By Cliff Hightower
chightower@timesfreepress.com
An independent committee set up to look at the city’s water quality fees proposed an alternate budget for the program today that cuts $13 million from its current budget.
Bill Raines, chairman of the committee, made a proposal today that would bring the water quality program’s $21.5 million budget to $8.4 million.
The proposed budget would not contain any new hires of personnel, slashes an $8 million capital improvements budget to $2 million and continues to subsidize the budget from the city’s general fund.
“This is a starting point,” Mr. Raines said.
The committee will meet again next week to continue to iron out a proposed budget to give to the City Council. Committee members said they expect to give their proposed budget to the council by Feb. 23.
For more information, read tomorrow’s edition of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.