Hamilton County Commissioner Fred Skillern and others asked the county’s chief judicial commissioner Wednesday why some of the judicial commissioners, often called magistrates, are working 21- or 25-hour weeks.

Part-time magistrate Gordon Petty presented a panel of commissioners with the magistrates’ recent work schedules.

Mr. Skillern asked Chief Judicial Commissioner Yolanda Mitchell why the magistrates are not working more. Ms. Mitchell noted that she tried to extend the magistrates’ hours into the daytime but met resistance.

“I realized this is supposed to be a full-time job,” she said.

Magistrates work nights, weekends and holidays. They perform limited judicial duties, such as setting bonds and signing warrants, when General Sessions Court judges are not on the bench.

Magistrates Marty Lasley and Larry Ables told commissioners they would be willing to come in to work for a few hours in the middle of the day to help stem the backlog in bonds to be set they encounter when arriving to work at 6 p.m.

The four magistrates are re-applying for their positions. Their contracts expire Oct. 31.

TRANSPOSITION TROUBLE

Commissioners delayed a resolution to pay for signs for the Enterprise South park after Commissioner Bill Hullander noticed a discrepancy in the various bids for the contract.

Some contractors had bid on 48 signs, while others had bid on 84, he noticed.

Scott Schoolfield, the county’s human services administrator, said he’d have to check on why the numbers were different.

“It sounds like a little dyslexia,” he said.

County Finance Administrator Louis Wright said the unit price on all the bids was the same.

“They will honor the price that we think has been given,” he said. “The unit price is what always governs in these contracts.”

Mr. Wright said the purchasing department would not move forward if there are discrepancies on the unit price.

But Commissioner Fred Skillern said it may cost a company more to make 84 signs than 48, even if the unit price is the same, because it may require more types of signs.

The commission will vote on the resolution Thursday.

What is goat browsing?

City Council members wanted answers Tuesday during committee meetings after the city’s finance department requested expenditures for goat browsing.

“What is goat browsing?” several council members asked at the same time.

Lee Norris, deputy administrator of public works, explained goat browsing is when the goats eat just above the root level of grass.

“How many goats do we have browsing?” asked Councilwoman Sally Robinson. “All kidding aside.”

Mr. Norris said no goats are currently “browsing.”

The city’s request for goat browsing was a little less than $10,000, Mr. Norris said.

In the past, the city has used goats to eat away kudzu on Missionary Ridge.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH AN OLD SCHOOL?

The Hamilton County Commission Wednesday passed two resolutions to put out requests for proposals to redevelop the properties occupied by the old Signal Mountain Middle and Franklin Middle schools.

Commissioner Greg Beck expressed some concern about the sale of the Franklin property.

“I just kind of hesitate,” he said. “We don’t have any record of community input.”

Paul Parker, the county’s real property director, said there will be community hearings once proposals for the properties come in.

Mr. Beck asked what would happen to the community health center in the old school.

Mr. Parker said any proposal would have to take the health center into consideration.

County Mayor Claude Ramsey said the commission approved the resolutions as a courtesy to the Board of Education, which declared the schools surplus property in July.

Commissioner Richard Casavant said the resolutions give officials a feel for what people are willing to pay for the property and what they want to do with it. He said the county needs to be more expedient about finding the best use for vacated school buildings, even if it’s tearing them down to build something else.

“We’re very good about building schools, but we haven’t been too good about tearing them down,” he said.

Money still left for homeless housing

The city of Chattanooga has $211,000 available through its HomeAgain Initiative to create permanent housing opportunities for the homeless, city spokesman Richard Beeland said.

Mr. Beeland said the city’s Department of Neighborhood Services will get the money through partnerships with nonprofit agencies and developers. Area nonprofit organizations who provide services to people experiencing homelessness may apply as a single applicant or in partnership with other entities, he said.

Applications can be obtained through the Department of Neighborhood Services and Community Development at East 11th Street.

BETTER EARLY THAN NEVER

On Monday, Tennessee state Rep. JoAnne Favors, D-Chattanooga, encouraged a group of about 40 prospective poll watchers to vote early.

Between now and Nov. 4, they may lose their way to get to the polls, Rep. Favors joked to the group, gathered at the local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Hall.

“You never know what might happen on Election Day,” she said. “You may not have any gas.”

Chattanooga gas stations have faced shortages over the past few weeks since Hurricane Ike came through the Gulf of Mexico and hit the Texas Gulf Coast.

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