Annual General Meeting Minutes

Annual General Meeting

Downtown Chattanooga Alliance

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Time: 2:00-3:38 p.m.                                                                                               

Location: By Zoom 

1. Call to Order

Steve Hunt, Chair of the DCA, called the meeting to order. Board members attending were Kelly Fitzgerald, Adam Kinsey, Kevin Love, Lisa Maragnano,  Donald O’Connor, Charles Perry, Gordon Stalans, Councilman Darrin Ledford and Councilwoman Raquetta Dotley.

Not attending were Pierre Dabit, Tom Marshall, Matt McGauley, Darian Scott, and Robin Smith.

Also attending were Steve Brookes, Executive Director of the DCA, Anthony Boone of Block by Block, Lt. Montgomery of the Chattanooga Police Department, Cassie O’Neill of the City of Chattanooga Office of Homelessness and Support Housing, and Kelly Allen of Q Strategies.

The Executive Committee minutes of December 8, 2021 and the Board of Directors minutes of November 17, 2021 were approved.

New Business

(1) For the Nominating Committee, K. Fitzgerald put forward the following nominations:

(a) For three-year terms on the Board of Directors: Keeli Crewe, Matt McGauley, and Charles Perry.

(b) For the Executive Committee: K. Fitzgerald-Chair, A. Kinsey-Vice Chair, C. Perry-Secretary, and G. Stalans-Treasurer.

(c) For an enlarged Finance Committee: D. Ledford and S. Hunt.

These individuals were unanimously elected.

(2) A motion to accept Q Strategies’ Communication Proposal passed unanimously. 

Special Guest Presentations

(1) Anthony Boone, Regional Vice President of Block by Block, addressed the evolution of the BID from August, 2020 to December, 2021. He stressed the need to connect with stakeholders and the unhoused. He cited goals of expanding the hospitality and safety Ambassador teams, maintaining cleanliness standards, and solid preparation for events.

(2) Lt. Montgomery of the CPD began by citing his good relationship with S. Brookes and the DCA. He recognized problems in the district, such as those at 736 Broad Street and 700 Market Street, drivers not yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks, and auto theft. He outlined the CPD’s efforts to address these problems.

(3) Cassie O’Neill of the City of Chattanooga Office of Homelessness and Support Housing began by emphasizing the spike in the homeless population and attributed part of this outcome to the increase in housing prices. (One- bedroom apartment rents have seen an 83% increase.) She went on to discuss the need for an effective rapid re-housing program and long-term needs for affordable housing.

Finance Committee Update

(1) For the Finance Committee, G. Stalans reviewed the early history of the DCA. The first assessment bills were sent out in October, 2019, and most were collected by March, 2020. Covid slowed the pace of progress that year. But there were important developments: S. Brookes was hired, and the contract with Block by Block came in August, 2020. The DCA ended 2020 with approximately $500,000 in the bank, of which $230,000 went into reserve accounts. 

Stalans pointed out that the purpose of the DCA is to serve property owners by working to make the district clean and safe, not to build up funds in a bank. He anticipated that the deficit for 2021 would be in the $75,000 range with a cash balance of approximately $150,000 at the end of the year.

Executive Director Update

(1) S. Brookes focused on two issues: the growth in the number of events downtown and the fact that BID members have learned to use the 
DCA as a resource and a solution to problems.

The meeting adjourned at 3:38.