Bradley County Commission declines $75,000 Minnis Road paving project, approves consent agenda and budget amendments

The Bradley County Commission voted Aug. 18 to accept a Finance Committee recommendation not to fund at this time a project to clear, level and gravel/pave county property at the Minnis Road fire facility, estimated at approximately $75,000.

Commissioner Milan M. Blake moved the Finance Committee recommendation and Commissioner Mike Hughes seconded. The motion carried on a roll-call vote, 12-1, with Commissioner Scott Gilbert the lone dissenting vote.

Work-session and Finance Committee records in the meeting packet show the Committee debated the request and opted to recommend against funding it now; County Mayor D. Gary Davis told the Committee the estimated cost is about $75,000 but that other projects also need priority funding.

Also on the August 18 consent agenda the commission approved multiple routine and departmental budget amendments and administrative items that were included in the meeting attachments. Notable items recorded in the packet and approved by consent include:

- Use of $57,201 from archives reserves to cover Archives budget expenses (remaining reserve balance noted in the packet). - A $14,613.80 reallocation from American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) restricted funds to cover a prior-year road-striping purchase-order liquidation and a replacement PO. - Juvenile Court acceptance of a $3,150 Access & Visitation grant (100% reimbursable) to continue supervised-visit services through Sept. 30, 2025. - EMS internal reallocation requests (examples include $20,000 moved to building maintenance and smaller supply-line transfers). - Sheriff's Office acceptance of a $6,000 state retention grant earmarked for certain deputies (packet references payments for Garett Choate and Jason Woods). - Approval of disposal/donation forms for two sheriff vehicles (model years 2007 and 2011) proposed to be donated to local high-school criminal-justice programs; disposal requires commission approval and completion of forms. - Lists of notaries public and multiple routine contract/amendment items included as attachments.

Finance Committee minutes attached to the packet show several budget-amendment recommendations were approved at committee level before the voting session. The Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury also provided a letter acknowledging receipt of Bradley County’s FY2026 budget documents and confirming projected revenues appear sufficient to meet anticipated expenditures; the Comptroller’s letter included routine recommendations about fund-balance policy and submission formatting.

Commissioners made a small number of district and committee reports during the work session: Commissioner Tim Mason noted the TDOT litter-removal totals reported in the packet (14,520 pounds collected; 700 pounds recycled). Commissioner Scott Gilbert recorded his disagreement with the committee recommendation not to fund the Minnis Road project, but the full commission voted to follow the Finance Committee recommendation. Chairman Thomas L. Crye adjourned the session at 12:20 P.M. EST.

The attached meeting materials and committee minutes contain the detailed line-item budget amendments and vehicle-disposal forms; the voting-session packet and attachments are part of the official record.