Hamilton County commissioners send secret letter for more power to set their own pay
Eight of the nine Hamilton County commissioners appeared to have gone to great lengths to avoid talking in public about a bill that they asked their local state lawmaker delegation to draft so they could set their own pay. Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Louie Brogdon reports that the bills, Senate Bill 707 and House Bill 717, would remove language in state law that sets Hamilton County commissioners pay and ties potential raises to the county mayor's salary. By decoupling the commissioners' pay from the county mayor's pay, county commissioners could give themselves a larger increase without increasing other county salaries. Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Beck drafted the letter [...]