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City unveils three‑phase 'Keep Chattanooga Beautiful' litter program, proposes 19 new positions
Summary
Public Works presented a three‑pillar litter‑abatement plan that pairs a city crew with neighborhood incentives and enforcement; staff proposed 19 personnel funded through stormwater fees and said administrative hearing officer referrals and municipal liens will be used against chronic violators.
Jay, a Public Works official, introduced the Keep Chattanooga Beautiful comprehensive litter‑abatement and community ownership strategy, telling council: "This is a strategy where we're combining the efforts of the city and the communities so that we can make the most out of what we have and creating opportunities across the board." The plan centers on three pillars — eradication, education and enforcement — and a phased rollout focused on routine, repeatable operations.
The administration said the city conducted 5,433 litter operations this year and proposed a Phase One workforce of 19 personnel, roughly 10 vehicles and 16 localized tools to reach an initial target of covering "33.9 miles per day," which Jay said would allow the city to hit every street roughly once a month. Jay told council the positions were requested for the FY2027 budget and that stormwater fees would provide funding: "these positions will be funded through storm water fees," he said.
Council members pressed on enforcement and remedies for chronic violators. Councilman Clark asked about the apparent $50 per‑day criminal fine limit under state law; staff and legal advisers described administrative abatement, municipal liens and referral to an administrative hearing officer (AHO) as workarounds that can yield larger civil penalties and recovery of cleanup costs. Vice Chair Elliot said prior council action sent litter matters to the AHO and noted that an AHO may impose civil penalties higher than the criminal fine: "They will send it to the administrative hearing officer ... and they will face whatever that AHO decides to place," he said.
The mayor's office clarified that the city's administrative hearing officer currently has capacity to hear more cases; staff committed to provide an SOP and referral process for code enforcement and asked council to consider signage and outreach as part of the education pillar. Councilmembers signaled support for the program's community engagement pieces (adopt‑a‑spot, corporate and neighborhood competitions) while asking for more detail on long‑term costs and the department's overall hiring request.
If the council approves the FY27 budget request, staff said hiring would be phased in after final appropriation and the city would phase equipment purchases over time to avoid a large one‑time capital spike. The committee discussion concluded with staff agreeing to provide a written SOP for AHO referrals, a budget breakdown for the requested positions, and further detail on how the program's performance will be tracked.
The committee recessed and the matter will reappear during budget and committee follow‑up.
