City Council pleased with first glance of Mayor Andy Berke's 2016 budget

Chattanooga Chief Operations Officer Brent Goldberg defers to Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher concerning the "Safer Streets" budget area.
Chattanooga Chief Operations Officer Brent Goldberg defers to Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher concerning the "Safer Streets" budget area.

Chattanooga City Council members say Mayor Andy Berke's 2016 budget looks OK at first blush, but there will be plenty of time to debate the financial plan before a vote next month.

Chief Operating Officer Brent Goldberg presented the $221 million budget to council members during an agenda session Tuesday. The proposed budget is 1.9 percent, or $4 million, higher over this year.

Budget highlights

The following shows the operating budget funding and examples programs in each of Chattanooga's budget objectives, if the budget is adopted by the City Council. Safer Streets: $107 million -- The city is continuing to fund 486 sworn police officers, will seek to reduce domestic violence by funding a special victims unit at the Chattanooga Police Department and provide operating funding to the Family Justice Center. Growing Economy: $22.2 million -- The city will provide $6 million toward the Volkswagen expansion, which is expected to add 2,000 local jobs. It will invest in both the city's Innovation District and Innovation Center. And it will continue to support past initiatives to help grow small businesses. Smarter Students, Stronger Families: $24 million -- The proposed budget includes a program to help train parents and seniors on new technology. The city will spend more than $1.4 million updating its 15 city-owned Youth and Family Development centers. Stronger Neighborhoods: $43 million -- The city will continue its homeless veterans program, add $3.2 million into street paving and increase its curbside recycling program. High-Performing Government: $23.5 million -- The budget does not include a tax increase. It also includes raises for most of the city's employees, although police and firefighters follow separate pay plans based on rank and years of service. *The remaining money is part of the Capital budget.

The budget includes no tax increase, a raise for most city employees and big money going to police, fire and paving.

Some major goals this year include an effort to reduce domestic violence crimes, make improvements to the city's 15 Youth and Family Development centers, create jobs by investing in the city's Innovation District, provide raises for most city workers and keep up progress made in past years.

If the budget is approved as drafted, city workers who make $50,000 or less, will be getting $750 increases. Those who make more will be seeing a 1.5 percent increase, according to a city budget summary.

Nearly half of the budget is aimed at the mayor's "Safer Streets" category, which mainly goes toward funding police and fire department initiatives.

But much of that will go toward funding the Family Justice Center and a special victims unit at the Chattanooga Police Department in an effort to reduce domestic violence, which accounts for 30 percent of the city's violent crime.

Another big increase will be in the city's street-paving program. Goldberg said there will be $3.2 million added to the program, which is an 80 percent increase over 2013.

Berke was not at the presentation, but he said in a written statement he was eager to move the city forward in 2016.

"Over the next year, I look forward to seeing the city work with the private sector, nonprofits, churches and families to build the best mid-size city in America," Berke said.

Councilman Jerry Mitchell, who leads the council's budget committee, said there were no surprises for him -- he was glad to see more money committed to paving roads, but he'd like the figure to be higher.

"It looks like it's more of the same direction to me," Mitchell said. "But we've got to do something about all of the streets and paving."

He thinks the city should be investing at least $5 million a year to keep up with street needs.

"The question is where do you get the money? ... It's a balancing act, but I know the streets need work," Mitchell said.

Council Chairwoman Carol Berz said, overall, she was pleased at first glance.

"I think it looks extremely well-thought-out taking into consideration the needs, the cost-benefit of those needs and the variable of no new taxes," Berz said.

She added that she was pleased to see efforts to stop domestic abuse, but most of the council's discussion will happen next week during budget workshops with the administration.

"I don't have any preconceived notions. I'm interested in the discussion," she said.

The budget includes a handful of new initiatives, some of which have been touted for months.

But it also includes funding for a list of Berke initiatives that have faced criticism, such as the Violence Reduction Initiative anti-gang program, the Family Justice Center and the Lexia reading program.

Berke praised the 10 percent reduction in shootings since he took office in 2013, but while overall shootings are down in the city, homicides are up.

And while council members are praising the city's funding of the Family Justice Center, the area's major provider of rape crisis services, the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults, has been excluded.

Finally, the city will continue to fund the Lexia reading program, but a Times Free Press analysis of Lexia data showed the program hasn't been as successful as city officials have claimed.

Further, the City Council voted unanimously to expand the program by $150,000 Tuesday, with United Way of Chattanooga footing $122,000 of the bill.

City Council members will take a more in-depth look at the 2016 budget May 26 for the first of a series of operating budget work sessions. The first reading of the budget is scheduled for June 16.

Contact staff writer Louie Brogdon at lbrogdon@timesfreepress.com, @glbrogdoniv on Twitter or at 423-757-6481.

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