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Council hears pleas to restore arts funding, boost transit match and raise nonsworn pay during FY27 budget hearing
Summary
At a June 2 public hearing on the proposed FY27 budget, transit and arts leaders urged the council to preserve funding that would leverage federal grants and keep local arts programs afloat, while union representatives called for higher nonsworn employee pay and a $40,000 minimum wage floor.
The Chattanooga City Council opened a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget June 2, hearing roughly an hour of testimony from transit officials, arts leaders, union representatives and residents who urged the council to restore or protect funding they said is essential to mobility, cultural programs and frontline city staff.
Charles Frasier, identified in his remarks as CEO of the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA), thanked the council for including CARTA's capital match request in the proposed budget and said the city's contribution would allow CARTA "to pursue approximately $25 million in additional state and federal grants for transit, mobility, and infrastructure improvements throughout Chattanooga." Frasier said the agency is evolving beyond buses into corridor projects, downtown mobility work and parking modernization.
Arts organizations and funders repeatedly asked the council to reverse a $35,000 cut to the Arts Build allocation. "I'm here today to ask that you reinstate the $35,000 currently cut from the funding for Arts Build," Brian Msween, described in his remarks as CEO and artistic director of Chattanooga Ballet, told the council, saying the grant program is a foundation for many local nonprofits. James McKisick, speaking for Arts Build, said restoring the allocation to last year's $270,000 would prevent the loss of neighborhood grants, field trips and operating support that enables organizations to leverage private funding.
Union organizer Jason Brown of SEIU Local 205 and several city employees said nonsworn staff have been left behind in recent compensation decisions and urged council to "pop the hood" on the budget to find room for raises. Brown and other commenters asked the council to consider a 5% across-the-board increase and a $40,000 minimum entry salary for city jobs, arguing that attrition, recruitment problems and rising cost of living are harming public services.
Several speakers linked the issues. Leaders from sober-living and workforce programs said CARTA bus passes directly enable employment and court attendance for program participants. A range of arts leaders and teaching artists described how even relatively small cuts to Arts Build funding would reduce grants for neighborhood projects and eliminate opportunities for children, and several Parks and Public Works employees urged pay increases to retain technical staff who maintain stormwater and green infrastructure.
Council members did not take final votes during the public-comment period; budget committee chair Councilman Henderson reminded the public that the first reading of the FY27 budget ordinance is scheduled for June 16 with a second reading and final vote on June 23. The council received the testimony as it proceeds through deliberations.
What happens next: the council will consider the mayor’s proposed FY27 budget at its scheduled budget readings; public testimony from June 2 is part of the official record and will accompany deliberations beginning June 16.
