Chattanooga council debates property-tax increase versus targeted cuts to fund police, firefighter pay raises

At a City of Chattanooga budget work session, council members spent the morning debating how to pay proposed raises for sworn police officers and firefighters, weighing a property-tax increase tied to recent reappraisals against targeted reductions in city programs and offices.

The discussion matters because council members said the decision will affect household budgets, small businesses and public-safety staffing across the city. Council members said they want to make firefighters and police competitive with neighboring jurisdictions while avoiding an undue burden on residents.

Councilman Davis opened the substantive portion of the conversation by urging the council and administration to seek savings in the current budget before asking taxpayers to pay more. “We should start with looking at those additional savings before we consider a tax increase,” he said, adding that the council had previously discussed a 50–50 approach with the administration (half from budget savings, half from taxes). Davis also said councils should adopt annual market salary studies for police and fire and…