The City Council is planning to seek a charter change related to the council position now known as budget analyst and legal assistant.
The council has long had issues with the post that was formerly held by Randy Burns.
During a council office shakeup in 2014, Mr. Burns was not hired and Thomas Tansil, who has a law degree, was put into the post.
Mr. Tansil recently left the council post.
Councilman Larry Grohn said, "The council believes the position has never worked the way it was intended. It is currently discussing redesigning.the position, its job description and the pay scale. In addition, it is looking at other possible ways for the council to have research assistance: interns (paid or unpaid) or UTC senior or graduate political science students."
Here is the proposed ordinance that would have to be approved by both the council and the voters to take effect:
ORDINANCE NO. _________
AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE CHARTER OF THE CITY
OF CHATTANOOGA, AND ALL ACTS, ORDINANCES, AND
OTHER CHARTER PROVISIONS AMENDATORY THEREOF,
PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF ARTICLE XI,
SECTION 9, OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF
TENNESSEE (HOME RULE AMENDMENT) SO AS TO
CHANGE THE CITY CHARTER BY AMENDING THE
PROVISION RELATED TO THE MANAGEMENT ANALYST
POSITION IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC POLICY AND TO
GENERALLY IMPROVE THE CHARTER.
______________________________________________________
WHEREAS, the City Council is committed to achieving a more efficient government and
more specifically, desires to streamline operations in the Office of the City Council;
WHEREAS, the current language
of the City Charter pertaining to the Management
Analyst puts certain limitations on the City Council being able to achieve that goal;
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHATTANOOGA,
TENNESSEE, That the Charter of the City of Chattanooga (“City Charter”) pursuant to Article
XI, Section 9, of the Constitution of Tennessee, be and is hereby amended as provided herein:
SECTION 1. That the present City Charter, and all Acts and Ordinances amendatory
thereof, be and is further amended as follows
Section 8.15 of the City Charter be amended by deleting the section in its entirety, which
section now states:
“A management analyst shall be appointed by the council, and may be removed
and replaced at any time by affirmative vote of a majority of the council. The
management analyst’s responsibilities will include, but not be limited to, reviewing
contracts submitted to council for approval and providing the council with financial and
budget analysis reports. The management analyst shall have access to all records of the
City of Chattanooga and upon request of the council shall examine and report to the
council the details of any requested documents.”
FOR THE AMENDMENT
(
)
AGAINST THE AMENDMENT
(
)
SECTION 2. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED, That, this with the exception provided in
Section
1, all provisions in the present Charter of the City of Chattanooga, not in conflict with
this amendatory home rule ordinance, be and the same are continued in full force and effect, and
all provisions constituting the Charter of the City of Chattanooga in conflict therewith are hereby
repealed.
SECTION 3. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED, That if any clause, sentence, paragraph,
section, or part of this Ordinance shall be held to be unconstitutional or void, it shall not affect
the remaining parts of this Ordinance, it being hereby declared to be the legislative intent to have
passed the remainder of this Ordinance notwithstanding such part, if any, as may be held to be
invalid.
SECTION 4. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED, That this Ordinance shall be published in
full by the Clerk of the City Council in the daily newspaper in the City of Chattanooga after the
passage thereof on second and final reading.
SECTION 5. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED, That the Clerk of the City Council shall
certify the passage of this Ordinance to the Hamilton County Election Commission and request
that the proposed amendment to the City Charter of the City of Chattanooga, Tennessee, be
placed on the ballot to be used in the general state election to be held on or about August 4, 2016.
SECTION 6. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED, That the City Finance Officer is
authorized and directed to pay the pro rata cost of this special City election.
SECTION 7. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED, That the Hamilton County Election
Commission shall certify to the Clerk of the City Council of the City of Chattanooga, Tennessee,
the result of said election, and the said Clerk shall cause said certification to be made a part of
the minutes of the City Council.
SECTION 8. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED, That Section 1 of this Ordinance shall
take effect sixty (60) days after its approval by a majority of the qualified voters of the City
voting thereon, as provided by Article XI, Section
9, Constitution of Tennessee, the public welfare requiring it.
SECTION 9. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED, That this Ordinance shall take effect,
except for Section 1, two (2) weeks from and after its passage as provided by law