Hamilton County Commissioner Tim BoydHamilton County commissioners passed a $754 million budget on Wednesday while ignoring an attempt by Commissioner Tim Boyd to stop payments to the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
County Mayor Jim Coppinger thanked his finance staff for assembling the spending plan for the fiscal year starting Sunday, and commissioners for supporting what he called “the fiscally conservative path we have chosen” over the last eight years.
He said $440 million, or 64 percent, of the budget will go for schools, including two new schools. County general government also is partnering with Hamilton County Schools to hire and equip seven new school resource officers in the sheriff’s office.
Other highlights include a new ambulance station on Ooltewah-Georgetown Road, replacement vehicles for the sheriff’s office and extra support for volunteer fire departments. Coppinger said the county’s in-house wellness initiatives, including a pharmacy, have kept health insurance costs flat for the year.
“We have seen a steady growth in Hamilton County,” he said in a statement after the 9-0 vote. “We have seen consistent population growth,which is expected to increase in the coming years.