Council budget committee considers hiring Dr. Acuff for five- and ten-year fiscal forecast; vote deferred

The Chattanooga City Council’s Budget & Finance Committee on Oct. 21 reviewed a proposal to hire "Dr. Acuff," an associate professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, to create a five‑year financial plan, a 10‑year general fund forecast and a fiscal‑health assessment for the city. The committee agreed to defer a formal vote until the council’s next meeting to allow members time to review the contract terms and proposed scope.

Committee chair Councilwoman Dotley said the proposal is intended to give the council a single, searchable toolkit of revenue and expenditure projections, benchmarks and policy recommendations to inform long‑term decisions. "The purpose of it . . . is to provide revenue and expenditure projections, benchmarks, and measures of fiscal health, identify trends in peer cities, and offer policy recommendations to support Chattanooga’s long‑term growth and future financial planning for city council consideration," Dotley said.

The engagement as proposed would deliver a comprehensive…