Mayor Ron Littlefield said today he will establish an exploratory committee to start discussing a charter for home rule for Hamilton County or for metropolitan government should Chattanooga and the county merge.
Littlefield made the remarks after talking to more than 250 people packed into the City Council chambers to discuss home rule.
“This is the launch,” Littlefield said. “This is the beginning.”
The mayor talked for almost 40 minutes about the values of having consolidated government between the city and the county. He then took questions from the public for about a half hour.
Littlefield said he would like a charter by August next year, just before the November presidential election.
For more information, read tomorrow’s edition of the Times Free Press.
Cliff has worked for the Times Free Press for five years and covers Chattanooga city government. He previously covered Rhea County, as well as transportation and growth and development in Southeast Tennessee. A native of Maryville, Tenn., Cliff graduated in 2003 from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis on journalism. Before coming to Chattanooga, he was a crime reporter with Hernando Today, a supplement of The Tampa (Fla.) ...
