POPULATION FOR WWTA MEMBERS* Hamilton County — 332,848* East Ridge — 19,642* Soddy-Daisy — 12,511* Red Bank — 11,573* Signal Mountain — 7,109* Lakesite — 1,903* Lookout Mountain, Tenn. — 1,866* Ridgeside — 394Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Two of the largest cities in which the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority conducts business are turning to the state Legislature to shake up the authority’s board.
At issue is how many votes each member of the 12-member authority gets. Currently, each of the five members appointed by Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey is allotted votes that equal one-fifth of the entire county population, roughly 60,000 votes each.
Those members’ votes far outweigh the seven members that represent every city in the county except Chattanooga, which is not part of the WWTA.
“The seven cities represent 80 percent of WWTA’s income,” said East Ridge Mayor Mike Steele. “We really don’t have a voice because of the way the voting is set up.”