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Signal Mountain council appoints Charles Paz; board authorizes finance director to sign checks
Summary
The Signal Mountain Town Council appointed Charles Paz to a vacant council seat after two rounds of ballots and passed a second resolution adding finance director John Harr to the town's authorized check signers and updating the town manager's title.
Signal Mountain Town Council voted March 10 to appoint Charles Paz to a vacant council seat and approved a separate resolution authorizing the town's newly hired finance director to sign checks.
The council appointed Charles Paz after two rounds of ballot voting by council members and a short period of discussion about giving electoral results weight in the appointment process. Mayor Elizabeth Baker read the resolution appointing Charles Paz and the council then moved and seconded approval; no member registered opposition.
The appointment followed public applicant statements and a period for citizen remarks. Three applicants the council discussed in depth were Charles Paz (a former mayor), Greg Sullivan and John Barlow. Greg Sullivan told the council, "I'm here because I wanna help," and John Barlow described bringing his two daughters to the meeting while outlining local volunteer work. Several residents spoke in support of Paz, including Molly Hampton and Reed Hampton; Melissa Barrett praised the transparency of the appointment process.
The mayor explained the council's voting procedure before the ballots: "The ballots are not secretive or anonymous. Our names will be on them." After the second ballot the mayor announced, "So with that, we do have consensus." The council approved a written resolution to formalize the appointment; the new member will be sworn in at the town's March 24 work session.
In a separate resolution the council added finance director John Harr to the list of authorized personnel who may sign town checks, omitted a council member (listed in the resolution as Eddie Smith) from that list and updated Matthew Justice's title from interim town manager to town manager. Council members approved the resolution without recorded opposition. Mayor Baker said the town will swear in both the new council member and the finance director on March 24.
Council members also discussed, without taking formal action, whether to hold a special election to fill the vacancy. Council members cited a Hamilton County Election Board estimate that a special election would cost about $20,000 and noted broad community interest in saving funds for town priorities. Several council members said the November election results were a relevant but not dispositive consideration for the appointment.
The meeting included other administrative reports. Town staff said a building inspection contract for town facilities was awarded for roughly $4,700, the FY2024 audit filing is due at the end of the month, and a council strategic planning session is scheduled for March 13 at 4 p.m. The manager said the town has requested follow-up from TDOT after an oversized truck became stuck on a mountain road and stressed the public-safety risks when large vehicles impede emergency access.
The council adjourned after passing the resolutions. The newly appointed council member and the finance director will take their oaths of office before the March 24 work session.
