The County Commission, after long debate that included a number of charges and counter-charges, on Wednesday voted 7-2 to allow Commissioners Joe Graham and Marty Haynes to return $100,000 each in discretionary funds to the county rainy day fund.
Opposed were Greg Beck and Warren Mackey.
Commissioner Mackey recommended giving that $200,000 to Orange Grove School, which earlier asked the county for $250,000 for new recycling equipment. That motion failed 5-4.
In favor were Commissioners Mackey and Sabrena Smedley, Vice Chairman Randy Fairbanks and Chairman Chester Bankston. Opposed were Commissioners Beck, Graham, Haynes, Jim Fields and Tim Boyd.
The commission earlier in the meeting approved use of discretionary funds for a veterans park in Collegedale. Commissioner Smedley said it would help build a memorial for the five service personnel killed in Chattanooga in July.
Commissioner Graham had questions about the project and asked which district it was in.
Commissioner Mackey, who proclaimed that he "loves Commissioner Graham like a brother," said it had gotten "a little bit ridiculous how scrutinized the discretionary spending has become. If there were problems, it would have been picked up by the media."
Commissioner Beck questioned why the money was being returned "after the commission voted that it be allocated to all nine districts." He said one commissioner "suspended the privileges of his district for whatever reason" and another involved "political ambitions." Commissioner Haynes is running for assessor of property.
Commissioner Haynes said in early July he had discussed returning the funds, and he said he voted against taking the $900,000 out of the rainy day fund when it was not included by County Mayor Jim Coppinger in his budget. He said the money "belongs to all of Hamilton County and not to any particular district."
He said he is "a Republican and a conservative. So are most of the people in my district."
Commissioner Mackey, noting a group of young leaders in the audience, said the conversation "makes us look like a bunch of something."
He said a number of top commissioners, including Mr. Coppinger, had used discretionary funds in the past, "and all of a sudden we've got some people who think they are smarter than everybody else." He added, "I guess we're trying to out-conservative everybody."
Commissioner Mackey said his district is one of the poorer ones and does not get much of a share of county spending so it depends on use of discretionary funds for worthy projects.
County Mayor Coppinger said all districts share in education dollars, which make up the majority of the budget, plus such items as health and public safety.
He said there has not been a tax increase in eight years and there was not enough money this year to include the $900,000 so he left it out.
The county mayor said the county formerly supported Orange Grove and a host of other agencies, but the city dissolved the longtime sales tax agreement.
Commissioner Beck spoke against the move to give the Graham/Haynes funds to Orange Grove, calling it "way out of bounds. It's almost out of space that we would take somebody else's appropriations."
Commissioner Mackey retorted, "They said they don't want it (the $200,000)."
Commissioner Graham said since he took the stance to give the money back "I have gotten a standing ovation at three community meetings."
He said shifting that money to Orange Grove "would be setting a horrible precedent. It would be very irresponsible."
Vice Chairman Fairbanks said he had never heard of a fellow commissioner calling a press conference on an upcoming resolution as Commissioner Graham did. He said, "It disturbed me greatly when he was using words like 'hijacking and stealing'."
Commissioner Smedley said others who chose not to spend all their allotment "did so without going out and holding press conferences." She said, "I was just devastated by the strong rhetoric that was used."