In a time of belt-tightening and strained budgets, Red Bank wound up with a surplus of $700,000, Mayor Joe Glasscock said Tuesday.
“That doesn’t sound like a lot when you hear about trillion-dollar bailouts every day,” Mr. Glasscock said in the annual State of the City address to the Red Bank branch of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. “But if the people in small municipalities can tighten their belt, I don’t see why the larger cities with more money than we’ve got can’t operate on a sane basis.”
One controversial Red Bank revenue source comes from traffic cameras positioned at three major city intersections. Mr. Glasscock acknowledged a “vocal minority” against the cameras, but he said most area residents oppose recent efforts in the General Assembly to curb the cameras.
“For every complaint we’ve gotten, it seems we get three letters that come back in defense of our cameras,” he said. “If more voters favor cameras, the legislators better take a close look and realize their constituents could vote them out of office if they go wrong on this.”
One Chamber member disagreed with the mayor’s assessment about the cameras.
“The traffic cameras was an issue I connected with,” said Lisa Gilkey, owner of Red Rock Grill, who attended the speech. “We’ve only been open three months, and I hear a lot of feedback from people on why they don’t come into Red Bank. So I think it kind of hurts the businesses.”
Mr. Glasscock also discussed a building project for a new Red Bank Middle School. Officials are working on a “conversion package” for a proposed land swap between Red Bank and the Red Bank Girls Association, a softball organization.
STATE OF RED BANK* City finished 2009 with a surplus of $700,000* Traffic cameras enforcing safety on the roads* New middle school land deal picking up speed* $1.8 million in federal stimulus money proposed for city gateways, sidewalks, etc.* New antebellum-style city hall building plannedSource: Mayor Joe Glasscock
Pending state and U.S. Department of Interior approval, Red Bank would trade city acreage to the association for land it now is using behind Red Bank High School. The new middle school would be built on that land.
The council hasn’t voted on the issue yet, but officials say the initial conversion package is getting closer to completion. Officials still are working out the details of what land would be traded to the Red Bank Girls Association.
“Having already lost one school (Red Bank Elementary) to a Chattanooga location, the City Council has determined that (the middle school) will not escape our city limits,” Mr. Glasscock said.