The Sweetwater Board of Commissioners voted to approve a resolution authorizing the city to pursue acquiring Sweetwater High School and providing an annual maintenance‑of‑effort contribution for the city school system.

Board members and school officials described the proposal as a multi‑step process. The county must agree to release the property, the city must agree to accept it, and the city’s funding body must approve the maintenance‑of‑effort. School officials present said the transaction would be in the usual “as‑is” form but that the city would have an inspection and due‑diligence period; commissioners insisted the final purchase be brought back for a ratification vote once a structural inspection and final contract terms were available.

Janet and Rodney (school system officials) and other presenters outlined expected responsibilities. The board was told that some COVID/ESSER‑era improvements and roof/structural work had already been performed by the county; the city would assume maintenance responsibility and would not be asked to fund county‑imposed liabilities beyond the agreed maintenance‑of‑effort. The school representatives presented an annual maintenance‑of‑effort figure in the meeting materials; the figure discussed in the workshop and referenced in the discussion was approximately $443,000 per year. Board members asked whether that figure included coaching supplements, athletics maintenance, or other operating costs; presenters said some items (coaching supplements) were not included and athletic facility maintenance was often funded by donations and not in the FY estimate.

Commissioners raised several questions they said must be resolved before final ratification: the structural inspection report (commissioners requested a formal third‑party structural assessment during the inspection period), which grant‑funded equipment will legally transfer to the city and which will remain with the county, the ongoing source for School Resource Officer (SRO) funding if a governor’s grant were discontinued, and the handling of potential increases in required maintenance‑of‑effort if state or federal rules change.

The board adopted the resolution to pursue acquisition in a roll‑call vote; commissioners recorded their votes in the meeting (ayes). Meeting minutes and presenters stated the board’s intent “to ratify the acquisition upon presentation of an executed contract,” so the final purchase and any transfer of assets will return to the board for a final vote after due diligence and contract work by attorneys.

Actions captured: the board approved a resolution authorizing pursuit of the acquisition and acknowledging an expected annual maintenance‑of‑effort payment to the city school system; the board also directed that the final executed contract and the structural inspection findings be presented for final ratification prior to closing.