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Monday, June 22nd

From The Cleveland Daily Banner- It will be a busy week for Bradley County commissioners, as several meetings dot their landscape for the next week.

From The Cleveland Daily Banner- It will be a busy week for Bradley County commissioners, as several meetings dot their landscape for the next week. The work session, scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight, has no announced items for the agenda. However, it is almost certain the area of budgets and animal control will be subjects of discussion. One of the reasons the budget may come up is the latest numbers are not showing figures that are proving to be up to par with estimates concerning the fire tax. County Mayor D. Gary Davis said the estimated property tax totals for this year were $3,381,000. The budgeted estimation was $3,356,000.  The Finance Committee has already approved an expenditure increase which will give Bradley County Fire-Rescue employees an across-the-board 2 percent increase followed by a $4,507 increase after the first of the year. The raises were figured to be given without any increase in the fire tax rate. “When we got the latest version of revenue collections to date as of June 5, the numbers have changed, and when we ran it based on the expenses [the Finance Committee] had approved, it left a fund balance below policy,” Davis said. The county currently has a policy of maintaining a fund balance of 10 percent. He said the 3 percent increase left a fund balance of 7 percent.    Also on the week’s calendar is a meeting of the Fire Board on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Bradley County Fire-Rescue headquarters. The Law Enforcement Committee will meet at 11 a.m. on Wednesday at the Justice Center with the top issue being animal control. Sheriff Eric Watson is expected to give his report on what the costs would be to the BCSO if animal control for the county fell under its responsibilities. The Workshop Committee will meet that same day at 1 p.m. in the county mayor’s conference room. Davis will give an update on architectural plans for the new facility, which is expected to be operational by next summer. The Commission’s Handbook Committee will meet Thursday at 10 a.m to discuss potential policy changes to holidays, bereavement, computer and email usage, per diems and credit card usage. That meeting will be held in the Commission meeting room. Also From The Banner- The Cleveland City Council will discuss potential evaluation models for a proposed evaluation of city manager Janice Casteel during its meeting today. The Council has been presented with three models recommended by the Municipal Technical Advisory Service. MTAS management consultant Honna Rogers said any of the evaluations could be tailored to meet the specific needs of the Council. Her recommendation was that all city employees be evaluated on an annual basis.        City personnel director Jeff Davis told the Cleveland Daily Banner in a phone interview that city employees are evaluated on their anniversary date by their immediate supervisor or department head. Leaders of each of the departments are then evaluated on an annual basis. Davis said up to this point, there has not been an annual evaluation for the city manager. Each of the MTAS-recommended evaluation models give a place for ranking in different categories and space for written comments. Councilman Richard Banks first brought up evaluation of the city manager’s performance for discussion in May. A motion he made to move forward with the process was approved with Councilman Charlie McKenzie as the lone dissenting vote.Consideration of an evaluation model comes after criticism has been voiced on how the city manager handled recent issues ranging from selecting a police chief to making recommendations on who should lease Waterville Golf Course. A date for an actual evaluation has not been set. To see the three evaluation models look visit our website www.mymix1041.com The first model is broken into sections focusing on leadership, fiscal management and budgeting, service delivery and administration, citizen and community relations, personal and professional qualities and city council relations. The second model breaks the evaluation down into categories of personal, professional skills and status, relations with the mayor and Council, policy execution, reporting, citizen relations, staffing, supervision and fiscal management. The second model also asks the evaluator to sign the evaluation. The third evaluation model places a heavier emphasis on written feedback rather than scores. From The Times Free Press- CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Cleveland’s ordinance governing its stormwater program is set for a makeover that includes a new and comprehensive fee structure. The Cleveland City Council is set to vote today on final passage of changes that will take effect Jan. 1, 2016. That includes higher monthly stormwater fees than the nominal $1 and $2 now charged to residents and businesses, respectively. Jonathan Jobe, the city’s development and engineering services director, briefed city leaders on the proposed changes earlier this year. “This is not something we want to do,” he said. “It’s something that was forced on us” by the federal Clean Water Act. The new monthly stormwater fees for residential properties will be tiered at $1.65, $3.25 and $4.90, based on the square footage of impervious areas that do not absorb water. Typical impervious surfaces include concrete, asphalt and roofs. In February, council members expressed support for a scaled fee rather than a blanket rate during discussions with stormwater consultant David Mason. Cleveland Utilities will administer storm water billing on behalf of the city. News Channel 3- According to The Times Free Press, the Spanish automotive supplier Gestamp, plans to open a new pressing plant in Chattanooga to service Volkswagen. Gestamp already has a facility in Chattanooga and this new facility will service VW’s upcoming midsize sport utility vehicle, according to the newspaper. The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, this would create 500 jobs. U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam along with VW plant officials and others are slated to take part in a announcement Tuesday.