A long-serving chairman of one of Chattanooga's bond boards stepped down Tuesday night amid questions about his residency and eligibility to serve.
Health, Education and Housing Facilities Board Chairman William Bulls III resigned after serving 27 years on the board, according to City Attorney Wade Hinton.
The resignation came after council members and residents started questioning whether Bulls lives in a $427,000 home in the unincorporated portion of East Brainerd, or in a beauty supply store inside the city limits.
It means the City Council has to fill four spots on the board, which oversees tax breaks for affordable housing projects in the city.
The board now has three vacancies and board member Hicks Armor's term is expired.
The vacancies have delayed some board business, because members have not been able to gather a quorum. One item includes a proposed tax break for part of the $8 million Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel renovation. The hotel plans to build 97 affordable apartments in the hotel and is asking for a 16-year payment-in-lieu-of-tax agreement.
To serve on the board, a member must be a taxpayer in the city and a resident.
Until Tuesday, Bulls' voter registration address was 9211 Royal Mountain Drive in the unincorporated county. That home was built in 2003, according to county tax records.
All the while, Bulls' address registered with the city for the purposes of serving on the board was his wife's beauty supply store at 5312 Brainerd Road, which was built in 2008.
Bulls told city officials the store was his primary residence, Hinton said.
But Hamilton County Election Administrator Kerry Steelman said Bulls updated his voter registration Tuesday to the beauty supply store. And Bulls provided a utility bill in his name for the property as proof of residency, Steelman said.
City Councilman Chris Anderson said he couldn't say for sure whether Bulls lived at the store or not, but the situation was "fishy." Anderson said Tuesday after the news that the resignation was the right thing for Bulls to do.
"I think he clearly did not meet the criteria but was well-intentioned and willing to serve," Anderson said.
Councilman Moses Freeman said it was important for all of the city's boards to be properly manned. And he was glad Bulls resigned if he wasn't eligible.
"He is an honorable man. I don't think he would do anything to disparage the committee or do anything nefarious to get around something," Freeman said. "He's a very competent guy, and I'm sure he contributed much to the board."
Bulls is out of the cross hairs of city officials, but if he changed his voter registration just to serve on the housing board -- and does not actually live in the city -- he could be in more trouble.
Falsifying voting registration is a felony punishable with two to 12 years in prison or a $5,000 fine, or both.
Blake Fontenay, spokesman for Secretary of State Tre Hargett, said Tuesday that the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office was responsible for investigating and prosecuting voter registration fraud.
Bulls could not be reached for comment Tuesday but he left a message Friday with a reporter after press time.
Council Chairman Chip Henderson said Tuesday the council was accepting applications for the posts through Friday and planned to make appointments on Feb. 3.
The posts will be selected similarly to how the council replaced vacancies for its Industrial Development Board in September. On Tuesday, the nine-member council divided into three equal groups. Then the council drew letters from a bowl to determine who picked first to start the rotation. Group C, representing City Districts 7-9, was selected by hat drawing to have the first and last appointment.
Contact staff writer Louie Brogdon at lbrogdon@timesfreepress.com, @glbrogdoniv on Twitter or at 423-757-8461.