CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A recent proposal by the City of Chattanooga to purchase workout equipment for wastewater employees is raising questions about where the city is choosing to spend money.
The city council just approved the purchase of more than $80,000 worth of fitness equipment that only wastewater treatment employees can use.
It comes as the city officials have previously stressed limited funding in this year’s budget.
All city employees already have free access to the fitness equipment at the downtown Chattanooga Well Advantage building.
Putting this new funding for workout equipment under scrutiny.
“This is an investment in our workforce. That’s going to be here for years.”
The funding for that gym equipment totals to $85,000.
But it’s not going to a public facility. It’s only for wastewater employees.
The department’s administrator, Mark Heinzer, defended the dollar amount.
“We’re trying to promote, you know, healthy lifestyles for all of our employees. We have physical jobs, and we want people to be in good physical health to be able to do those jobs.”
Still, some council members questioned the timing.
“I’m all for fitness equipment, and I, too, can get in better shape. But $85,000 for fitness equipment in a tight budget year had me a little bit concerned.”
A budget year that Mayor Tim Kelly’s chief of staff, Kevin Roig, just described like this…
“The reality though that we’re facing is that funding is limited.”
But Heinzer says this project has been in the works for years – and is funded separately.
“It just happens to come at a time when the general fund is certainly having some challenges, but this was programmed into the wastewater fund for a while now.”
Mayor Tim Kelly’s Spokesperson Stephanie Cepak says the investment is part of a broader effort to prioritize health and morale for the city’s entire workforce.
“The commitment that every single city employee makes to to the residents, to our community, on the flip side of that, as an employer, we, you know, we care about the health and well being of our city employees.”
However, the equipment will be located inside the wastewater treatment facility.
“Would that restrict any city employee? If I were in that area would I be able to have access to use the fitness equipment?”
“So right now we’ve kind of envisioned this as just wastewater employees because we can track their whereabouts.”
The city also says that finding people to work and stay employed at the wastewater treatment plant is difficult, so they hope this fitness equipment will help with retention.
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