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Hamilton County Commissioner Curtis Adams
The East Ridge City Council on Thursday hired Hamilton County Commissioner Curtis Adams as interim city manager by a 3-2 vote.
“I wasn’t seeking the job; they came to me,” Mr. Adams said.
Mayor Mike Steele said Mr. Adams volunteered his services at no charge until May 1.
The council was assured by City Attorney John Anderson that state law does not prohibit Mr. Adams serving as city manager while being a county commissioner. The council also was assured County Mayor Claude Ramsey has encouraged Mr. Adams to take the position of interim manager.
Vice Mayor Jerry Petty and Councilman Denny Manning voted to table Mr. Adams’ selection as interim manager until the next council meeting. But Mr. Steele and Councilmen Tom Card and Larry Sewell were in favor of having Mr. Adams begin immediately.
A resident of East Ridge since 1954, Mr. Adams will fill the position of David Mays who, because of illness, two weeks ago announced his retirement as city manager effective May 1.
“There is nothing better than local people to take a job,” Mr. Adams said. “I will help them find somebody for the job.”
Mr. Adams said he would not rule out accepting the position on a permanent basis, but that was the council’s decision.
East Ridge budgets about $60,000 for the manager’s salary. Each County Commission member receives about $20,000 annually.
Deputy City Manager Eddie Phillips, the city’s chief of public safety, has been handling many of the day-to-day duties of manager and Thursday night gave a review of the first six months of fiscal year 2008.
The city faced financial difficulties budgeting for the year that began July 1 and had cut about $600,000 from the proposed budget while planning on drawing more than $800,000 from reserves, if necessary, to balance the budget for the fiscal year that ends June 30.
“The city is under budget,” Mr. Phillips told the council Thursday night. “Revenues are up, and expenditures are down.”
The city also got good news about the budget. Highlights of the half-year report were:
* Local sales taxes are 11.8 percent above budget.
* State shared sales taxes are 4.5 percent higher than last fiscal year.
* Hotel/motel tax revenues are 18 percent above budget.
“I don’t want to paint too rosy a picture, but we’re excited,” Mr. Phillips said. “It does not look like we will have to draw as much from our reserve funds as was anticipated.”
The city’s revenue picture is expected to be brightened by opening Splash Valley, a $12 million water park, in the 5700 block of Ringgold Road.
David Mayes, president and chief executive officer of the company developing the water-themed amusement park, told the council that state permits for the project were granted earlier Thursday.
