The Town of Signal Mountain

Government

Meet the Town Council

Town Council Members

“The Mission of the Town of Signal Mountain is to provide open government, high quality services, efficient use of resources, and sustainability through managed growth as well as to foster community involvement, innovation and opportunity while preserving small town character.”

Mayor Bill Lusk

blusk@signalmountaintn.gov

Mayor Lusk has been a resident of Signal Mountain since 1968. He was educated in economics at Emory University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Mayor Lusk is former executive vice president of U. S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. and former president of its Xpress Global Systems subsidiary. He is currently Vice President of Sales for Brown Trucking and a consultant to the transportation industry.

Mayor Lusk has served on the Town Council since 2006. He has represented the Council on the Board of the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority, the Design Review Committee, and the Personnel Committee. He currently represents the Council on the Board of the Regional Transportation Planning Organization, the Planning Commission, and the Signal Mountain Transportation Committee, a Subcommittee of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee.

Vice Mayor Susan Robertson

srobertson@signalmountaintn.gov

Vice Mayor Robertson has been a resident of Signal Mountain since 1976. She has a degree in English from the University of South Carolina and an MFA in writing from Vermont College. She has taught English and worked as a professional writer and editor. She currently operates a part-time estate sale company.

Ms. Robertson has served on the Town Council since 2007. She has represented the Council on the Communications and Mountain Vision Subcommittees of the Citizen Advisory Committee and currently serves as the Council representative on the Personnel Committee, the Tree Board, the Historical Committee, and the Design Review Commission. She also writes "Council Notes", a weekly column published in the Signal Mountain Community News to update the community on Council business.

Councilmember Annette Allen

aallen@signalmountaintn.gov

Councilmember Allen was reared on Signal Mountain. She received a degree in European Studies from Vanderbilt University. She lived and worked in Washington, D. C., New Jersey, Mexico, Nicaragua, the Netherlands, and England before returning to the mountain in 2004.

Ms. Allen has served on the Town Council since 2006. She has organized and served on the Clean Streams Task Force and currently serves as a member of the Planning Commission and as the Council representative on the Library and the Parks Boards.


Councilmember Dick Gee

John Richard "Dick" Gee dgee@signalmountaintn.gov

Council Member Dick Gee has been a resident of Signal Mountain for 33 years.  He was educated at Virginia Tech where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1965.  He has worked in sales and marketing for the Dupont Company and as an executive in other companies associated with the carpet industry.  Most recently he served as a financial consultant with Hilliard Lyons.  He is currently retired and well known in the community for his volunteerism. 

Mr. Gee was elected to the Town Council in 2010 and serves as the council representative on the Mountain Arts Community Center Board and the Board of Zoning Appeals.


Councilmember Bill Wallace

Bill Wallace bwallace@signalmountaintn.gov

Councilman Bill Wallace has been a resident of Signal Mountain since 1984.  He is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism.  Mr. Wallace is a former news director at both WTVC-TV and WRCB-TV in Chattanooga and a former senior account executive at The Moriah Group, a locally based national strategic communications firm.  He is currently an affiliate broker at Prudential Realty Center and a strategic communications consultant.
  
Councilman Wallace was elected to the Town Council in 2010.  He has served as chairman of the Mountain Arts Community Center Board.  He currently represents the Council on the Recreation Advisory Board and on the Condemnation Board.

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About the Signal Mountain Town Council

The Town of Signal Mountain operates under a Council/Town Manager form of government. The Council has certain responsibilities including approval of the annual budgets, tax rates, ordinances, resolutions, staffing levels, contracts, personnel policy, purchasing policy, and other policies.

A five-member Council is elected by Town voters with three of the five members running every two years on even numbered years, matching the national elections. Of the three top vote getters, two receive four-year terms and one (the third place finisher) receives a two-year term. This ensures that three members of the Council will be up for election every two years and two will remain seated to provide a level of continuity for the next Council.

The Council elects the mayor and the vice mayor from among its membership. The mayor presides at Council meetings and is the titular head of the Town. The vice mayor acts as mayor in the mayor’s absence.

