East Ridge Council receives clean audit, approves rezoning, development deal and new waste contract

The East Ridge City Council on Dec. 12 received a presentation from auditors showing a clean opinion on the city’s 2023–24 financial statements and approved a package of actions including a rezoning ordinance, a development agreement for a retail redevelopment project and a new solid-waste disposal contract.

Garrett Williams, with HHM CPAs, told the council the firm’s audit resulted in an unmodified (clean) opinion. “We had an unmodified report, which is a clean opinion. It's what you want to have,” Williams said, summarizing the audit’s overall judgment and noting no findings in the single-audit work on federal programs tested, including ARPA funds.

The audit presentation detailed the city’s major funds and fiscal-year highlights: general fund assets of about $22,000,000 (roughly $13,000,000 in cash and $7,000,000 in property taxes receivable), a reported $14,500,000 year-end general fund balance (about seven-and-a-half months of expenditures), and a net positive change across funds of roughly $8,700,000 for the fiscal year. Williams also told the council the city had no single-audit findings for major federal programs tested and that the ARPA program compliance work produced a clean opinion.

Votes at a glance - Ordinance 1212 (rezoning): Approved on second and final reading. The ordinance rezones two parcels at 6728 Ringgold Road to C2 General Commercial to align existing uses with zoning; vote: 5–0. - Ordinance 1213 (FY2025 budget amendment): Approved on second and final reading. Amendments include transfers for debt service, grant revenue and the 2024 bond debt payment of $604,324 tied to Camp Jordan Park and the multipurpose center; vote: 5–0. - Resolution 3611 (solid-waste contract): Approved. The council authorized an agreement with Waste Connections of Tennessee (doing business as City Waste LLC) after the city received three proposals; the low bid was $43.75 per ton and staff estimated…