Dalton: Schools office may move to City Hall

DALTON, Ga. — City leaders and school board members are considering moving the school system’s central office to City Hall, a move that could benefit taxpayers.

“The mayor has been very interested and concerned — not just about tax dollars to Dalton, but the overall tax load to the taxpayer generally,” Dalton school board chairman Steve Williams said. “Any reduction in expenses, no matter where it is coming from, benefits the taxpayer.”

Across the state, leaders are struggling to cut costs in the face of a $2.8 billion state budget deficit.

Dalton school officials have been working to trim the system’s 2010 budget from $64 million to $59.6 million, spokeswoman Deana Farmer said. The 2010 budget year begins July 1.

School leaders also are expecting a $6 million shortfall for the 2011 budget, which begins July 1, 2010, according to February revenue projections outlined in the schools’ budget reduction plan.

Mayor David Pennington offered Dalton’s Board of Education part of the second floor and the entire third floor of City Hall.

Attorneys from McCamy, Phillips, Tuggle and Fordham have been using the space since their law offices were bombed in October. The city typically doesn’t lease the building to private companies, Mr. Pennington said, but this was a special circumstance. The lawyers are scheduled to be back in their building about October.

“Over half the building is going to be empty,” Mr. Pennington said. “We need another government agency to move in. We thought it was a natural to offer it to school administration offices.”

The schools’ central office building was built in 1912 and it costs a lot to operate, Mr. Williams said.

“It is a beautiful old building,” he said. “It has great historic significance to Dalton. Old buildings can be beautiful but hard to keep up.”

Mr. Williams said officials are studying how much money could be saved by moving to City Hall. He doesn’t know specifics yet, but said he is “quite confident” moving would be cheaper. He said he sees no down side to the move.

While Mrs. Farmer said the move is “by no means a done deal,” Mr. Pennington and Mr. Williams said the move is likely.

“Candidly, it is what we are going to want to do,” Mr. Williams said, who is also a lawyer for the firm that is currently in the building.

“I’ve got to move out so I can move back in,” he said.