Red Bank has high hopes for new year

Friday, January 1, 1904

photo Red Bank Mayor John Roberts

IF YOU GO

What: Red Bank Board of Commissioners meetingWhen: 7 p.m. todayWhere: Red Bank City Hall, 3117 Dayton Blvd., Red BankMore information: http://www.redbanktn.gov/

The city of Red Bank is hoping for a fresh start.

With two new commission members and a new city manager, Mayor John Roberts thinks 2013 is going to be a big year for the city.

Commissioners Rick Causer and Eddie Pierce joined the board in November. City Manager Randall Smith started at the beginning of December.

"You've got all these new people, and they bring all this new energy to the board," Roberts said.

Smith agreed that the board seems to be in a great position to make changes in the city.

Though he has been on the job for only a few weeks, he said he has already heard from several citizens about Red Bank's future.

"There seems to be a renewed interest -- you could call it excitement -- of the possibilities for the city," he said.

The board wants to focus on economic development, hoping to lure small businesses to the area with its free parking and growing population of young people.

"I think there's a lot of positives for the city," Roberts said. "Though we won't be a copy of Chattanooga, we want to be something just as good or even better than north Chattanooga."

The commission also hopes to update Red Bank's code book, and is at work on a new five-year plan. To accommodate some of these undertakings, the commission will add a second monthly work session to its agenda.

One update to the city's charter will have its first reading at the commission's last meeting of the year today.

A proposed change will reduce the number of people on the planning commission from seven to five, with each member being appointed by a member of the board of commissioners, Smith said. The mayor previously held the power to appoint all seven planning commissioners.