Action note  --  Tennessee House Bill 191 will allow the TAWC and Chattanooga Gas to get a guaranteed Rate of Return of over

10% and make unlimited application to TRA for rate increases.   Where similar bill have passed the rates have increased

greatly.  Contact your state reps and senators now to stop guaranteeing higher rates to these out of town monopolies.

 

 

Below is part of the 150 million dollars in waste and inappropriate spending

by Littlefield  and Council, Jack Benson, Deborah Scott and others.

 

  • Our city debt, a mandate for $250,000,000 to fix the sewer system.  Waste, and corruption on a similar project pushed Birmingham into bankruptcy.   In a rush to spend money on this project $38 million was voted by the council this week
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  • $22,000,000 in delinquent storm water fees, January 10, 2010 resolution 26179 has never attempted to be collected before raising the stormwater fees for everyone.

 

  • $1,545,235 to develop green infrastructure regulations 6/2011

 

  • $2 million for land for sewer plant 184 acres already now added 12 more 11/16/11

 

  • $328, 000 website for city county cost county cost about 36,000

 

  • $1,000,000 for greenway maintaince

 

  • $13 million waste in swaptation bond deal, city council bond "gamble".

 

  • 45.3 million wasted and misappropriated at wastewater plant

 

  • 750,000 dollars spent on a drainage ditch on private property

 

  • 6 million being spent on a new city employee health care clinic (we have two now, this amount includes interest on bond.)
  •  
  • 9 million for the Black Creek TIFF private developement subsidy
  •  
  • 10.5 million Chattanooga city riverfront hard edge repair.
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 32 million estimated costs of required annexation improvements 

 

These are some of the mistakes over the last 5 years by our council at the mayor's request

 

 

New Taxes

 

Gas franchise tax (on your gas bill)  300% increase more in later years This is a tax on the Chattanooga Gas

 

company which is fully transferable to the customers.  The company did pay $355,000 in 2010.This rose to $1.2

 

million in 2011 with continual rises to $2.2 million per year in 5 years.  See TimesFreePress February 27, 2011.

 

 

  

 

The Issues:  Ron has ignored government requirements in the stormwater permit he helped write.

 ►  While letters from TDEC were stated Ron was short 1.6 million dollars and had taken all 1.5 million dollars of stormwater reserves for other purposes.  Ron asked for 100,000,000 dollars over four years.  

 ►This was a 300% increase in fees for homeowners and a crushing blow for businesses, churches and other nonprofits.  It is scheduled to rise again in 4 months.

 ►  This stormwater fee and taxes he plans, make Chattanooga number one in Tennessee taxes.

 ► Ron is rewriting the stormwater permit to make it more onerous and expensive for us all.  In January he asked for and got a 600,000 dollar increase in permits and fees effective the end of June.  

 ►Then Littlefield requested an over 30,000,000 dollar increase in property taxes.

 ►Ron has ignored the gangs and police desires to deal with them.

 ►Each year for the last four years the police force has shrunk leaving fewer  officers to confront more criminals.

 ►Ron called the 5 person shootings in Coolidge Park not gang related but flash crowds.

 ►Ron has alternately diminished the police with the attempted reappointment of Chief Cooper and the plan to turn the police over to Sheriff Hammond for “a dollar year”.

 ►Annexation requires more services, the budget must be increased to pay for these, and taxes raised to pay for the budget.

 ►Ron is in the process of annexation thousands of county residents to grow a bigger city and a bigger budget.   These people have no vote in this but have filed lawsuits to stop it.

 ►Ron will spend millions of our money fighting in court and providing unwanted and unneeded services.  Admitting no justification for this he has said it is really so he can force metro government during his reign.

 ►In January he asked for and got a 600,000 dollar increase in permits and fees effective the end of June.

 ►Then Littlefield requested an over 30,000,000 dollar increase in property taxes or a 33% increase!   On each increase he stated "Well, they have not been raised in a long time".

  ►Our government should be about us, our money should not be used for Littlefield dreams, but necessary government services.  Littlefield spent our money for his projects in the past and keep doing more if we do not stop him.

 

 

 

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When asked If he was worried about the voters, Littlefield said; "What are they going to do, recall me?"

next page

Legal Problems of Mayor

Its important for the Mayor to realize he is not above the law.

Ron is finding this out on our dime. This is why the cities legal

fees go up and up. More coming on cities legal problems.

 

Voice your opinion on the 13 million dollars parking garage for TVA

paid by citizens of Chattanooga.

 

Coming soon: citizens speak out and expose scandal of tax money

spent by the mayor on the farmers market property.

Updates on Legal fees

Ron Littlefield has consistently spoken against the independent criminal investigations into the city and is against the recouping of hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars that were paid  illegally to the city attorneys office. According to the mayor’s own auditor, the Tennessee attorney general, and the Tennessee Comptroller's office, this was wrong.

Mayor Ron Littlefield continues to fall under state accusations that he acted illegally in hiring outside attorneys and paying office rent, secretarial support, staff support and fringe benefits for city attorneys. Littlefield said in his defense, "This has gone on for years and we are beating a dead horse because we have moved them in house".

By bringing them "in house" he has ended up paying them more than when

he improperly paid them "out of house". This Littlefield fix has a cure that is

worse than the disease. Littlefield does not realize or accept that state law was designed to save the taxpayers money not the reverse.

For two years the city attorneys total expenses have been declining, With 2010 expected to cost the taxpayers $852,781. Now the expectation is that we will spend 1,225,007 in 2011, instead of saving money and righting a wrong Littlefield ended up raising the total city attorney’s budget by almost 43% and over $372,000 taxpayer dollars.

This data is based upon city information submitted on June 22, 2010 as a partial response to our open records request.

The mayor has refused to post further data.