Supt. Smith Finds Little Warmth At County Commission For Big Tax Increase For Schools

  • Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Supt. Rick Smith on Wednesday afternoon found little warmth at the County Commission for the 40-cent property tax increase he is seeking for $34 million in additional funding for the county schools.

Commissioner Warren Mackey said at a recent meeting involving six principals that many in the audience seemed to indicate support for the tax measure. However, Commissioner Mackey said, "I'm not quite there."

No other commissioner offered support for any kind of tax boost.

Commissioner Joe Graham said the schools had gotten over $100 million in additional funds through "growth money" since 2005 and enrollment had not gone up significantly.

He also criticized the schools agreeing to start paying the city $400,000 in stormwater fees.

Commissioner Tim Boyd said $11 million of the request was going for raises for some 6,000 people. He said he liked the superintendent's vision, but he said he wanted to hear specific plans for helping students.

He said the county schools had been doing poorly on test scores and that many graduates were not ready for college.

Commissioner Marty Haynes said the government was being asked to pick up costs that the community, including the churches, once helped provide.

Commissioner Sabrena Smedley said she, too, liked the vision, but said seniors especially could not bear paying higher taxes. She said they had asked her to "please don't raise our taxes." She said a very small portion of the population would be shouldering the burden of a tax hike.

Commissioner Greg Beck said he had voted for prior tax increases, but he said those were worked out in discussions between key officials and "not in public meetings."

Supt. Smith said the schools had gone for over a decade without a tax increase for education and "it was time for the conversation. I don't apologize for stirring the emotions."

He said he had not asked anyone to come to the budget meeting for a show of supporters. The room was not full as it sometimes is. Some principals, school administrators and board members were present.

Supt. Smith questioned the size of the county rainy-day fund, and County Mayor Jim Coppinger came to its defense. He said having such a large amount of money set aside had saved the county millions of dollars by helping it keep its high bond rating. He said the county was able to come up with over $26 million for the Volkswagen expansion without selling bonds.

Supt. Smith said he held 33 meetings on his vision, saying that "Chattanooga can be the smartest community in the South." He said excellent education could be brought "to every neighborhood." He said, "We don't have that now."

 

Supt. Rick Smith at budget presentation
Supt. Rick Smith at budget presentation
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