Red Bank City Manager Martin Granum will present the fiscal year 2025 budget at the upcoming commission meeting on May 21. Commissioner Jamie Fairbanks Harvey expressed some concerns with the preliminary budget estimate document that the commissioners received Tuesday, and said she wants more time to review it and to meet with department heads before voting.
At the Tuesday night meeting, she offered several suggestions for the new budget. Her concern, she said, was because even though there was a large property tax increase on Red Bank citizens last year, the finances are still behind. She would like for there to be no new hiring or new positions next year, only a single cost of living raise for the city manager, reduction of the plan to purchase six police cars down to three or four, and for the city to make a $2,500 contribution to the library rather than $5,000.
The city is giving a grant of $3,825 to the Red Bank High School Junior Lions Club that will be used to refurbish the senior lounge that is in the back of the lunchroom. Three representatives from the club came to the meeting to receive the check. The vision is for an area in the cafeteria to be styled like a café’ that will be available only to seniors during lunch but open to anyone else at other times for meetings or performances. The resolution passed with only Commissioner Pete Phillips voting in opposition.
The vote was three for and two against to create an annual scholarship award for outstanding citizenship for a local graduating student. Opposition came from Commissioner Fairbanks Harvey, who wanted to know where the money was coming from before she voted, and Commissioner Phillips, who said no matter which city fund it comes from, it is still taxpayer dollars, and he will not spend tax money on a single student. The suggestion to table the motion failed. Mayor Hollie Berry said that she could not present the check to the recipient on Wednesday if the vote was postponed. Vice Mayor Stefanie Dalton and Commissioner Hayes Wilkinson overruled saying that recognizing people was a way to promote civic engagement. There are other ways to recognize people without using dollars, said Commissioner Fairbanks Harvey.
The new commercial/residential development in Red Bank that will be built at the former location of Save a Lot grocery store is now known as the Hawthorne at White Oak development. Plans have been moving forward and, in addition to the city’s own building and fire inspectors, a building official has also been appointed. Another layer of oversight has been added now with the approval of a contract with a third-party municipal inspection partner to review plans. They will be paid an amount not to exceed $16,000. This cost was not budgeted, but will be mitigated by the $110,695 permit fee of the project that is designed to have 27,405 square feet, consisting of 200 residential units and 6,695 square feet of commercial space.
An unplanned expense for the public works department was extensive repairs to one of the two brush trucks. The cost to return it to service was $20,296, but Public Works Director Greg Tate said that, although it was not budgeted, the repairs will be covered by a fund that is set aside specifically for repair and maintenance of vehicles.
Expenses that were not included in the 2024 budget will be paid with the issuance of interest-bearing general obligation capital outlay notes in an amount not to exceed $655,000. The commission gave approval at the Tuesday night meeting. The city’s CFO will arrange to get the best rates for the loan, which the city plans to pay back within the next four years. Items that it will pay for include financing vehicles for the police department and equipment for the fire department, a truck for the public works department, and renovations to various facilities including the community center, parks and cemeteries.
Two departments in the city will be honored by proclamations recognizing their contributions to Red Bank. May 15 will be Peace Officers’ Memorial Day and May 12-18 will be proclaimed as national Police Week. And a resolution passed to celebrate employees of the public works department by proclaiming May 19-25 as National Public Works Week.
A memo of understanding between the Red Bank Police Department and the city of Collegedale’s police department was approved. It will allow Red Bank’s police to use the Collegedale firing range at no cost. This agreement assures that Red Bank will provide its own equipment, training and insurance. Police Chief Dan Seymour said the state requires a minimum of eight hours of training per year for each officer.
Announcements include the city’s first movie night will be held May 24 at 7 p.m. and Food Truck Friday will be May 17 at City Park. The next Red Bank Food Pantry will be May 16.
The city continues to ask residents to fill out a survey on the Red Bank website for what they would like to see at the former Red Bank Middle School property on Dayton Boulevard.