Catoosa County increases library spending

photo Julie Valenzuela, right, and her children gathers their books before checking out at Catoosa County Library.

RINGGOLD, Ga. -- The Catoosa County Commission approved a budget change that will allow its library to continue to get state funding.

The commissioners signed off on a budget that adds about $17,000 to the library's fund for equipment repairs, general supplies, library materials and dues.

As a result of the amendment, the county has achieved its "maintenance of effort" requirement. In Georgia, libraries receive state funding so long as the county government does not cut its own funding toward that library.

Even before Tuesday's amendment, the Catoosa County budget appeared to show a spending increase for the library. Last year, the county spent $520,000 on its library. This fiscal year, which started on Oct. 1, the county agreed to spend $50,000.

But Library Director Darla Chambliss and other members of the board believed that the commissioners had actually cut funding by putting some expenses in the library's budget that should have fallen elsewhere.

The issue? The county's portion of a matching grant that allowed the library to replace its air-conditioning unit, replace some bricks and paint the building, among other upgrades. The state gave the library $50,000 on the condition that the county would also give the library the same amount.

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The commission agreed to do so. But in this year's budget, the commission put that $50,000 under the library's expenses. The library board objected. They said they shouldn't be saddled with this spending, that it should come from a different part of the county's budget.

If the commission did this, if it removed that $50,000, the library would only be getting $500,000 this year. That would be a drop of $20,000 in spending compared to last year, and that would mean the county did not achieve its "maintenance of effort" requirement.

And that would mean the library would lose state funding: about $550,000.

On Tuesday, the commission agreed to shift that matching grant money out of the library's budget, moving it to the "public buildings" budget. At the same time, the commission added about $20,000 for the library to spend on other areas.

According to the resolution that the commission voted on, this whole issue was really the result of confusion. The library board removed certain items from its budget so that Chambliss could get a $24,000 salary from the county.

Chambliss, who also earns about $47,000 a year from the state, said earlier this month that the county paid her $20,000 last year. But in Tuesday's resolution, the commission asserted that giving her $20,000 this year would actually have been a 43 percent increase in how much they spend on her.

Chambliss did not return a call seeking comment on Tuesday night.

Also, according to the resolution, when the matching grant was under the library portion of the budget, it cost the county $50,000. But now, under the public buildings portion of the budget, that grant will cost the county $32,000.

Commissioners Jim Cutler and Bobby Winters later said they were not sure why the grant money appeared to decrease by $18,000. They said Financial Director Carl Henson would know the answer, but he did not return a call seeking comment Tuesday afternoon.

Editor's note: Catoosa County Library Director Darla Chambliss is married to Chattanooga Times Free Press Region Editor Alex Chambliss.

Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at tjett@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476.

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