Arguing they are more politically aligned with Tennessee lawmakers, Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp said county governments should receive their fair share of state sales tax revenue, some of which currently flows to cities under an 80-year-old agreement.
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Decades ago, the state agreed to share a small portion of its sales tax collections with cities, Wamp told members of the conservative Pachyderm Club on Monday. All Tennessee cities benefit from the tax based on their population. Today, the city of Chattanooga receives about $20 million through that arrangement, according to Wamp.
In the time since, cities have generally shifted the responsibilities of running schools, jails and health departments to county government, Wamp said.
