East Ridge — Charter Amendment 1: council/mayor pay their own city benefits (Hamilton County)

What it does

Shall the second paragraph of Section 5-A of the East Ridge City Charter be amended by removing benefits as part of the available compensation to Councilmembers and the Mayor and instead require that all costs related to such City benefits be the responsibility of the respective Councilmember or Mayor and at no cost to the City, such that, if approved, the second paragraph of Section 5-A would read as follows: The Mayor and the other four (4) Councilmembers are to be compensated as follows: Effective on the 1st day of July, 2009, the Mayor shall receive a salary of Twelve Thousand Dollars per year and each of the other four (4) Councilmembers shall receive a salary of Seventy-two Hundred Dollars per year, said salaries to be paid in equal monthly installments. Following such effective date, the salary to be provided to the Mayor, and the salaries to be provided to the Councilmembers as a body, may be adjusted only by referendum. Compensation of the Mayor and Councilmembers shall not be adjusted during their current term of office. Councilmembers and the Mayor, including their dependents, may elect to participate in the City's benefit programs but all costs related to such benefits shall be the sole responsibility of the respective Councilmember or Mayor, and at no cost to the City. The Mayor and Councilmembers shall otherwise be entitled to their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties of office. Certification of the Chief Financial Officer: The proposed charter amendment will have no fiscal impact upon the city.

A YES vote means

City benefits would no longer be part of East Ridge council and mayor pay; they could still join city benefit programs, but would pay all the costs themselves, at no cost to the city.

A NO vote means

City benefits would remain part of the compensation available to East Ridge councilmembers and the mayor.

Needed to pass

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Tennessee adds a second test for constitutional amendments: YES votes must also be more than half of the votes cast for governor, so leaving it blank works against it.

Left–right lean

Not a left–right issue: a procedural or local question that liberals and conservatives don't typically split on (AI read of the official ballot summary).

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Next elections here

• 2028 presidential election · Who has filed so far, from FEC filings

Also on Hamilton County ballots

• Red Bank — Charter referendum: update to 2026 Uniform Manager-Commission Charter
• Walden — $1.4M general obligation bond for the Totten Tract

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Quick answers

What does a YES vote on East Ridge mean?

City benefits would no longer be part of East Ridge council and mayor pay; they could still join city benefit programs, but would pay all the costs themselves, at no cost to the city.

What does a NO vote on East Ridge mean?

City benefits would remain part of the compensation available to East Ridge councilmembers and the mayor.

How many votes does East Ridge need to pass?

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Tennessee adds a second test for constitutional amendments: YES votes must also be more than half of the votes cast for governor, so leaving it blank works against it.

Should I vote yes or no on East Ridge?

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.

When is the vote?

The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.