County Mayor Jim Coppinger on Wednesday expressed caution about the county schools transferring 12 acres of athletic facilities at East Ridge High School to the city of East Ridge.
He said, "If this turns into a pattern of deeding away county land, it doesn't work well for our bond rating."
The county mayor said he is "not for or against" the transfer, but he said legal documents should make it clear that the land would revert to the county schools if East Ridge does not make certain improvements by a specified time.
Commissioner Tim Boyd, who urged support for the project, said East Ridge plans to build a fieldhouse and make many other improvements.
He said the county schools, nor the county, had been putting money into the property and it had gotten rundown. He said the baseball field was not usable and the tennis courts had not been used in a generation.
County Mayor Coppinger recommended that Paul Parker, county real property manager, be involved in working on the deal. It is being handled currently by Scott Bennett, school board attorney.
The county mayor said, "It would be a whole lot more comforting if people who do this for a living negotiate the deal."
He said, "Everybody needs to take a deep breath before the school board exercises its right to give this property away."
The transfer is set to be discussed by the school board on Thursday night.