After facing strong criticism last week from colleagues on the Hamilton County school board, county commissioners OK’d a budget compromise Wednesday that aims to retain funding for school maintenance while also lowering the mandatory level at which the local government must fund education.
The board approved the compromise as part of the county’s fiscal year 2024 budget.
“I don’t think they understand how this budgeting process works because some of the comments that were made at last Thursday’s meeting were — well, let’s just say unprofessional,” Vice Chair Joe Graham, R-Lookout Valley, said during the commission’s meeting. “Extremely unprofessional.”
Amid an influx of revenue thanks in large part to a change in the state’s funding formula, Hamilton County Schools had planned on increasing the money available for school maintenance by $6 million starting July 1, bringing it from $2 million to $8 million.
By state law, Hamilton County can’t reduce local funding it’s already approved for education, a requirement called “maintenance of effort.” In order to reduce Hamilton County’s ongoing maintenance of effort from an additional $19 million to $13 million, the Board of Education reluctantly agreed to cut its funding — provided the county sign an agreement to use the $6 million for school maintenance.
Officials in the mayor’s office have said the money could allow the county to borrow $60 million that would address deferred school repairs at a faster rate.
On Wednesday, Graham attempted to scrap that added stipulation through an amendment to the budget, which would have required the item go back to the school board for another vote.
“It’s the county general government’s funds until it’s voted out,” Graham said.
Graham said if the commission agreed to the arrangement with the school board, commissioners would have to amend the county budget if they do anything with any part of the $6 million other than what the school board expected it to be used for.
It failed 7-3 with Graham, Commissioner Mike Chauncey, R-East Ridge, and Commissioner Jeff Eversole, R-Ooltewah, voting to drop the inter-local agreement.
“This commission has fully supported the Hamilton County Department of Education as long as I’ve been up here,” Chauncey said during the meeting. “I still continue to support you. I don’t have any intention to spend that money somewhere else if we don’t earmark it. I just don’t want to tie my hands.”
In an interview, Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp said officials only intend to use those dollars to address deferred school maintenance. That’s the agreement he made with Superintendent Justin Robertson.
“There was clear support for the money being used in that direction and beyond that, the county is able to leverage it through a bond issue into even greater investments into deferred maintenance needs,” Wamp said.
Contact David Floyd at dfloyd@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.