Council approves one‑year contract for traffic‑signals engineer after staffing debate

The Chattanooga City Council on Oct. 28 approved a one‑year contract with Insight Global LLC to secure traffic‑signal systems engineering services provided by Patrick Bethea, a contract the city says it hopes will lead to a permanent hire.

Council members pressed staff for details before voting. Kevin Roy, chief of staff, told the council that the city has “had a hard time filling our traffic engineer position in public works. We’ve had this vacancy for two years,” and that the contract is intended to fill a critical gap while the city seeks a longer‑term solution.

The resolution authorizes a statement of work and contract covering Oct. 31, 2025, through Oct. 30, 2026. Staff described the total compensation and fees for the contract in the packet as $145,060 for the one‑year term; staff also discussed an hourly billing approach that was characterized in committee materials as approximately $70 per hour and up to 2,080 hours. Roy said the contract cost includes the recruiting firm’s fee and the contractor compensation, and that the incremental difference versus hiring in‑house (including benefits) was modest given recruiting difficulty.

Council members, including Councilman Elliott and Councilman Clark, framed their questions around long‑term staffing and pay equity. Elliott urged the city to examine wage comparisons and “how can we make sure we’re fairly compensated so we can be competitive in the market,” noting that contracting can offer higher short‑term costs but may be necessary when positions remain vacant. Harvey asked staff to confirm hourly rates and whether the contractor would be a city employee; staff said the worker will be contracted through Insight Global for the year and the city hopes to hire the individual as a city employee at the end of the term.

After the chief‑of‑staff’s explanation and brief discussion, Councilman Clark moved to approve the resolution and the motion was seconded. The motion carried by voice vote.

The contract as approved authorizes the city to engage a traffic‑signal systems engineer through Insight Global for the stated one‑year period, with the administration indicating intent to evaluate permanent hire at the term’s end. The council did not record a roll‑call tally in the minutes; approval was taken by voice vote.