Hamilton County Commissioner Joe Graham stood fast in his position on discretionary funding during a County Commission agenda session Wednesday, promising "no" votes on requests that would be funded with discretionary money from a budget he opposed.
Graham's position on the money many commissioners have earmarked for their own pet projects sparked discussion on about half of the resolutions before commissioners, some of which were requests from nonprofit organizations.
Graham said he isn't opposed to what the organizations making funding requests want to do, just how the commission has dealt with them.
"I'm at my wit's end," he said. "I don't know what to do."
Graham has stormed out of past meetings during discussions of discretionary spending, refusing to cast votes.
County commissioners voted 6-3 in June to override County Mayor Jim Coppinger's budget veto of an amended budget that included $900,000 in discretionary spending pulled from the county fund balance.
Coppinger contended in his veto that the discretionary spending was "fiscally irresponsible." Commissioners Chester Bankston, Tim Boyd, Randy Fairbanks, Warren Mackey, Sebrena Smedley and Jim Fields voted for the override. Graham, Greg Beck and Marty Haynes favored the veto and were against the addition of discretionary spending.
Graham also said during the meeting he didn't feel county taxpayers should fund nonprofit organizations that were supposed to generate funding independently. He questioned each of the nine requests from nonprofit organizations.
Some commissioners seemed frustrated by Graham's repeated questioning, but Beck defended Graham's right to refuse to vote or walk out of a meeting. Graham said a lack of discussion on discretionary spending is "scary."
Mackey said there is 40 years of commission history represented by current members who have supported discretionary spending over the years, and commissioners should be trusted to make decisions about discretionary funding in their home districts.
The resolutions before the commission Wednesday included requests from the Boy Scouts of America Cherokee Area Council, Churchville Neighborhood Association, A Better Tomorrow and Olivet Baptist Church of Chattanooga. Other requests included a $3,195 security system at Hixson Middle School and a request for a $27,000 police training simulator for AEGIS Law Enforcement of Greater Chattanooga Inc.
Boyd countered Graham's stance, saying the organizations take on missions for the county that its government cannot.
The county gets "an incredible return" on its investment in nonprofits, and the money given to them is a good use of discretionary money, Boyd said.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com, on Twitter at @BenBenton, Facebook at ben.benton1 or at 423-757-6569.