Two members of the Hamilton County delegation to the General Assembly _ Rep. Marc Gravitt and Sen. Todd Gardenhire _ held a forum at the community center on Thursday evening.

The hour-long forum was an attempt to “hear what’s on your mind and learn what you are concerned about,” Sen. Gardenhire said. 

The sparsely-attended event centered on bills that either have been filed or are anticipated to be filed during this year’s General Assembly.

However, right off the bat, several citizens wanted to know both state legislators’ stance on an effort by Hamilton County Property Assessor Marty Haynes to assess a fee to the cities within the county for appraising its property every four years.

Rep. Marc Gravitt

Rep. Gravitt quickly pointed out that Haynes’ effort was “not in our wheelhouse,” in terms of an issue governed by state law. “He’s doing what the comptroller brought to his attention.”

Rep. Gravitt said that the Hamilton County Commission has the power to waive such a fee _ in the case of East Ridge it would be$27,000 _ and urged citizens to contact their commissioner to express their views.

East Ridge City Councilman Jacky Cagle, who along with his wife Donna were among about a dozen interested residents attending the forum, allowed that East Ridge residents already pay county taxes and that charging city residents for the service amounts to “double-dipping.” He then said it was his belief that the county gets grant money from the state to offset the costs associated with reappraisal of property. He noted that the assessor’s office would then be “triple-dipping.”

Sen. Todd Gardenhire

Sen. Gardenhire urged those at the meeting to contact Haynes to explain his proposal.

Rep. Gravitt told those at the forum that there is a bill which will be presented to legalize medical marijuana. He said that he anticipated the bill to create some controversy and that he invited “feedback from the audience.” Gravitt noted that 27 states has already passed legislation making medical marijuana legal.

One woman said that she has endured almost two dozen joint surgeries, that she is allergic to common over-the-counter pain killers and has been prescribed strong pain-killing drugs.  

“If I got a different alternative I would go for it,” she said.

Sen. Gardenhire said that there are several special interest groups that would be against the legalization of medical marijuana, including law enforcement and human resource departments of major businesses that oversee drug testing.

Gardenhire anticipated some “big fights” over the bill in committees. He said that the bill’s sponsors will have “boiler plate” legislation based on other states that have legalized it.

He noted the problem of current lack of control of the number of opioid prescriptions that are being written for pain management. “Are people suffering (in pain)?, you better believe it,” Sen. Gardenhire said.

The topic turned to Gov. Bill Haslam’s proposal to increase the gas tax, something which hasn’t been done since the late 1980s. The proposal is to raise gas tax by 7cents per gallon and diesel tax 12 cents per gallon. That would amount to an increase of about a quarter million dollars a year the city of East Ridge would receive from the state.

Gardenhire said that the 10-mile stretch of interstate from the Georgia state line near Tiftonia (I-24) to the Georgia state line (I-75). contains 40 bridges that in many cases are in need of maintenance. If that stretch were to be widened it would cost about $750 million.

Sen. Gardenhire said that the governor’s proposal to raise the gas tax was “neutral,” meaning within the budget are other tax cuts that would offset the burden to taxpayers.

Rep. Gravitt said that according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation there are 22 projects pending within Hamilton County. Among those projects is a new exchange on I-24 and I-75 that is in the planning stages. The new interchange is estimated to cost $65 million. The total price tag for the 22 projects is $626 million.

Rep. Gravitt pointed out that a recent study showed Tennessee as being one of the lowest states in the country strapped with debt. It’s residents are some of the least taxed people in the country.

The proposed budget for this fiscal year is about $33 billion, Rep. Gravitt said. About 73 percent of that money is allocated to TennCare and education.

One audience member at the forum asked what changes might by made to Insure Tennessee. She complained that her premiums had risen so much it was difficult to afford insurance.

Sen. Gardenhire said he did not foresee legislation coming up in this session which would change the two-year pilot program that provides health care coverage to Tennesseans who currently do not have access to health insurance or have limited options.

He said state officials were waiting to see if the federal government would give a block grant, first. Then the state would decide how to spend the money.