What's coming up: the Sept. 28 Board meeting
Posted September 28, 2026 by Daniel Berry
The short version
The Board takes a first vote on who the Police Chief and City Recorder answer to (Ordinance No. 1697), a first vote on repealing the "equal funding" rule that ties Sports Council and South Jackson dollars to the Chamber's hotel tax cut (Ordinance No. 1698), and nine resolutions renewing the yearly nonprofit funding. After the meeting, the study session digs into impact fees, school-zone truck restrictions, and our hotel/motel tax.
The Board of Mayor and Aldermen meets Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at the Municipal Building. Here's what I think is worth your time.
The big ones
Item 4 — Ordinance No. 1697: who the Chief and the Recorder answer to
This is back after the Board postponed it on Sept. 14. It's up for first reading (the first of two required votes). It updates the City's table of organization (the org chart) and adds a new code section saying the City Recorder and Police Chief are "directly accountable to" the Board, with day-to-day coordination through the City Administrator. It also moves human resources out of the Recorder's office into a new "Employee Relations" function reporting to the Administrator.
Why it matters: our charter says the Board elects both of those officers. Our actual practice has been different for years. This ordinance clarifies things inside the charter — it can't change the charter. That's a separate, longer conversation (see the study session below). What I want to understand first: whether the new language matches what staff and the Board both think it says.
Item 5 — Ordinance No. 1698: repealing the "equal funding" rule
First of three readings. Ordinance No. 1693 currently requires the City to give the Tullahoma Sports Council and the South Jackson Civic Center General Fund money equal to whatever the Chamber of Commerce gets from hotel/motel tax — and to adjust it automatically if the Chamber's number moves. Aldermen Dent and Thoma both asked for the repeal, saying the language is unclear and hard to administer.
Why it matters: repealing it doesn't cut anybody's funding today. It means those requests go through the regular annual budget instead of running on autopilot. It does not touch the hotel/motel tax itself.
Item 6 — Ordinance No. 1699: blighted-property appeals
First of three readings. When the City orders something done about a structure that's unfit to live in, our code currently gives you an extra local appeal to a Board of Adjustments and Appeals that state law doesn't require. This removes that step. You'd still get notice, still get a hearing, and still get to take it to Chancery Court. It only applies going forward. I have some questions about this. What prompted it? When is the last time we've used it? What does it actually cost? I am uneasy with removing layers of protection.
Items 7–15 — Resolutions 2052 through 2060: nonprofit funding
Nine separate resolutions authorizing aid to the Historic Preservation Society, Fine Arts Center, TN Backroads Heritage, Chamber of Commerce, Hands-On Science Center, South Jackson Performing Arts Center, Lannom Library, Coffee County Senior Citizens, and the Tullahoma Sports Council. State law requires a separate resolution for each one. Most are paid from motel tax proceeds and must go to tourism promotion; the library, senior center, and Sports Council ones are general operations.
Also on the agenda
The consent agenda (routine items approved in one vote) has Item 26-111 (Sept. 14 minutes) and Item 26-112 (August financial summary — sales tax is down 5.7% from last year, building permits are running ahead of budget). Item 26-113 asks to allow 29 temporary signs and waive the $30-per-sign fee for the Arts Crawl on Oct. 20. The Beer Board considers an on-premises permit for Sushi Thai on N. Jackson.
The study session (after the meeting)
Four discussion items, no votes: impact fees (should new development help pay for the roads and utilities it needs — and can we legally do it under our charter?), school-zone vehicle restrictions raised by Alderman Thoma after residents spoke about school traffic, charter language for the Chief and Recorder, and our hotel/motel tax allocation. I'm presenting three of those four, and in each case I'm asking staff to go research the hard questions and come back — not to decide anything that night.
How to weigh in
Citizens get up to three minutes at the start of the meeting — just state your name and address. You can also ask that an item be pulled off the consent agenda for discussion. Or reach out to me directly beforehand. I'd rather hear from you before the vote than after.
This is a draft preview and reflects my own read of the packet, pending my review.