Discretionary expenses, privatizing jail among issues mulled by commissioners

The Hamilton County Commission
The Hamilton County Commission

Hamilton County commissioners have a lot of homework before next week's meeting.

On Wednesday, commissioners mulled more than $70,000 in commissioner discretionary expenditures; a plan to hire a consultant to analyze privatizing the county jail; a tax break for a 10-story building downtown and an actuarial study for an early retirement plan for sheriff deputies.

Commissioners Jim Fields, Marty Haynes, Greg Beck and Chester Bankston are hoping to spend discretionary money on a variety of projects.

Two of those commissioners - Haynes and Beck - were among the three who opposed including discretionary expenditures in the 2016 budget.

Haynes is asking to spend $10,000 to complete the second phase of a greenhouse complex at Hixson High School. But he stressed Wednesday the money would come from bond funds from a previous year.

After commissioners overruled a mayoral veto and pulled $900,000 out of the county's savings to pay for their $100,000-per-year set-aside, Haynes said he would only spend the new money if there was a serious need.

"Just to be clear: Discretionary funds I have asked to be allocated to Hixson High are from last year's bond fund and not from this year's funds," Haynes said Wednesday.

Beck is asking to spend $6,000 of general fund dollars on the Mary Walker Historical and Education Foundation and $5,000 toward A Night to Remember Inc.

The Mary Walker fund commemorates Mary Walker, who was the last living slave in the United States. She enrolled in a Chattanooga Area Literacy Movement class at age 116 to learn to read, and lived to be 121 years old.

Beck said A Night to Remember operates similarly to the United Way as a disbursement agency for local nonprofits. The expense is to sponsor a table at the organization's annual dinner.

Beck voted against including discretionary funds in the new budget, but he said as long as he has the money, he's doing his community's will.

"My committee said it belongs to the community, and that's what they wanted to do," Beck said, referring to a group of advisers he assembled to help decide which projects to fund.

Commission Chairman Jim Fields is looking to spend $10,000 in last year's bond funds to remodel the Signal Mountain Public Library and another $10,000 to build batting cages at Shackleford Ridge Park. Students at Signal Mountain schools and local residents will use the cages, he said.

Chester Bankston is planning to give $20,000 in general fund dollars to the Highway 58 Volunteer Fire Department, $10,000 to the Veterans Memorial Park of Collegedale to restore a Douglas A-4 Skyhawk military aircraft for the park and $1,000 for Girls Inc. of Chattanooga.

Commissioners next week also will vote whether to hire a consultant to calculate the costs and benefits of privatizing the county's jail.

Mayor Jim Coppinger said in June he wanted to investigate turning jail operations over to Corrections Corporation of America, which already runs the county's Silverdale facility.

But on Wednesday he said there are other private prison companies, and CCA wasn't the only option. He's asking commissioners to approve a $150,000 contract with Public Financial Management to look into the issue.

Coppinger also is making good on a decision to hire an actuary to check out Sheriff Jim Hammond's proposed bridge plan, an early retirement plan for senior officers.

Hammond asked for the plan to be funded in the 2016 budget, which started on July 1, but Coppinger kept it out, citing concerns about health care and other costs.

Commissioners will vote next week whether to pay $19,000 to Bryan, Pendleton, Swats and McAllister to complete the actuarial services for the bridge plan and the county's other post-employment benefits.

Contact staff writer Louie Brogdon at lbrogdon@times freepress.com, @glbrogdoniv on Twitter or at 423-757-6481.

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