County Commission members indicated Wednesday they may begin paying for state championship rings.
The issue arose when Commissioner Gene-o Shipley asked other commissioners to contribute toward buying rings for the state champion Soddy Daisy High School wrestlers.
Commissioner David Sharpe said the county should be paying for the rings rather than asking local communities to have fund drives.
Commissioner Steve Highlander, who said he has coached seven state championship teams, said alloy rings cost around $270 to $300, while gold rings are around $900. He recommended the county pay for the alloy ones, saying they are "beautiful."
County Mayor Weston Wamp said there had been talk earlier of the county covering the cost of the rings. He said there needed to be guidelines on which players would be covered.
Commissioners said it needs to be for TSSAA-sanctioned events and, perhaps, the community should come up with part of the overall cost.
A resolution is expected to be presented soon on the issue.