The Hamilton County Board of Education and the County Commission are meeting tonight to discuss the school system's facilities.
The County Commission controls the school system's purse strings, and tonight the two governing bodies are joining to talk about deferred maintenance, large capital projects and the district's condemned stadiums.
The construction of a cell tower on the property of East Ridge High School is expected to stir debate. A pending 25-year lease for a cell tower will generate $1,500 in base rent a month plue a one-time $10,000 donation. The school system will receive 35 percent of gross revenues collected by the tower company from cellular services that use the structure.
County Commissioner Tim Boyd, who represents the East Ridge area, is proposing that all the money be used to fund a new stadium at East Ridge High School, as the stadium was condemned last year.
His suggestion runs counter to a school board proposal to give the donated money to the school and split the rental revenues between the school and the district's technology fund.