Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke talks about the frugality he’s demonstrating in City Hall on Friday.Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke made it clear to his staff his first week in office what the goal would be – don’t unnecessarily spend money.
So they went on a scavenger hunt across city departments looking for used chairs to put in City Hall.
“I told them they could have any desk they wanted,” Berke said. “They’d just have to pay for it themselves.”
The objective? Don’t spend a dime of taxpayer money to get the comfy chair.
In his first six weeks, the new mayor has shown he’s thrifty. He said his restructuring of city departments will save $380,000. His theme in almost every speech is efficiency and making sure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.