Dalton school board expected to vote on funding for bus barn
Dec. 13—The Dalton Board of Education will hold a called meeting Friday to decide whether to take the first steps to purchase property for a bus barn.
The meeting is at noon in the third-floor conference room of City Hall and is open to the public.
School officials have been looking at bringing bus service in-house. It is currently contracted out to First Student.
"We would like to transfer $1.4 million from the general fund to the capital fund," said Chief Financial Officer Teresa Perry.
That would require amending both the general fund and capital fund budgets. Perry said board members will also vote on a resolution to reimburse the capital fund with money from any bonds it might issue next year.
The plan is to purchase the property on South Hamilton Street that First Student uses as a bus barn. The school system would lease it back to First Student until it is ready to begin its own bus service.
School officials asked the City Council this fall to approve a resolution to have the Dalton Building Authority issue $13 million in bonds for Dalton Public Schools to buy school buses. The council members at the time said they needed more information.
Superintendent Tim Scott said he hopes to schedule a joint work session between the board and the council in January to answer any questions council members might have.
