County Residents Group Oppose Annexation

[CMF Newsman]

A local group of Hamilton County residents opposed to annexation by the City of Chattanooga is expanding.

The Hamilton County Residents Against Annexation started out as the Hurricane Creek community fought being brought into the city.

Now, they’ve opened their membership to any county resident opposed to annexation. The group complains that Tennessee law gives county residents very little power to fight annexation.

More information is available on their website, www.hrcaa.org

chattanoogapulse.com/newsfeatures/breaking-news/county-residents-group-oppose-annexation/

[LimitedRecourse]

Resistance is futile...ask any Barg ("grab" backwards).

[HonorH957]

Website should be www.hcraa.org/

[Police Moderator]

Help Needed From Ramsey, Henry On Fighting Annexation
posted July 24, 2009

As a boy my mom taught me this life-long lesson: “Son, it’s not what you make in life, it’s what you keep in life.”

Sounds simple but not easy. I have spent many years using that lesson. Perhaps at times it was buying a used car instead of a new car or shopping at Champion Mill Outlet for school clothes in the sixties. This lesson has served me well. Maybe it was the seed of my conservative outlook on life. My mom is still to this day one of the best grounded people I know.

My point of this is our elected representatives could take much from her lessons.

This is a call to Claude Ramsey and to Larry Henry. We need to hear your voice of opposition to annexation. Even if you have no vote, you have a position that is called leadership.

chattanoogan

I don't think we can depend on Mayor Ramsey or Commissioner Henry on fighting too awfully hard for the soon-to-be citynapped people, at least this time. Both the County Mayor and at least this one Commissioner live in areas that are not to be annexed. In fact, the proposed annexing zones nearly surround (conveniently) Commissioner Henry's neighborhood.

I wonder why the media has not picked up on this fact. How many other County Commissioners live in areas in the annex plan?

How many bald faced lies is the media going to allow Mayor Littlefield on this issue? Lies like, "There are some areas of the County that have no fire protection." Or, "The City can offer County residents services they don't currently have."

How can Mayor Littlefield say, with a straight face, that the City can cover the new areas immediately, as is required?

The City of Chattanooga currently has to contract (Pay for the fire protection) with Tri-Community Fire Department to cover all of the area of Ooltewah they annexed the last time! The CPD is so short of manpower that Mayor Littlefield is recklessly endangering every LEO that works for the City now!

I have it on good authority that the CPD has been told they will be having no Police or Fire Academies until at least 2011 due to budget limitations.

And those are just the Fire and Police side issues. What about sewers, streets, garbage, animal control, EMS (Oops, already ceded to the County), education (Oops, already ceded to the County), jail (Oops, already ceded to the County), courts, parks and recreation, etc.

Or is this just a veiled attempt to cede the fire and police protection to the County, too?

[Police Moderator]

Correction

I have been informed by a source I consider reliable (More reliable than mine evidently!) that CPD is starting an academy in September, 2009 and another in 2010, hiring 50 more officers.

This will nearly bring CPD up to staffing levels they need to cover what they have now, if no one retires, gets fired or resigns in the meantime!

I stand corrected.

[Police Moderator]

City Submits Plan Of Services For Areas It Wants To Annex
Planning Commission Due To Act Aug. 10
posted August 1, 2009

The Littlefield administration is asking the Planning Commission to act on Aug. 10 on a plan to annex 10 areas.

The Planning Commission will discuss the proposed plan of services for the areas at 1 p.m. at the County Courthouse.

The issue would also have to be taken up by the City Council before the annexation would take effect.

Public hearings are also required.

chattanoogan

I find it astoundingly stupid, bordering on extreme arrogance, that under each service (Fire, police, refuse collection, traffic engineering, animal control, fire hydrants, etc), the study to learn what is needed only begins AFTER the areas are annexed.

Seems to me that any study regarding what the City is going to need to add for annexed areas would occur BEFORE the annexation actually occurs.

We keep hearing from the City Commissioners that they are waiting for the "Study" before they decide whether to annex or not.

How are they going to intelligently vote on an issue (Or is that too much to ask of our elected officials?) unless they know exactly how many personnel/equipment/physical plants will need to be created and funded and where the funds for these additional requirements are going to come from?

I mean, a plan means you have things worked out BEFORE you act, right?

It is called the "Planning Commission" not the "Oh-Sh**-What-Do-We-Do-Now Commission", isn't it?

The old saying, "If one fails to plan, then one better plan to fail" comes instantly to mind!

[Police Moderator]

Quote purported to be from City Councilman Rico:

"Mr. Holden, I will vote for some, but not all annexation. I will wait till I get all the facts before making decision. As for my constituents, they pay both City and County taxes and do not receive anything from the County[/b] (Emphasis added) My District is largely made up of low income and elderly people."

Councilman Rico

Councilman Rico forgets that his constituents receive Education (I admit that is not a bragging point), Corrections (Jail and Workhouse), EMS, civil process, fugitive apprehension, to name a few, for their tax payments.

If this is the level of intelligent analysis or fact-based decision making by City Councilpersons, I definitely don't want any part of them! I can see why they must seize land/people by force instead of people willingly becoming part of the City of Chattanooga.

[Tsavodiner]

Councilman Rico forgets that his constituents receive Education (I admit that is not a bragging point), Corrections (Jail and Workhouse), EMS, civil process, fugitive apprehension, to name a few, for their tax payments.

Also mental health services, in Manny's case.

[Police Moderator]

Mayor Says Additional Annexation Moves To Follow
posted August 3, 2009

Mayor Ron Littlefield said Monday there will be additional annexation moves to follow the 10 zones that the city applied for last week.

He said, "Those were the ones that most easily could be made ready. It would be overwhelming to try to do them all at once."

The Planning Commission is due to hear the plan of services for the 10 initial zones on Aug. 13.

They include locations in Lookout Valley, Middle Valley, East Brainerd and near the Enterprise South Industrial Park.

chattanoogan

From the article, the Mayor says, "....the city is prepared to provide fire and police services to that section."

Which section of the 10, I ask?

And I say that entire statement is a bald faced, unsupportable lie and Mr. Mayor simply cannot provide the facts to justify his statement as a study has not been done yet, according to his own "plan".

Am I the only one that sees through this BS?

[Justin Thyme]

I don't live in the area any more so I don't hear what's going on so much. Is this not being discussed in the paper, on the radio and on TV? Are the statements Mayor Littlefield is making being challenged for their accuracy in public? If so, is he responding? I'd be asking for supporting documents to his statements that the areas can be given fire and police services immediately. I would also be challenging the idea that garbage service could be immediately supplied.

[Police Moderator]

Those are the same questions I and others (In much more public venues) are asking, but most of the media is nodding their heads in submission to the Mayor and not asking those very same questions. When they fail to get truthful answers, they just mope on along like the little lapdogs they are and say, "Oh, OK, gee whiz, thanks, Mr. Mayor".

I will say this, that those elected officials who support the annexation will not be happy with the votes the non-represented, annexed bastards cast next election.

[Justin Thyme]

I personally think that those media people who aren't asking the right questions and holding on for answers that can be verified should be pressured until they start pressuring the local heads of government. Is the TFP asking these questions and pressuring hard for verifiable answers? WTVC? WRCB? WDEF? Are the news people at the local radio stations asking these questions? Local government officials should be constantly ridiculed and heckled until they answer the questions and local media should be heckled and constantly ridiculed until they ask the hard questions that is their job to ask.

Maybe some one here could call the Mayor's office and ask for supporting documentation for his claims that resources are available now to provide fire and police protection. Maybe someone here could constantly ridicule the mayor's office until that documentation is provided.