Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield said his plan to move Chattanooga City Court out of the Hamilton County-Chattanooga Courts Building is an effort to operate government efficiently and effectively.
City Court Judges Russell Bean and Sherry Paty implored the City Council on Tuesday not to support the move, saying it could hurt court functions. They also questioned what would be gained from the move.
Littlefield estimated the city could save $50,000 to $100,000 by moving the court and clerk’s office into the former Tennessee American Water building at 10th and Lindsay streets. The city-owned property sits across from City Hall.
“I just don’t see the inconvenience,” he said, noting that the mayor’s staff used to work out of the building before moving to City Hall.
Paty said moving City Court and the clerk’s office would cause problems for the public and raise security concerns when inmates must come to the court for traffic violations.