Our School Board, Sheriff Hammond, school administrators and the community are thoughtfully considering how to maintain safety in classrooms. Currently, discussions indicate more funding will be needed to ensure school safety. If schools are not safe and more money will change that, by all means let’s move to fix the problem.
There are many caring and knowledgeable people who can work together to decide how best to spend additional funds. The more difficult question may be, where will those funds come from.
We have one school system that serves the entire county and we should all collectively fund its needs. As a Hamilton County taxpayer, I strongly believe such funds should come from our collective Hamilton County taxes. All Hamilton County property owners must pay county taxes to support school needs so all Hamilton County children may attend schools.
It would be unfair to ask or expect county residents or businesses who also reside in a city, to ante up additional tax monies to fund school needs within their cities. To do so would be requiring those city citizens to pay twice for one privilege. City residents and business property owners already pay county taxes and city taxes. Chattanooga property owners currently provide more than half of the county’s tax base via the county taxes they pay. If you add county taxes paid by property owners in East Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Signal Mountain, Lakesite, Redbank, Town of Walden, Soddy Daisy, and Collegedale, this amounts to the vast majority of Hamilton County’s tax base.
Do what must be done to make the schools safe by using county property taxes. That way we all pay. Don’t tax discriminate by dipping twice into some pockets for one county benefit.
Deborah Scott