The Hamilton County Commission on Wednesday amended and approved the fiscal year budget for 2015-2016, reintroducing $900,000 in discretionary spending to be split equally among the districts. The commission also approved 100 percent of the requested additional funding for the Humane Educational Society, but the budget did not include a funding mechanism for the sheriff department’s proposed Bridge Plan retirement program.
The discretionary spending funds had previously been removed from the recommended budget by County Mayor Jim Coppinger’s financial team. In years prior, each commissioner had access to $100,000 to use as they saw fit for projects in their own district.
When the removal of these funds was confirmed by County Mayor Coppinger, he said, “We were the only people in the state handing out funds that way.”
Then in defense of the cut during discussion at the commission meeting, he said, “Hamilton County is the envy of counties in Tennessee, and we got where we are by making fundamentally sound financial decisions.”
Commissioner Sabrena Smedley said in defense of the discretionary spending funds that they had on multiple occasions allowed her to address immediate needs in her district. Specifically she pointed to the purchase of defibrillators for multiple schools in her district after one was used by school officials to revive a student at East Hamilton Middle High School last year.
During discussion prior to the actual approval of the budget and additional funds for the Humane Educational Society, some commissioners addressed concerns that the organization indicated they were not accountable to the commission or citizens of Hamilton County.
Commissioner Tim Boyd said to HES Executive Director Robert Citrullo, “None of the commission has questioned your financing.”
He also said that he and the other commissioners had been bombarded recently with insulting emails from the community in support of the Humane Society after wrongly believing that their support of the organization was faltering.
Commissioner Joe Graham added, “I have never once said that I did not want to fund necessary expenses.”
The commission also acknowledged at this time that funding for the sheriff department’s proposed Bridge Plan, a retirement plan that the department has been trying to implement for eight years, was not included in the new budget.
The proposed plan would help senior officers retire at 55 and provide retirement benefits for those officers until they are 62 and eligible for Social Security. The expected cost to get the program up and running is around $250,000 with an additional $250,000 insurance program, which is still under examination, though that insurance program has not necessarily been requested by the sheriff’s office as a part of the plan.
Once the commission members approved the 2015-2016 budget without funding for this Bridge Plan, Sheriff Jim Hammond stood and led out several dozen officers, members of the department, and supporters of the plan who had come to the meeting. This large group then met outside the commission room to hear comments from Sheriff Hammond and Captain Bill Johnson.
Sheriff Hammond said, “Let me say that most of the commission is on our side.”
He said that there are some who do not understand some of the finer points of the program, but that the process is just going to have to be taken one step at a time.
He concluded his short address to the group by saying, “It’s impressive to have this number of people show up to a commission meeting. They take notice.”
Despite not including the plan in its new budget, the commission is looking at quotes for an actuarial firm to study the feasibility of the proposed insurance component, but commissioners could not give a set timeline for when that investigation may start or be completed.
During an announcement session at the end of the meeting, Commissioner Turner-Smedley said, “I hate that [the officers] left without us recognizing them, but I’m glad we’re going to get some numbers on the Bridge Plan soon.”
In reference to the funding of HES but not the Bridge Plan, Commissioner Warren Mackey said, “If we’ve asked people to put on a bulletproof vest, it is concerning to me that their needs may not come before animals.”
The Humane Society released the following statement, from Director Bob Citrullo: "This is a wonderful day for the Humane Educational Society. We are very grateful to a Commission that saw our needs and addressed them. We've been turned down for the past seven years, so to be fully funded in this year's request is truly phenomenal.
"None of this would have been possible without the strong support from the community. Earlier today, we learned of a young lady who is asking guests coming to her birthday party this weekend to bring items for our animals. This discussion has led to even more support from the community for their shelter and it is very humbling to all of us.
"Clearly, we couldn't have been successful without the support of Mayor Coppinger. We appreciate his leadership and look forward to working with him and the Commission as we move the Humane Society forward."