Recap: what the Board did on Aug. 10

Here's what actually happened at the Aug. 10 meeting. Alderman Busch Thoma was not present, so the Board had six voting members — which means a 3–3 tie fails.

One housekeeping note up front: before the agenda was even approved, Mayor Sebourn moved to pull items 9, 10 and 11 (the athletic eligibility ordinance, the study-session recording resolution, and the C.D. Stamps playground resolution) off the agenda. That failed 2–4 (aye: Bird, Sebourn; nay: Glick, Mathis, McGee, Wilson), so all three stayed on and were heard.

The big ones

Ordinance 1690 — City Administrator personnel rules (PASSED, final reading)

This puts the city administrator under the city's personnel regulations, says he reports directly to the Board, and sets up a written process for employee complaints about him (they go to the city attorney first). Alderman Glick moved to amend it — keep the "regular employee" part, strip the grievance procedures out and move them to the personnel manual instead. That amendment failed on a 3–3 tie (aye: Glick, Mathis, Wilson; nay: Bird, McGee, Sebourn). The original ordinance then passed 5–1, with Wilson voting no. It takes effect on final passage.

Ordinance 1693 — "Equal funding" for Sports Council, South Jackson, and the Chamber (PASSED, second of three readings)

Sponsored by Alderman Glick, this would lock in city General Fund money for the Tullahoma Sports Council and the South Jackson Civic Center at exactly 100% of whatever hotel/motel tax money goes to the Chamber of Commerce — and it auto-adjusts if the Chamber's number ever changes. Alderman Bird moved to postpone it; the motion died for lack of a second. It then passed unanimously on second reading. This one is a budget ordinance requiring three readings, so there's still one more vote to come. If you have an opinion on tying three groups' funding together by formula, now's the time.

Ordinance 1696 — Sex-based athletic eligibility for city rec programs (PASSED as amended, first of two readings)

Also sponsored by Alderman Glick. It requires participants in single-sex, city-sanctioned leagues to register based on the sex on their original birth certificate, and extends compliance requirements to outside leagues renting city fields. Glick offered an amended version handed out before the meeting that removed the random audits by the Recreation Department, replacing that with a complaint-driven process with an appeal. The amendment passed unanimously, and the amended ordinance passed unanimously on first reading. Second and final reading still to come. (For the record: Daniel spoke during citizen comments in support of this ordinance.)

Ordinance 1695 — Cutting public meeting notice from 7 days to 5 (FAILED)

The city attorney brought this to match what he described as common Tennessee practice. It failed on a 3–3 tie (aye: Bird, McGee, Sebourn; nay: Glick, Mathis, Wilson). Notice for city board and committee meetings stays at seven days.

Resolution 2051 — C.D. Stamps playground and splash pad (PASSED)

Directs staff to do preliminary design work, check ADA and utility needs, and hunt for grants (TDEC, federal, private) — with a report back to the Board in 90 days. Alderman McGee moved to postpone it two weeks so the Parks & Rec Director could weigh in; that failed 3–3 (aye: Bird, McGee, Sebourn; nay: Glick, Mathis, Wilson). The resolution then passed 5–1, with the Mayor voting no. No money is committed yet — this is the study step.

Public Works equipment — all approved, all ARPA-funded

Four purchases, all approved unanimously, all listed as 100% grant funded from the ARPA (one-time federal pandemic-relief money) portion committed to stormwater:

• Item 26-88 — 2026 CAT 420 backhoe, $134,832.44 (replaces a 2000 John Deere)
• Item 26-89 — Mitsubishi forklift, $33,500.00
• Item 26-90 — 2026 F-250 4x4, $65,270.00 (replaces a 2005 F-150 with 116,633 miles)
• Item 26-91 — annual office/email software licenses, not to exceed $33,000 (budgeted in FY27, not ARPA)

Also on the agenda

The July 27 minutes passed on the consent agenda (routine items approved in one vote). Ordinance 1687, standardizing who can serve codes-violation notices, passed unanimously on first reading. Ordinance 1694, rezoning 707 E Lincoln St from commercial to R-3 so a vacant, dilapidated house can be replaced with a new single-family home, passed unanimously on first reading after a public hearing. Ordinance 1692, the year-end FY26 budget cleanup, passed unanimously on second of three readings — a public hearing comes before the final vote. Resolution 2050, requiring study sessions to be recorded and posted publicly, passed unanimously.

How to weigh in

The Board meets at the Tullahoma Municipal Building at 5:30 p.m., and citizens get three minutes at the top of the meeting on anything in the Board's purview. Several of these — 1693, 1696, 1687, 1694, 1692 — still have at least one more vote coming, so your input still matters. Reach out to Daniel anytime; he'd rather hear from you before a vote than after.

This is a draft recap for Daniel's review. Any comment on how he voted is his to add.