Page 4 - Warren Mackey News Today

Hamilton County commissioners voted down a proposal from Mayor Weston Wamp that would have diverted $250,000 of unused funding from the Health Department to support medical services by Clínica Médicos.

Arguing that officials shouldnt be so hasty to pull unused funds from the Health Department, Hamilton County commissioners shot down a proposal from Mayor Weston Wamp that would have diverted $250,000 to support medical services by Clínica Médicos.

Looking to rekindle the spirit of downtown Chattanoogas long-shuttered Kirkman Technical High School, Hamilton County leaders are interested in acquiring BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessees 11-acre Golden Gateway site with the goal of developing it into a public school campus.

Commissioners updated the resolution passed last week to get in line with state laws and discussed updating the original regulation changes.

All short-term vacation rentals in unincorporated parts of Hamilton County must now receive annual inspections to obtain a certificate to operate.

A recovering addict who has now been sober 21 years, Scottie Bowman said the six months she spent in a sober-living house saved her life.

With officials hoping to speed up the procurement process, Hamilton County commissioners have approved an increase in the countys purchasing threshold despite some hand-wringing over whether it would reduce their oversight of public funds.

The countys procurement limit is the amount of money departments are able to spend without needing approval from the county commission.

Enough safeguards appear to be in place to safely allow Hamilton County to raise — in fact, double — the amount of money for which public advertisement and sealed, competitive bids for purchases will be required.

Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamps new $64,000 government vehicle was a brief focal point Wednesday during a debate about whether commissioners should increase the countys purchasing threshold from $25,000 to $50,000.