Funding increases conservative in Hamilton County budget

The Hamilton County Department of Education received its full funding request in the 2008-09 budget Mayor Claude Ramsey presented to county commissioners Thursday, but many agencies may have to settle for less than they want.

“With the exception of the school system, I don’t know of any other department, any other organization, that got exactly what they asked for,” Mr. Ramsey said. “We trimmed several million in requests from this budget.”

The $600 million budget proposal represents an increase of about $44 million over the 2007-08 budget, though Mr. Ramsey noted it does not include a tax increase. The schools would get about $348 million in the 2008-09 budget year, which starts July 1.

The County Commission plans to vote June 26 on the budget.

Under Mr. Ramsey’s proposal, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department, which requested about $25 million, would get closer to $23 million.

One of the largest increases in the sheriff’s budget request was fuel costs. Mr. Ramsey said the sheriff’s department, highway department and ambulance service account for about 62 percent of the county government’s fuel use. There were increases in his budget for fuel, but efforts are being made to conserve, Mr. Ramsey said.

“One of the things we’ve done in the highway department is go to four-day workweeks,” he said. “It works for us.”

The county’s contribution to the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority increased by about $5,000 from last year. That’s about as much as it costs the authority for each penny increase in the price of diesel fuel, according to CARTA Executive Director Tom Dugan.

CARTA had asked the county for a $118,700 increase.

The transportation authority, which gets most of its funding from the city, may discontinue its electric shuttle service because of a budget shortfall, Mr. Dugan said earlier this week.

The Humane Educational Society of Chattanooga would get about $35,800 less than the $431,000 requested, and the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library would get about 30 percent of the $525,000 increase its board requested. Mr. Ramsey proposed giving the library $2.64 million, up from $2.49 million in last year’s budget.

Commissioner Jim Coppinger expressed some concern about the library, which the county funds jointly with Chattanooga.

“We’re asked to contribute at a 50 percent rate,” he said. “We have been criticized over the past year for not doing that.”

Mr. Coppinger said he was glad to see some increased funding for the library. Mr. Ramsey’s proposed contribution to the library system is equal to the amount the Chattanooga City Council approved in its budget Tuesday.

Mr. Coppinger pointed out that there has been no county representation on Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield’s library task force. Mr. Ramsey said he would be glad to suggest that two or three county representatives join the force.

Mr. Ramsey’s budget also includes a 2.35 percent pay increase for county employees. Commissioner Warren Mackey asked if teachers also would get a raise at that level.

Hamilton County Schools Chief Financial Officer Tommy Kranz said the school budget included a 2 percent pay increase for teachers, but that may change when cuts are made next month. Mr. Kranz said the schools will receive about $2.6 million less than expected in Basic Education Program funding from the state.

A loss of state grant funds led to the dissolution of the Juvenile Court Youth Corrections program, Mr. Ramsey said. He said the four employees affected have been notified that their positions will be eliminated.

The program was an intensive probation program for repeat offenders with a high risk of recidivism, according to a description in last year’s budget.