Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey went on record this morning as opposing the city of Chattanooga’s annexation plans in areas where residents would prefer to stay out of the city.
He was followed by a chorus of commissioners who also oppose the annexation plan — Chairman Jim Coppinger, Larry Henry, Richard Casavant and John Allen Brooks.
Mr. Coppinger said residents simply don’t know enough about the annexation proposal and officials have not heard from the city regarding how much revenue it will generate.
Still, Mr. Ramsey said he will continue to support efforts to combine services in the county.
For full details, see tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press.
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I applaud Mayor Ramsey and the County Commissioners for standing up for what is right.
To Mayor Littlefield:
I've seen you on TV several times talking about your Christian values, so I challenge you to use your Christian eye of compassion.
Mr. Littlefield, as Mayor, you earn double the average income of the average citizen of Chattanooga and the Hamilton county.
America and Chattanooga is in the throes of one of the worst economic downturns in a long time.
VW may be coming, but they are not here boosting the economy yet and will not be until most likely after your term is complete, and there is much within the existing city limits that should be fixed first.
So as you drive through subdivisions in East Brainerd, Harrison, Ooltewah, Middle Valley, and other areas you wish to annex I challenge you to see honest, working people struggling to get by who do not need an added tax burden forced upon them, which is what annexation is.
This annexation may boost the cities bottom line and budget, but it will only hinder the local economy and financial burden of citizens.
As you drive past those neighborhoods you need to see homes and families, not property to be taxed to boost the cities bottom line.
What the city has to offer to these county residents simply is not worth the additional tax burden, and will only slow the economy.
The average home owner in these areas will see about a $1000-$3000 jump in their property taxes, and for that they get garbage pickup they can buy from BFI for $250 a year and still have $750-$2750 left over to spend on anything from groceries, to car repairs, to our kids education, who knows we may even start going back to Hamilton Place mall and pump some of it back into the local economy before the mall turns into the ghost town, Jack Benson keeps saying it is turning into, however if it's taxed away from citizens then citizens have that much less money to spend locally.