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Hamilton County budget passes

By: Tom Faure
(Contact)

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Hamilton County Commisssion agenda session -- June 26, 2008
Hamilton County Commission recessed session -- June 26, 2008

The Hamilton County Commission unanimously approved Thursday a $600 million budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year, a 7.8 percent increase that came without a tax increase.

Commissioner Fred Skillern said that, since revenues grew and taxes did not rise, this year’s budget planning was relatively painless.

“When you have no tax increase, budgets are normally very easy, unless you’re doing a lot of cutting,” he said. “We cut a lot of requests, but to my knowledge we cut hardly anybody in what they received last year.”

The budget, which goes into effect Tuesday, grew $43.4 million from the current budget. It includes almost $348 million for the school system, an increase of $27.4 million over this year’s budget.

The general fund for county agencies was given just over $190 million, a $10 million increase but $11.4 million less than agencies requested.

Agencies such as the AIM Center and the sheriff’s department received funding increases, but they were at lower levels than requested. Erlanger hospital officials had asked for $3.5 million but received $3 million.

Property tax revenues, which make up almost two-thirds of the budget, increased by about $2.45 million compared to last year. For fiscal year 2007-08, property tax revenue was about $211 million, records show. Last year, the commission approved a budget that included a 26 cent property tax increase.

After the budget was passed, a late add-on resolution approving a Hamilton County grant to the Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force became a point of contention.

Commissioners Greg Beck and John Allen Brooks expressed disapproval with the lack of notice they were given to review the grant contract, which would provide funding for six months in an amount not to exceed about $1.9 million. The money would be reimbursed by the state, according to the resolution.

“I was absolutely amazed when I saw this this morning,” Mr. Brooks said. “We didn’t see it last week in the agenda session. ... I truly consider it very bad form for us to vote on this today.”

Mr. Beck said there was “a lot of paper here I would have liked to go over.”

Despite the issue, the grant passed on a 6-3 vote.

Mr. Skillern said after the meeting that he had been briefed earlier by the city attorney but that not all the commissioners had that opportunity.

County Finance Administrator Louis Wright said state officials contacted the mayor to develop a short-term loan to avoid the interruption of operations as oversight for the task force is transferred from Hamilton County to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The state board has not completed preparations for the transition, still needing to acquire insurance on task force vehicles, Mr. Wright said, an explanation Mr. Brooks called “lame” and “a terrible excuse.”

Mr. Wright said the contract still was being finalized late Wednesday evening, which is why it appeared so suddenly on the commission’s agenda.

“I know it’s the last moment, but the state is asking us to do something for the state’s benefit,” Mr. Skillern said when he motioned to approve the grant. “Under normal circumstances, I don’t like to act on things like this.”

“I couldn’t grasp why we couldn’t help the state as much as they’ve helped us recently ... the governor and the state have been very kind to Hamilton County,” Mr. Skillern said after the meeting, although he declined to elaborate.

Mr. Beck, Mr. Brooks and Commissioner Warren Mackey voted against the grant.

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