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County approves $3M Camp Jordan match; council to accept grant later; city manager interviews set amid divided council
Summary
Hamilton County approved $3 million to match East Ridge funds for a Camp Jordan turf project; staff will present formal acceptance Jan. 22. Separately, the council scheduled in-person interviews of two city-manager finalists next week after a recruitment that produced 29 applicants; some council members favored reopening the search while others urged proceeding with interviews.
Two administrative items dominated the latter portion of the Jan. 8 meeting: a county match for the Camp Jordan turf project and ongoing city manager recruitment.
Parks and administration staff said Hamilton County approved $3,000,000 as the county match to help convert athletic fields at Camp Jordan to turf. Staff reported the city has budgeted $3,000,000 as its contribution and that county ordinance action now enables a formal acceptance; staff said they will present the exact grant agreement and acceptance language at the Jan. 22 meeting and asked whether work could continue now to avoid remobilization costs. Staff noted they are preparing contract extensions and an implementation schedule tied to upcoming tournaments.
On personnel, City Manager Miller summarized the recruitment process: 29 initial applicants, eight with municipal-manager experience, a series of vetting steps and Zoom interviews, and two finalists available for in-person interviews next Monday (the city had two candidates confirm attendance; two others withdrew). Some council members said the search should be reopened to bring more candidates for consideration; others said it would be prudent to proceed with interviews already scheduled and then either select a candidate or continue the search. Miller said he would be willing to continue month-to-month if the council needs extra time for transition planning.
Next steps: staff will present the grant documents and a recommended acceptance resolution for the turf project on Jan. 22. The council will conduct candidate interviews at a special meeting next week and may either make an offer for the city manager position or continue recruitment.
