Much of $754 million budget goes to schools
Hamilton County commissioners passed a $754 million budget on Wednesday while ignoring an attempt by Commissioner Tim Boyd to stop payments to the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
County Mayor Jim Coppinger thanked his finance staff for assembling the spending plan for the fiscal year starting Sunday, and commissioners for supporting what he called “the fiscally conservative path we have chosen” over the past eight years.
He said $440 million, or 64 percent, of the budget will go for schools, including two new schools. County general government also is partnering with Hamilton County Schools to hire and equip seven new school resource officers in the sheriff’s office.
Other highlights include a new ambulance station on Ooltewah-Georgetown Road, replacement vehicles for the sheriff’s office and extra support for volunteer fire departments. Coppinger said the county’s in-house wellness initiatives, including a pharmacy, have kept health insurance costs flat for the year.
“We have seen a steady growth in Hamilton County,” he said in a
statement after the 9-0 vote. “We have seen consistent population growth, which is expected to increase in the coming years.
“We have seen expansions by our legacy businesses and more companies inquiring about locating here,” Coppinger said. “Our unemployment numbers are at record-setting lows. The future of Hamilton County looks very bright for all of our residents.”
Commissioners, in turn, praised the mayor and staff for the series of in-depth, public briefings they were given on proposed spending plans.
The only naysayer was Boyd, who renewed his ongoing objections to what he calls a lack of accountability in how the Chattanooga Area Convention and Visitors Bureau will spend more than $8 million in hotel-motel tax revenue for tourism promotion.
He voted for the overall budget, but the next agenda item was $4.5 million for nonprofit organizations that the county contributes to, such as Erlanger hospital, the Humane Educational Society and other agencies.
Boyd said he had asked all the supported agencies for copies of their budgets showing how they will spend the taxpayer money they receive. From the bureau, he said, he got only a one-page operating budget.
“This is bad government, I cannot support the actions of CVB any longer,” Boyd said.
No other commissioner responded to Boyd, and his motion died for lack of a second.
Bureau President and CEO Barry White said Wednesday that the bureau is not a charitable or nonprofit supported agency but “an economic development organization that invests money and expects returns.”
White, who took over four months ago after longtime CEO Bob Doak retired, said the 4 percent lodging tax “generates a tremendous return,” with an average of 10,000 people spending a collective $2.7 million a day in the community.
Before Doak’s departure, Boyd and state Sen. Todd Gardenhire hammered the CVB for what they called lavish spending. The organization was criticized for refusing to make public detailed budgets, and Boyd said other cities’ and counties’ visitors bureaus were getting good tourism results with far less public investment. He wanted to spend some hotel-motel tax money for other purposes.
An audit by the Tennessee comptroller’s office, requested by state Sen. Todd Gardenhire, criticized the CVB for missing credit card receipts and lax reporting.
Since then, the organization has reformed spending procedures and added the county commission chairman to its board.
White said Wednesday the CVB also is in the early stages of developing a strategic plan and seeking accreditation from the Destination Marketing Accreditation Association by meeting industry performance standards.
Commissioners on Wednesday also approved a push by commissioners Greg Beck and Chester Bankston to honor the “herculean accomplishments” of two past county leaders: Claude Ramsey and Dalton Roberts.
“We, as the legislative body of this great County, have done very little to recognize two former executives of this County who has [sic] over the last 40 years lead this County to be what it is today,” Beck wrote in a statement he handed out on the dais.
He and Bankston proposed exploring renaming a section of the Tennessee Riverwalk for Roberts, who as county executive was instrumental in getting the popular linear park built. The proposal suggests a section starting at Chickamauga Dam and running to either the Boathouse Restaurant or Ross’s Landing.
They also want to talk with Volkswagen International about renaming part of Hickory Valley Road and Discovery Drive in the Enterprise South Industrial Park in honor of Ramsey, who worked for years to acquire the property and land the VW assembly plant uses there.
Commissioners voted to go forward with exploring the proposals.