Four months after some East Ridge residents scolded Mayor Mike Steele for overlooking a six-figure budget deficit, he convinced his fellow councilmen to spend more than $340,000.
On Monday evening, a 4-0 vote approved the purchase of 19 acres of foreclosed property off Ringgold Road. Vice Mayor Tom Card did not attend the meeting.
The 13-minute meeting took place 72 hours after officials announced it in a corner of the city’s website, which attracts about 300 visitors a day, according to www.compete.com, a website that documents Internet traffic.
About a dozen political diehards came to Monday’s 6:30 p.m. meeting, while about 50 usually attend the council’s bimonthly gatherings. There was no legal notice of the meeting in the newspaper.
Steele didn’t regret announcing the meeting with only a weekend’s notice, fearing that “information could circulate” if he waited until Thursday’s scheduled council meeting.