

- [Chair] Councilwoman Nole.

- [Councilwoman Nole] No report.

- [Chair] Dr. Burrs?

- [Dr. Burrs] No report.

- [Chair] Madam Vice Chair.

- [Madam Vice Chair] Thank you so much, chairman.

We have received notice that the mayor has beat out the record ordinance.

It's unfortunate that the process was not respected in a timely manner and we were not able to reach a compromise during the process.

So with that in mind, I would like to instruct the city attorney to draft the resolution to address the veto and for that resolution to be added to the December 20th agenda with the permission of the Chair.

- [Chair] All right.

Mr.

Turning, you have your instructions?

- [Mr.

Turning] Yes sir.

That authority is the authority of the council pursuant to the charters Section 11.6.

We'll follow that provision.

- [Chair] Thank you sir.

- [Madam Vice Chair] Thank you so much.

- [Chair] All right.

Now recognitions of persons wishing to address counsel this evening.

Anyone wishing to address counsel please come on down to the podium.

- [Joshua David Capelish] Hello, my name is Joshua David Capelish and I will be one of many who stands up here on behalf of my homeless friends.

"E pluribus unum" is the motto of the United States of America.

It means, out of many one.

It is printed on our currency and is included on the great seal of the United States.

I have one problem with Chattanooga.

It's a math problem of sorts.

First, the number one is a rational number.

It is not an irrational number.

There's also a whole number and a natural number.

So let me ask you, what is the square root of one?

The square root of one is one.

One divided by itself is one.

One times one is one.

One with the exponent of one is one.

One divisible by itself is one.

One times any other number is not one.

One times zero is zero.

And some say one is none and two is one.

In the Bible, Matthew 19.6 it says "So then they are no longer two but one flesh.

And therefore what God has joined together let not man separate."

This passage relates to marriage but a government is married to its citizens to whom they serve and who fund the government.

So what is the government body that does not include every one?

It is not one.

Romans 13.3 says, "To submit to governing authorities for rulers are not a terror to good."

Romans 15 says, "So then, so then who are strong ought to bear the scruples of the weak and not to please ourselves?"

Romans 12.9, "Let love be without hypocrisy.

Abhor what is evil and cling to what is good."

God had one son, Jesus, who did not commit one sin.

Yet through repentance, every one of our sins are forgiven.

God's love is infinite.

I met the mayor here one night.

He said to m- he said he was a finance nerd, and usually that means using some basic math.

So here is one word problem.

Is there one person in Chattanooga who wants one person to be homeless in this city?

Is there one who is okay with one American dying in Chattanooga?

Or, if you or I could change one thing about Chattanooga, what would it be?

Which one of you will stand up for the homeless?

Which one of you will email or call me?

Which one of you has never talked to me?

Imagine if one of you were homeless.

Some talk about the 1%, the most wealthy.

Matthew 1924 says, "It's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man or rich person to get into the kingdom of God."

Which one of you will get in?

Will I?

If everything in the Bible is true, but not all truths are in the Bible, wouldn't that mean the bottom 1% of our society has a 99% chance of getting into heaven, than the richest 1%?

So if one Chattanooga is a whole number, an irrational number, then why can't natural people of Chattanoogans come together as a whole and develop a rational solution for resolving our homeless problem together?

If one of you knows the answer to any one of these questions, you can be the one who emails me back.

I love each and every one of you and every one of my homeless friend, friends.

God's love for all of us is infinite and all.

We are all equal and we all won.

But only if we include everyone.

"E pluribus unum."

Out of one, out of many one.

Thank you.

- Two weeks ago I posted a video documenting a walk from my house to the nearest park.

It got 1.3 million views and 2,500 people commented on that video.

In the video I showed some scales and obstacles that a pedestrian might have to face going to the park nearest to our house, 0.7 miles away.

And people could not believe some of the dangers that I was submitted to on that walk or the challenges that someone with accessibility issues would have on that same walk.

But what brings me here today is the fact that we cannot maintain these sidewalks and these roads without a tax surplus of some sort.

That today we voted to quote "end a humana- or to avoid a humanitarian crisis."

While at the same time we had two votes that took away housing from hitting our urban center.

A contractor came up here today or a realtor, Mr. Reynolds came up asking.

And one of the reasons people, we were, that was denied is that the neighborhood stood united against this housing being built.

I bet neighbors stood united with redlining years ago.

I bet neighbors stood united with very bad policies.

And as professionals and as the leaders of the city, we need to lead these neighborhoods into dense urban development, for the sake of our homeless brothers and sisters, for those who are homeless adjacent, about to be kicked out of their homes, and those who are reliant on the charity of their friends and families just to keep a roof over their head.

If you have money and you can afford a big single family home on the outskirts in a nice suburb, I'm not here to outlaw that.

But what I think we can't afford to do is have to make a decision about every little house in dense urban infill that should become more housing.

It seems that we have no problem tearing down new pro- or setting up new property for $400,000 houses on Mount Aetna.

But at the same time, we can't help educate a Neighborhood Association on why having two houses on one piece of property might be the solution for dense urban infill.

We're talking about places where it already exists, that backs up to a business a, a brick building of a business.

It's one of the few walkable neighborhoods.

When I looked to move to Chattanooga, people told me buy in that neighborhood.

I couldn't afford to.

I was priced out of it.

And soon after I moved to Highland Park, I was priced out of Highland Park as well.

We need to create dense urban infill and it will have ratcheting effects to help housing so that we don't have to vote to quote "avoid humanitarian crisis."

Thank you.

- [Janice Gooden] Janice Gooden, district eight.

I just wanna read a few lines of a statement that was made by Eric Atkins, one of our community members with the Unity Group.

Each year on December the 10th, United Nations and World Community recognizes International Human Rights Day.

The theme for this year's International Rights Day is dignity, freedom, and justice for all.

Everyone has a right to a standard of living adequate for the health, wellbeing of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing, medical care, and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or other lack of livelihood, and circumstances beyond his control.

So we see one of the most pressing issues in our region today is the need for adequate housing.

Not just affordable, but adequate housing.

So some of the key elements that are identifiable in terms of adequate housing are security of tenure, availability of services, affordability, habitability, accessibility, location and cultural adequacy.

Adequate housing is not a privilege, convenience or commodity.

Adequate housing is a basic fundamental human right that should be afforded to all.

So I thank all of the efforts that are going in to address the need for housing.

I especially want to thank Mike Smith and Sam Wolf for their leadership.

I watched the 3:30 meeting and I'm really thankful.

- [Chair] Thank you, Ms. Janice.

Anyone else wish to address counsel this evening?

Counsel, I am seeing no one coming.

We have a motion to adjourn.

We are adjourned.

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