A fund swap between two Hamilton County commissioners will help replace Porta Potties at the East Hamilton Middle-High School athletic fields with permanent restrooms and a concession stand.
Commissioners voted Wednesday to allow 7th District Commissioner Sabrena Turner-Smedley to move $34,000 from her district's General Fund discretionary fund to 5th District Commissioner Greg Beck's fund. In turn, he will move $34,000 in discretionary bond funds to Smedley's fund.
That money, along with $60,000 allotted last year from her discretionary bond fund, will come within $6,000 of what's needed to pay for the restrooms and concession stands, Smedley said.
She said the community helped pay for the athletic fields, with the help of former commissioner Larry Henry, but didn't have enough money for restrooms.
"I would love to see East Hamilton Middle-High School have a permanent restroom and get rid of the Porta Potties," Smedley said.
Porta PottiesCommissioners voted 7-0 to approve the swap. Tim Boyd was absent and Joe Graham was off the dais and didn't vote.
Smedley needed to make the swap because commissioners changed how their taxpayer-supported discretionary accounts are funded.
Before this year, the $100,000 appropriation for each of the nine commission districts was included in a county bond issue. Commissioners could use the money only for certain types of permanent capital projects that could be paid for from bond funds.
But County Mayor Jim Coppinger left the $900,000 in discretionary funds out of this year's budget, saying the county couldn't afford it. Commissioners voted to amend his budget and stock their accounts out of the General Fund, and then overrode Coppinger's veto.
General Fund money can't be used for schools, finance officer Al Kiser explained, but bond funds can.
Beck said the Community Action Alliance that advises him on how to spend from the 5th District discretionary account is fine with the swap. Beck has used his General Fund discretionary account to support organizations and events such as the Mary Walker Historical Foundation and the fundraiser A Night to Remember, which wouldn't come under bond funding regulations.
"It's a win-win for both districts," he said.
Also Wednesday, commissioners voted to accept a $460,000 grant to build horse trails at Enterprise South Nature Park. The sum includes a $115,000 match from both the county and Chattanooga. The vote was 8-0.
Adam Presley, of Soddy-Daisy, president of Saddle Pals Saddle Club, and Bobby Mitchell, president of the Southern Appalachian Backcountry Horesemen, thanked commissioners for supporting the project, saying it will benefit horse owners in the tri-state area.
"The Highway 58 area will see a gradual increase of horse trailer traffic, but their restaurants and fuel stations will see some revenue" from riders and families, Presley said.
The grant approval is supposed to come before the Chattanooga City Council on Tuesday, he said.
Commissioners also passed resolutions sponsored by Smedley and honoring Navy Lt. Cmdr. Tim White, commander of the Navy Operational Support Center on Amnicola Highway, where four Marines and a sailor died in the July 16 attacks, and Chief Petty Officer Joseph Cappozi, who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, and who has been awarded multiple commendation medals.