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Commissioner: state veto of SJR 48 cost Bradley County'area 911 about $584,000; commissioners to seek reconsideration
Summary
At the May 11 Bradley County Commission work session, Commissioner Milan Blake said Gov. Bill Lee vetoed SJR 48, blocking an increase in the 911 surcharge that 911 Director Sherri Maxfield said would have provided roughly $584,000 to local emergency communications. Blake plans a joint resolution asking the legislature to revisit the measure.
At the Bradley County Commission work session on May 11, 2026, 3rd District Commissioner Milan Blake said Governor Bill Lee vetoed SJR 48, a Senate joint resolution that would have raised the monthly 911 surcharge from $1.50 to $1.86.
Sherri Maxfield, director of Bradley County 911, told commissioners the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board recommended the increase and that "the local 911 system would have received an additional $584,000 in operational funding" had the measure become law. The board had previously secured passage of the change in both the state House and Senate before the veto, Maxfield said.
Blake said he was disappointed by the veto and indicated he will pursue a local effort: he intends to present a joint resolution with the City of Cleveland "at the appropriate time" asking the state legislature to reconsider and pass the measure during the next session. Commissioners did not take a formal vote on the matter during the work session.
The potential funding was described as operational support for local emergency communications. The commission did not provide additional budgetary details at the meeting and did not specify any county-level offset or contingency plan beyond raising the issue for reconsideration at the state level.
Next steps: Blake said he would coordinate with Cleveland city officials to draft the joint resolution for consideration during the next legislative session.
