Commissioners bestow a bounty of tax-funded blessings on holiday eve

Commissioner Tim Boyd
Commissioner Tim Boyd

Proposed discretionary grants

District 1› $12,300 to Mowbray Volunteer Fire Department for a six-wheel ATV for wilderness rescues› $6,000 to Soddy-Daisy Food bankDistrict 2› $5,000 to Signal Mountain Lions Club to match what club members have raised to buy a new scanner for the children’s vision testing that is a club missionDistrict 4› $1,000 to the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults› $2,533 to Murray Hills Park› $2,000 to 100 Black Men of ChattanoogaDistrict 7› $1,000 to Scenic Cities Beautiful for items that will beautify Heritage ParkDistrict 8› $10,000 to First Things First› $10,000 to Girls Inc.› $2,000 to The Next Door Inc.District 9› $5,000 to the Harrison Recreational Booster Club

On the eve of Thanksgiving, Hamilton County commissioners expressed their gratitude by showering a bounty of taxpayer-funded blessings on good local causes.

At their agenda session, commissioners discussed handing out nearly $70,000 from their discretionary funds for civic agencies ranging from the Signal Mountain Lions Club to the Soddy-Daisy Food Bank to Girls Inc. They'll vote on the allocations Wednesday.

District 8 Commissioner Tim Boyd brought in representatives for three 501(c)(3) nonprofits. He is offering $10,000 each to First Things First, for a program to help fathers keep current with child support and stay out of jail, and to Girls Inc., which helps mostly low-income girls realize their educational and creative potential through programs and camps, and $2,000 to The Next Door Inc., which helps women in prison transition to freedom and new lives.

Commissioners praised the programs for their positive impact on people's lives.

County Mayor Jim Coppinger echoed that praise, but also took a swipe at commissioners' generosity with other people's money.

Coppinger said he and his wife "are fortunate enough to be able to write a personal check - not taxpayer dollars, but personal checks."

Commissioners have been sensitive about the discretionary funds, especially since Coppinger left the $100,000-apiece sum out of this year's budget. Saying they are the best judges of local needs in their districts, commissioners overrode him and dipped the money back out of the county's general fund.

Boyd called the amounts "paltry sums" compared to the good they do in the community.

Commissioner Warren Mackey added that the spending has been a tradition for decades.

"This discretionary issue has been beat to death," he grumbled. "It's time to move on."

There were questions about just one item - Chairman Chester Bankston's proposed allotment of $5,000 to the Harrison Recreational Center Booster Club. Bankston said the money would be used to pay utilities for the center. Some wondered whether it's proper to use discretionary funds for a recreation site that's on school property.

Commissioner Greg Beck said he supports the Harrison center, too.

"They do an outstanding job" for 1,500 youngsters each summer, he said. "I wish I could give them more."

Mackey didn't have any grants on the agenda. Commissioners Marty Haynes and Joe Graham have returned their $100,000 sums to the general fund.

Also Wednesday, commissioners discussed whether to accept a $4.5 million bid from Helton Construction Co. for a 16,419-square-foot addition at Nolan Elementary School that will include new classrooms, a STEM lab, multipurpose room and more.

Contact staff writer Judy Walton at jwalton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416.

Upcoming Events