Former Chattanooga Mayor Ron LittlefieldThe city will take a further look at gangs in Chattanooga.
City Council voted 7-2 Tuesday night to approve paying up to $75,000 to the Ochs Center for Metropolitan Studies to do a gang assessment.
But Councilwoman Deborah Scott raised questions early about why the study ended up costing the same amount the city administration asked for two months ago.
“So, it was just coincidence that you asked for that amount earlier and it ended up being that?” Scott asked city administrators.
Dan Johnson, chief of staff for Mayor Ron Littlefield, responded the study actually was going to cost $69,834 and the rest would be for contingency in case the Ochs Center needed additional funding. He said he did not think the city’s recommendation played a role in how much the Ochs Center decided to charge for the project.