The following is Mayor Coppinger’s statement on the budget veto, made Monday on the steps outside the Hamilton County Courthouse:
“This morning, I notified the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners that I am vetoing the fiscal year 2015-2016 budget they passed by Resolution 615-35, as amended on Wednesday, June 17, 2015.
“I firmly believe it is fiscally irresponsible to withdraw almost a million dollars in funds from the county’s rainy day fund to be used for discretionary spending by each commissioner.
“This was a difficult budget for myself and the staff to prepare. There were millions of requested dollars cut from public safety, public education, public works, emergency medical services, and others in order to balance this budget without a proposed tax increase. In addition to these cuts, we also eliminated $900,000 in spending from the commission’s budget request. We did so because we did not have the revenues to fund these expenditure requests, and never gave consideration to including funds from the rainy day fund to do so.
“The commission’s decision to amend the budget and add $900,000 in discretionary funding is a disappointment to myself and the financial staff who worked for months to put together and present a balanced budget. Hamilton County is the model for the State of Tennessee and communities across the nation for being fiscally responsible, and that is reflected by our Triple A bond rating by the three top rating agencies in the country.
“In closing, I want to thank Commissioners Greg Beck, Joe Graham, and Marty Haynes for their support of my budget as presented. These commissioners have consistently supported the sound responsible financial principles of our county. I committed to the citizens of this county that I would oversee good government they can be proud of, and I intend to continue to do so in a responsible manner.”
The following is Mayor Coppinger’s statement on the budget veto, made Monday on the steps outside the Hamilton County Courthouse:
“This morning, I notified the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners that I am vetoing the fiscal year 2015-2016 budget they passed by Resolution 615-35, as amended on Wednesday, June 17, 2015.
“I firmly believe it is fiscally irresponsible to withdraw almost a million dollars in funds from the county’s rainy day fund to be used for discretionary spending by each commissioner.
“This was a difficult budget for myself and the staff to prepare. There were millions of requested dollars cut from public safety, public education, public works, emergency medical services, and others in order to balance this budget without a proposed tax increase. In addition to these cuts, we also eliminated $900,000 in spending from the commission’s budget request. We did so because we did not have the revenues to fund these expenditure requests, and never gave consideration to including funds from the rainy day fund to do so.
“The commission’s decision to amend the budget and add $900,000 in discretionary funding is a disappointment to myself and the financial staff who worked for months to put together and present a balanced budget. Hamilton County is the model for the State of Tennessee and communities across the nation for being fiscally responsible, and that is reflected by our Triple A bond rating by the three top rating agencies in the country.
“In closing, I want to thank Commissioners Greg Beck, Joe Graham, and Marty Haynes for their support of my budget as presented. These commissioners have consistently supported the sound responsible financial principles of our county. I committed to the citizens of this county that I would oversee good government they can be proud of, and I intend to continue to do so in a responsible manner.” v