The town manager is appointed by and serves at the will of the Council as the Town’s chief administrative officer. The Town Manager’s responsibilities include supervising Town employees, enforcing all policies and ordinances enacted by the Council, providing a budget for the Council’s review, and controlling operations and expenditures to maintain a balanced budget.

The Town Council meets on the second Monday of each month at 6:30pm in the Council Room at the Town Hall and also at other specially called meetings as advertised.

Town Attorney

Phillip A. Noblett. Attorney-at-Law

Mr. Noblett has served as Signal Mountain’s Attorney and legal advisor since 2002. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He is currently a partner in the firm, Nelson, McMahan & Noblett, and has practiced in that office since 1985.

Mr. Noblett is a member of the Chattanooga Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association. He is admitted to practice before the U. S. District Courts for the Western and Eastern Districts of Tennessee; the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals; the U. S. Supreme Court; and, he is certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a Civil Litigation Specialist.

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Town Court

The Town Court has jurisdiction over all infractions of municipal ordinances of the Town of Signal Mountain and concurrent jurisdiction with courts of general sessions in all cases of criminal violations committed within the Town, including the jurisdiction to conduct preliminary examinations and bind over defendants to the grand jury for indictment.

The voters of the Town elect a Town Judge for a term of eight (8) years. The Judge tries all persons charged with violations of the ordinances of the Town. He has the power to levy fines, penalties and forfeitures in accordance with the offense and to impose court costs established by ordinance by the Town Council. He is also charged with issuing all necessary process papers, administering oaths, and punishing for contempt.

The current Town Judge is Mark Rothberger, who was elected in 2006. For questions or information regarding the Town Court, contact Court Clerk Diane Dailey at 886-2177 or email her at ddailey@signalmountaintn.gov.

The Court Meets Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday & on each Thursday after the 3rd Tuesday 7:00pm--at the Town Hall

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Locally Elected Tennessee Officials

United States Senate

Bob Corker
Dirksen Senate Building
SD-185
Washington, D. C. 20510
202-224-3344

Lamar Alexander
523 Dirksen Senate Building
Washington, D. C. 20510
202-224-4944

U. S. House of Representatives

Chuck Fleischmann
423 Cannon Bldg.
Washington, D. C. 20510
202-255-3271

Governor of Tennessee

Bill Haslam
Governor’s Office
The Capitol
Nashville, TN 37219
615-741-2001
Tennessee State Senate

Tennessee Senate

Bo Watson
sen.bo.watson@capitol.tn.gov
304 War Memorial Bldg.
Nashville, TN 37243
615-741-1764
1-800-449-8366 Ext. 11764

Tennessee House of Representatives

Richard Floyd
rep.richard.floyd@capitol.tn.gov
104 War Memorial Bldg.
Nashville, TN 37243
615-741-3949

Hamilton County Mayor

Jim Coppinger
208 County Court House
Chattanooga, TN 37402
423-209-6100

Hamilton County Commission

Jim Fields
111 County Court House
Chattanooga, Tn 37402
423-209-7200

Hamilton County School Board

Chip Baker
baker_chip@hcde.org
6703 Bonny Oaks Drive
Chattanooga, TN 37421
423-209-8400

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Important Documents

Signal Mountain Town Charter
Code of Ordinances for Signal Mountain
Larry Collins Presentation to Planning Commission October 8, 2009

State of the Town

2011 State of the Town
2010 State of the Town
2010 State of the Town (PowerPoint)
2009 State of the Town

Budget

2009-2010 Budget
2009-2010 Amendment
2010-2011 Budget
2010-2011 Amendment
2011-2012 Budget

Council Notes

2008
2009
2010
2011
2012

 

 

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Minutes*

2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012

 

 

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Resolutions*

2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012

 

 

 

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Ordinances*

2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012

 

 

*Previous years available at Town Hall.

Zoning Ordinance

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Subdivision Regulations

Working Revisions

The following documents are working drafts of proposed regulations and are still under review.  These are strictly working documents and have not been approved by the Planning Commission.  Updated 4/2012.

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Land Use and Transportation Plan

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New Street Criteria

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DRC Design Principles and Standards

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Sign Ordinance

KCRW Commercial District Vision and Guidelines

Debt Policy

Revenues & Expenses

 

 

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