Hamilton County votes to support Thrive 55 budget request

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – The Hamilton County Commission this morning decided to fund the Thrive 20-55 regional planning initiative but the vote was not unanimous.

Thrive 55 is a study group that is attempting to tie-up all the lose ends to regional problems like transportation in our three state region, economic development, education and workforce development.

They’re asking the city of Chattanooga and the county for a $100,000 a year for three years to continue their program.

District 8 Commissioner Tim Boyd was having none of it and wanted to amend the resolution.

TIM BOYD:”Why did the Mayor not put it in the budget for 2018, include it in the budget? Why didn’t we just do it back in May, in June?”

Boyd wanted to add a hundred thousand dollars for the Girl’s Inc. Bookworm organization. That move failed, but the county mayor did answer his question.

MAYOR COPPINGER:”The reason it wasn’t in the budget, it’s just a real simple explanation is because we hadn’t heard back from the City of Chattanooga, they were going through their budget process, we were going through our budget process, it hadn’t passed through the city and as you well know, generally if it involves you know, a partnership with the city we usually let council go first.”

The resolution passed 6-to-2.

The president of Thrive 55 says she expected some opposition.

BRIDGETT MASSENGILL PRESIDENT, THRIVE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP “We had no doubt that it would be a challenge, because, um, working toward solutions that address and proactively work towards solving the transportation and infrastructure crunches that are throughout our entire sixteen county region, directly affecting Hamilton County, and Hamilton County residents, is certainly something that, um, if it were easy, it would already be happening.”