OTHER BUDGET HEARINGS
The following offices or groups will also present their budget requests to the commission starting at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. * County clerk * County trustee * African-American Museum building maintenance * Juvenile Court judge * Criminal Court clerk * Criminal Court judges * The Humane Educational Society * Register of deeds * District public defender * Soil Conservation * District attorney general * Hamilton County Sheriff Narcotic Enforcement Division * State sexual offenders program
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Rick Smith says $23 a year per pupil isn't enough to run Hamilton County school system
Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Rick Smith has spent weeks touting his proposed 2016 school budget to the community. On Wednesday he will make his official appeal to the County Commission.
Smith's $379 million budget, which is $34 million higher than the current year, would require an estimated 40-cent property tax increase to happen. That would raise the tax rate to $3.16 per $100 of assessed value and add $150 annually to the tax bill of a $150,000 home. The school budget was $345 million this year.
The extra money, Smith said, would go toward a 5 percent raise for teachers and staff, art and foreign language teachers in every elementary school, more graduation options for students, help cover some maintenance costs and a handful of other items he says are needed.
His reasons: Nearly 60 percent of county third-graders read below grade level; only 15 percent of local graduates are college-ready and nearly 65 percent of those who graduate do not go on to higher education, according to a school system report.
So far, a majority of commissioners is leaning against the increase, but the commission does not make the budget or have specific control over what goes in it. That's the job of County Mayor Jim Coppinger -- the commission's only role is the vote to pass or deny it.
Coppinger has not said whether his budget would include any new revenue.
County Commission Chairman Jim Fields said Friday that Smith will have a separate scheduled session at 3 p.m. That will follow presentations by a dozen constitutional officers or other groups earlier in the day.
Smith said Friday he doubts he'll need very much time.
"I intend to come in at 3 p.m. and present our budget request and be done. No need to revisit what I've been presenting publicly. ... We've not changed the number since the [Hamilton County school board] voted a couple months ago," Smith said.
Before the school system's hearing, Sheriff Jim Hammond plans to ask commissioners for a $5 million increase to his 2016 budget, bringing it up to $36.7 million.
Hammond said Friday the biggest parts of his request are for crime-fighting equipment and police cruisers.
"Our bulletproof vests are a little beyond their shelf life and some of our weapons are beyond their expiration date," Hammond said.
He said the office also needs a few dozen patrol cars so it can get into a stable replacement rotation.
"If we could get another 20 to 30 cars this year, that will put us on a rotation schedule that means we just need to replace about 20 cars a year to keep the fleet up-to-date," Hammond said.
Hammond will also ask to pay for some new positions at the jail, and he will push for the so-called "bridge plan" that allows older officers to transition into retirement.
"There's a little up-front money to get it rolling, but you are putting some of your high-dollar officers ... into retirement and bringing in younger officers to replace them. Over time you see savings," Hammond said.
Coppinger will present his proposed budget to commissioners at a June 2 workshop and make a formal presentation on June 3.
Commissioners will have to vote by July 1 whether to approve or deny the proposed budget or extend the current budget.
Contact staff writer Louie Brogdon at lbrogdon@timesfreepress.com, @glbrogdoniv on Twitter or at 423-757-6481.