Resident alleges Bradley County landfill revenue was diverted; county officials say audits and court reviews found no impropriety

Todd Bills, a resident who identified himself during public comment at the Bradley County Commission meeting, alleged that the county’s landfill contract and later amendments allow the operator to withhold or redirect revenue and that county leaders created a discretionary “community involvement commitment” for funds above $1,000,000 that the mayor controls.

"This is wrong," Bills said during a lengthy public comment, adding, "It's corruption." He cited a contract he identified as signed in 1999 and read portions of what he called a third amendment and urged commissioners to enforce Tennessee law he referenced (he read a citation aloud during his remarks).

County Attorney (transcript voice S8) responded during a later exchange, saying the county has been audited and litigated on the matter: "We're not doing anything illegal... Circuit court heard it. Court of appeals heard it. Auditors audit us. TDEC audits us." He said he had provided public records to the speaker and that he was not aware of any ongoing illegality or impropriety at the landfill.

County Mayor (transcript voice S11) also replied: he described the landfill fund as one among several county funds, said money from the landfill and other tax revenue has been used for school projects such as Hopewell School, and explained that the landfill fund balance can be used for cleanup after tornadoes and then replenished by FEMA reimbursements. "The $1.89 fund is tax revenue, landfill revenue, and it's what's paying, for example right now, Hopewell School," the mayor said.

Bills pointed to what he said was Tennessee statutory language and to media reporting in 2009 and 2015 that he said showed the county had permitted trucks from Chattanooga to use the Bradley County landfill at a lower rate. Bills urged citizens to contact commissioners and provided his contact details during his five-minute comment.

The commission did not take formal action in response to Bills’s allegations during the meeting. Commissioners interjected during the public comment and some pushed back verbally; one commissioner told the speaker to leave and rest, and the speaker said he would continue to attend meetings until he saw action.

What remains clear from the record of this meeting is that a resident raised detailed allegations about the landfill contract and the administration of landfill-related funds; the county attorney and mayor disputed the assertion of wrongdoing, cited audits and court review, and described how specific landfill funds have been used for school projects and disaster cleanup. The commission did not vote on any motion related to the landfill during the session and made no formal referral on the record.

Next steps: no motion or formal direction was recorded; the speaker said he will return to future meetings to press the matter.