Hamilton County passes FY 2027 budget

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The Hamilton County Commission has approved a new budget.

It was approved 9 to 1 Wednesday evening in a special called meeting.

The total budget is over $1.1 billion dollars, roughly $6.6 million higher than last year.

Mayor Wamp says in a statement that, ““I am grateful to the County Commission for approving our fourth consecutive balanced budget with no property tax increase. Despite inflationary pressures, we have maintained the county’s lowest property tax rate since 1941 while making significant investments in county roads, public safety, education, and responsible growth.”

The sole vote against the budget, Commissioner David Sharpe, says that this budget fails to meet various challenges facing the county.

He said, “It kicks the can down the road yet again, and I think that we can do better than that. I think we owe it to the people of this community to do better than that.”

Mayor Wamp added that, “(It was a) tough budget as we’ve talked about repeatedly. I want to thank all the department heads across county government for demonstrating effectiveness and excellence in their various departments and in some cases doing more with less.”