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Bradley County Commission approves bridge property transfer, health MOU and committee appointments
Summary
At its Dec. 2 regular meeting in Cleveland, the Bradley County Commission unanimously approved two mayoral resolutions — a property transfer for an Old Lower River Road bridge replacement and an MOU with Bradley Medical Center — appointed members to county boards and accepted multiple committee recommendations and budget amendments.
The Bradley County Commission met in regular session Dec. 2 at the Bradley County Courthouse in Cleveland and approved a slate of administrative and policy items, including a property transfer for a bridge replacement on Old Lower River Road and an agreement with a local hospital system to support indigent care.
Chairman Thomas L. Crye called the meeting to order and, after the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance, the commission moved quickly through procedural business. Commissioner Howard L. Thompson moved to approve the Nov. 18, 2024, minutes; Commissioner Cindy Slater seconded and the vote was unanimous, with 13 members recorded as present and voting.
On a pair of mayoral resolutions, the commission voted 13–0 to adopt Resolution 2024-43, authorizing Bradley County to accept 3,288 square feet of fee-simple property and a 1,187-square-foot temporary construction easement from the State of Tennessee for the Old Lower River Road bridge replacement project. The same vote count approved Resolution 2024-44, which authorizes the county mayor to enter a memorandum of understanding with Bradley Medical Center, LLC regarding provision of healthcare to indigent, uninsured and underinsured county residents.
The commission approved the consent agenda and then named members to an ad hoc Growth Policy Coordinating Committee, appointing Commissioner Cindy Slater as chair and Commissioners Denny Collins and Mike Hughes to the panel. That appointment passed 12–1, with Commissioner Howard Thompson recorded as the lone nay on the growth-policy item.
On an item raised by the Fire Committee, commissioners discussed clearing a county-owned parcel on Minnis Road. The Fire Committee and county staff described operational needs tied to a proposed fire facility; Commissioners debated whether to pursue immediate clearing or to consider costs and financing at a work session. A substitute motion to move the matter to a work session for pricing and financing information passed, preserving the need for further analysis before committing additional funds.
The meeting packet included detailed attachments from standing committees and department heads — among them a set of Finance Committee recommendations that will be presented to the full commission for formal action on Dec. 16. Those materials included school district capital transfers intended to finance a land purchase, routine insurance and legal-fee payments, multiple deputy special-detail reimbursements for community events and school security, and grant notices. Notably, the county received a $115,237.02 direct state appropriation for mental-health patient transport and a $57,299 traffic-safety grant from the Tennessee Highway Safety Office for enforcement and education work by the sheriff’s office.
Commissioners also ratified Resolution 2024-45, appointing six members to the Brian K. Smith Workhouse Disciplinary Review Board and five members to the Work Release Commission, with terms and appointees listed in the packet attachments.
There was no further business; Chairman Crye moved to adjourn and the meeting concluded per the minutes.
Votes at a glance
- Approval of Nov. 18, 2024 minutes: Motion passed by roll call, 13–0 (SEG 001). - Resolution 2024-43 (Old Lower River Road property acceptance): Approved by roll call, 13–0 (SEG 001; full text SEG 004). - Resolution 2024-44 (MOU with Bradley Medical Center, LLC): Approved by roll call, 13–0 (SEG 001; full text SEG 005). - Consent agenda (Dec. 2, 2024): Approved by roll call, 13–0 (SEG 002). - Growth Policy Coordinating Ad Hoc Committee appointments: Approved 12–1 (SEG 002); Commissioner H. Thompson recorded a nay on that item. - Resolution 2024-45 (Workhouse disciplinary board and work release commission appointments): Approved (SEG 008).
What’s next
The Finance Committee’s recommended budget amendments and grant acceptances are on the calendar to be considered by the full commission at its next regular voting session; committee staff also noted an audit-related workers’ compensation balance that will require an appropriation from undesignated fund balance.
