The Mayors and City Managers of the Small Cities Coalition of Hamilton County hosted their annual luncheon for their legislative delegation on Tuesday, September 26 at Soddy-Daisy Community Center. 

Representatives from the Small Cities Coalition included Mayor Morty Lloyd and City Manager Wayon Hines with Collegedale, Mayor Brian Williams and City Manager Scott Miller with East Ridge, Mayor David Howell and City Manager Kirsten Ert Acuff with Lakesite, Mayor Walker Jones and Town Consultant Brooke Pippenger with Lookout Mountain, Mayor Hollie Berry and City Manager Martin Granum with Red Bank, and Vice Mayor Jim Coleman and City Manager Burt Johnson with Soddy-Daisy.  During the luncheon, members of the Coalition presented a list of top priority projects for their respective city in addition to highlighting the effects various legislative initiatives have on their city operations.

The list of projects and legislative initiatives were presented to state lawmakers Senator Bo Watson (District 11), Representatives Esther Helton-Haynes (District 30), Greg Vital (District 29), Yusuf Hakeem (District 28), and Greg Martin (District 26).

Priority projects for the various cities included plans for more parks, greenways, and updates to buildings.  Several cities brought attention to safety issues on state roads and the difficulty of funding the work to correct these problems.

City leaders brought attention to legislative initiatives impacting their cities and revenue streams.  Topics included the additional funds necessary to provide school resource officers (SROs) to local schools, preference in using city inspectors for building and construction, and the loss of tax revenues from recently passed and possible future legislation.

“The Small Cities Coalition appreciates our legislative delegation for listening and offering to assist us with our priority projects and legislative concerns,” said Burt Johnson, City Manager of Soddy-Daisy. “We value the work done by our legislators and their continued efforts on behalf of all the cities in Hamilton County.”