One could read between the lines at Tuesday's budget workshop with Hamilton County Schools and believe Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger might propose a property tax increase this spring.
As for the mayor, he didn't say directly, but his comments - despite his stated neutrality - certainly were sympathetic to the school district's budget and its request for additional funds for school operations.
"There are only so many dollars," Coppinger said, having spent nearly two hours calmly reviewing the district's proposed spending. "We don't have the money to do what we want to do."
Later, in discussing students in underperforming schools, he noted that "a lack of resources" is among the problems that plague such schools.
When Coppinger reveals the county budget for fiscal 2018 within the next several weeks, he may not propose a property tax increase. But he seemed sensitive to the needs in each focus area the district highlighted and took pains to explain to county commissioners and others in attendance the return on investment of each.
The Hamilton County Board of Education initially planned to present the mayor and county commissioners a budget of nearly $400 million that included nearly $24.3 million in needs above a balanced budget amount. Eventually, the school board voted to present a $372.7 million balanced budget with the additional needs spelled out in a detailed, graphics-rich format.
That balanced budget reflects a more than $8 million increase from fiscal 2017.
"So," said Commissioner Joe Graham, reflecting on what is annually portrayed by some as a pared budget, "no cuts in the budget."
School district administrators, though, want to - among other things - give school district employees a 5 percent raise, increase professional development for teachers and leaders, fund technology upgrades for schools, add more literacy and math supports, update equipment and add bus monitors, start a new Chattanooga Polytechnic Academy, and increase the number of certified teachers for English language learners.
Many of the specific items are the difference between a district maintaining and a district attempting to offer its students alternatives more in line with training for a 21st-century workforce.
Coppinger maintained the district has some "huge success stories" but that its problems - and there have been a few over the last several years - typically receive more attention.
In fact, he said, winding up the school district's budget presentation, "the perception [of the system] is negative among the public. We have to change that."
Such a perception problem, Coppinger said, may have existed around the county for as long as 20 years. If you discuss more revenue for Hamilton County schools, he said, members of the public assume "they'll just waste [it]."
Grant money for the county's underperforming schools that went unspent for several years doesn't help with such a perception.
But Coppinger seemed to float the thought of new revenue.
"People have to be willing to invest in the county [schools]," he said.
"Invest," of course, is the euphemism often used for residents to pay more taxes.
In Georgia, where a special local option sales tax (SPLOST) increase for schools keeps being put on the ballot, "it passes," Coppinger said.
Meanwhile, he said, "we have to keep a positive message going. We're in a different time. It's a perception we have to overcome."
The county mayor also would have to overcome the county commission, several members of which have said they don't foresee a tax increase this year. It would take five votes to pass such an increase.
On the other hand, if Coppinger were to suggest it, citing not only the needs of the school district but also a new jail and whatever else may come up in next week's general government budget requests, some commissioners may get behind him.
And 2018 is an election year for the mayor and county commissioners. It's unlikely a tax increase will be proposed and receive five votes in an election year.
A tax increase, in fact, may be the farthest thing from Coppinger's mind. But if it is, it seems pointless for the mayor to have described not having "the money to do what we want to do" and spelled out the district's "perception problem" unless he was just playing to his audience.
That might have made school district administrators feel better, but it won't fund any of the additional items officials say they need for school operations. We'll know soon enough.