County Mayor Weston Wamp on Wednesday afternoon unveiled a county budget approaching $1 billion.
He said there would be no need for a property tax increase. The rate remains at $2.23 per $100 of assessed valuation.
The proposed budget stands at $995,201,026. That is up from the current $881.2 million, or a rise of over 12 percent.
Revenues are projected to rise by $116 million and spending go up by $114 million.
County Mayor Wamp, in an address to the County Commission, said the county schools will get nearly a $100 million increase, fueled largely by the state's new TISA funding formula.
The county operations budget has the county schools going from $522.9 million to $621.5 million.
The county mayor said during the coming months he will be introducing a multi-year capital funding plan "for an historic investment in public education."
He has plans for a Kirkman-like vocational school at the former Golden Gateway building on the Westside.
The county budget last year for capital outlay was $6.2 million. That is slated to rise to over $16 million.
County Mayor Wamp said public safety is featured in the budget. The spending for the Sheriff's Office goes from $4.6 million to $7.3 million.
The budget for the Humane Education Society rises from $620,970 to $765,974.
The county will no longer be making annual $1.5 million appropriations to Erlanger Hospital, which is going non-profit.
The budget includes four percent pay increases.
There are 23 new positions.
The key initiatives proposed in the budget include:
Career and technical education (CTE) support program: As the County Mayor’s office pursues bold investments in public education, $750,000 has been allocated to cover the cost of certification and to provide $7,000 sign-on bonuses for new career and technical instructors in Hamilton County Schools.
Property tax relief: The county will fully match the state’s Property Tax Relief Program, primarily supporting fully disabled veterans and low-income senior citizens. This initiative will alleviate property taxes for fully disabled veterans and their widows on residential property assessed at up to $350,000, and will lower the burden of property taxes amid record inflation for more than 4,000 low-income seniors.
County’s First Senior Center: The old Harrison Elementary School will be repurposed into the county's first community and senior center, providing services and activities to improve the quality of life for the county's increasingly aging population and large veteran community.
Road improvements: As many county roads experience unprecedented usage, the county’s road and paving budget will significantly increase in the new fiscal year and the mayor has set aside money for enhanced road safety measures, including reflectors and guardrails.
Volunteer Fire Departments: In addition to 10 percent increases in the amount allocated to each of the eight volunteer fire departments in Hamilton County, $500,000 has been included in the budget for new equipment. Overall, funding for volunteer fire increased 30 percent in the FY2024 budget.
Parks & Recreation: $1 million in new funding has been allocated to county parks, which will enable the opening of a park at McDonald Farm, improved access to fishing opportunities at Chester Frost Park, and to expanded investments in youth sports leagues at the county’s community parks.
EMS Pay Increase: Following the historic pay raise to sheriff’s deputies, the county has budgeted an average of a 13 percent pay increase for employees in Hamilton County Emergency Services aimed at fully staffing EMS in order to bring on line the county’s seventeenth ambulance, which would help reduce response times. Increase in pay for county employees: All Hamilton County employees will receive a four percent pay increase to adjust for the increased cost of living.
Bolster re-entry program at the county jail: $250,000 to renovate a former Highway Department facility to expand the re-entry program at the county jail to include electrical, carpentry, and welding training opportunities for inmates.
Funding for new drug prosecutor: As the county continues to fight the opioid epidemic, funding has been included in the District Attorney’s budget for a drug prosecutor to focus exclusively on holding the dealers of deadly drugs accountable.
The County Commission will vote Wednesday, June 21, on the proposed budget. Fiscal year 2024 begins on July 1, 2023 and runs through June 30, 2024.
Other recommended appropriations include:
$81,903 Regional Council of Governments
$228,113 Air Pollution Control
$600 Chamber of Commerce economic development
$50,000 Enterprise Center
$105,200 CARTA
$100,000 Urban League
$100,603 African American Museum
$20,000 Armed Forces Day Parade
$100,000 Thrive Regional Partnership
$170,000 United Way 2-1-1
$175,650 Family Justice Center
$30,000 Junior Achievement
$50,000 Imagination Library Signal Mountain
$175,650 Partnership For Children/Adults
$100,000 the County Fair
$15,000 Collegedale Public Library
$125,000 La Paz
$78,252 Hamilton County Hazardous Materials Team
$610,979 Tri Community VFD
$427,160 Dallas Bay VFD
$110,884 Mowbray VFD
$78,540 Rescue Squad
$502,211 Highway 58 VFD
$86,348 Sequoyah VFD
$144,841 Waldens Ridge VFD
$217,447 Sale Creek VFD
$98,540 Hamilton County Stars
$81,708 Flattop VFD
The County Commission has the final say-so on the budget.
In the past, County Mayor Jim Coppinger conducted several annual budget sessions at the county's McDaniel Building.
The new county mayor opted for meeting separately with each commissioner to go over the budget, then making a public presentation to the commission as a whole.