Hamilton County Commissioner Jim Fields says he will take some back pay, but not for himself.
A recent compensation adjustment for commission leaders resulted in a potential windfall totalling $31,000 for a group including Mayor Jim Coppinger, Circuit Court Clerk Larry Henry, Commission Chairman Chester Bankston, Commission Vice Chairman Randy Fairbanks, Fred Skillern and Fields.
All six served as commission chairman, vice chairman or both posts in the last six years.
On Wednesday, Fields said he would use the $6,969 he is due for special projects in his district, but he will not put the funds in the commission discretionary fund account allocated to his district.
“I’ll put it in my bank account,” Fields said. “I’ll use it for worthy projects in my district that may not meet the criteria of commission discretionary spending.”