It would be delightful for the Hamilton County Department of Education and its funding arm, the Hamilton County Commission, if the school district did not have to pay annual stormwater fees of $400,000-$450,000 to the city of Chattanooga. The only problem is it agreed to do so as part of a lawsuit settlement in 2014 over liquor-by-the-drink taxes the district was owed by the city.
Now, school officials have asked legislators to introduce a bill that would prevent municipalities and wastewater utilities from charging school districts for such fees.
The bill may set up an interesting dilemma for city mayors and urban legislators.
“They’ll have to choose between the city and education,” said state Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, who is sponsoring the bill along with state Rep. Kevin Brooks, R-Cleveland.
Until 2013, Chattanooga did not charge the school district for stormwater fees. Meanwhile, the Hamilton County Department of Education was anxious to recoup the back liquor-by-the-drink taxes the city owed it.