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.