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Wednesday, November 11, 2026Nov 11

Letter to the editors: Residents should mind own area’s planning

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Planning commission member Jaime Blanton looks on as engineer Derek Kilday points out features on a map during a meeting of the Signal Mountain planning commission at Signal Mountain Town Hall on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Planning commission member Jaime Blanton looks on as engineer Derek Kilday points out features on a map during a meeting of the Signal Mountain planning commission at Signal Mountain Town Hall on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Planning commission member Jaime Blanton looks on as engineer Derek Kilday points out features on a map during a meeting of the Signal Mountain planning commission at Signal Mountain Town Hall on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026.

Residents should mind own planning

As a fairly new resident of Chattanooga (2016 to present), I felt inclined to share my opinion on a proposal to create a separate planning agency for unincorporated Hamilton County.

(IN THE NEWS: Hamilton County Commission gives Wamp authority to withdraw from planning agency)

I do think counties should be responsible for improvements of infrastructure, to include but not limited to: roadways accessible to the public, schools or institutions that regularly have minors present, all government structures, all medical facilities, public spaces such as parks, courtyards, free public parking areas and any publicly available dinning or grocery facilities.

All these areas, to be as clear as possible, should be paid for directly by the residents of the county in which the proposed improvement would implemented. Chattanooga residents should not pay their taxes toward infrastructure implementation or improvements outside the boundary of the city. However, if the proposed tax to be allocated toward such projects outside city limits comes from an appropriate budget meant to be pooled together by multiple municipalities/sources that are of moral, legal and transparent standing with the public, then it should be allowed to allocate appropriate funds to such projects. If this already exists, then I’m merely ignorant of the subject.