(Editor’s note: Third of three parts)
East Lake residents voted to join Chattanooga in 1925. Once the votes were certified as official, a celebration took place unlike any seen before in the city.
The Chattanooga Times reported that “following the reading by Auditor John Hibbets and signing by Mayor Pro Temp Frazier of the annexation proclamation, a fire engine, fully-manned, and a corps of patrolmen left city hall … taking up station at a temporary fire hall on Rossville Boulevard, between Forty-Fifth and Forty-Sixth Street, opposite of the Walter A. Wood feed company … .” At the exact moment the proclamation was read at City Hall, the sirens began to sound across Chattanooga, and cheers broke out in East Lake.
City leaders, perhaps a bit hopeful at best, anticipated a positive vote, so that upon official announcement Commissioner Ed Bass told the city’s newest constituents that “partial services in the streets and sewers department” would begin immediately and garbage collection within a week. Superintendent Dorsey had already completed a thorough survey of needs and reported to the commission that the newest ward, the Thirteenth, would be welcomed to “full citizenship” and city services.
As Chattanooga expanded its borders and implemented services for the newly annexed communities, other suburbs began to consider alignment with the city. While the prospect of a property tax increase might have lessened enthusiasm for some residents, the expectation of the benefits of improved services within the region provided an attractive incentive for annexation.