Chattanooga City Council Say New Budget Can Improve Roads and Reduce Infant Mortality

CHATTANOOGA, TN, (WDEF)-A new budget and one without any tax hikes was welcomed by city council Tuesday.
     Chip Henderson of District 1 says he is relieved that 3 million dollars will now be allocated to improve our roads.

"Probably the number one that way that the people see their tax dollars at work when they drive on a nice smooth paved road and it’s something that’s very important to the people that I represent in my district"

Councilman Chris Anderson feels the new budget’s support for the Health Dept and Chattanooga Medical society in combating infant mortality is also a major step forward.

"The county has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the country, it’s currently at 9.7 that means for every thousand babies that are born in this county, 9.7 do not live to see their first birthday, that’s twice the national average, its higher than almost every county in Tennessee and almost every county in the country"

Chattanooga Medical Society have welcomed the support from both the Mayor and City Council and say they are doing all they can to bring infant mortality rates down for Hamilton County.

Rae Bond, Chattanooga Medical Society,"They recognize how serious it is, how significant it is, a lot of the census tracks that are in the city of Chattanooga have some of the highest infant mortality, we also have some significant issues with racial disparities"

Bond says diet and lifestyle play a major part in leaving Hamilton County second only to Memphis for infant mortality in the Volunteer State.

"People have a lock of resources, stress in their life over safety over having enough money to pay the bills, those things all have a real impact on whether or not you will have a successful and healthy pregnancy"

Anderson added that this year’s budget is one of the most important in the city’s history.

Henderson says the city’s finances have also just been upgraded to a triple A rating.
     He believes this will give them a lower interest rate to issue bonds and keep the city’s finances strong.