Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Votes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bradley County Commission approves first-responder counseling contract, phone-services extension and EMS monitor lease; accepts fire-tax hold-harmless plan
Summary
At its Sept. 15, 2025 regular session the Bradley County Commission approved four measures: a Journey Mental Health contract for first responders, a three-year telephone-services extension, a six-year EMS Lifepak lease, and a two-year hold-harmless arrangement on fire-tax revenue following City of Cleveland annexations.
The Bradley County Commission voted on Sept. 15, 2025 in Cleveland to approve four measures ranging from mental-health services for first responders to a hold-harmless payment plan tied to annexations.
Commissioner Milan M. Blake moved and Commissioner Josh Rogers seconded approval of Resolution 2025-38 authorizing the Bradley County mayor to negotiate and enter into an agreement with Journey Mental Health to provide counseling services to Bradley County first responders. The resolution authorizes billing to the county at $85 per initial visit and $65 per general therapy visit, with higher rates for EMDR and neurofeedback services. The motion passed on a roll-call vote with 13 in favor and 1 absent.
The commission then approved Resolution 2025-39, moved by Commissioner Blake and seconded by Commissioner Bill Winters, to extend the county's telephone services agreement with ipSBS Managed Services, LLC d/b/a HostMyCalls for three years. The extension covers telephone services at the Bradley County Courthouse and Annex at $1,797.00 per month and the Juvenile Center at $1,184.72 per month. The motion passed unanimously by roll call (13 yes, 1 absent).
Commissioner Josh Rogers moved and Commissioner Tommy Ledford seconded Resolution 2025-40, which authorizes the Bradley County mayor to enter a six-year equipment lease and maintenance agreement with Flex Financial, a division of Stryker Sales, LLC, for fourteen LifePak 35 cardiac monitor devices for Bradley County EMS. The contract is described at $123,500 per year and the resolution passed on a unanimous roll-call vote (13 yes, 1 absent).
Finally, the commission approved Resolution 2025-41, accepting the City-County Fire Tax Committee's recommendation to prorate the fire tax on newly annexed properties and to have the City of Cleveland pay the County for lost fire-tax revenue for two tax years as a hold-harmless measure. Commissioner Mike Hughes moved the measure, seconded by Commissioner Bill Winters. The vote was 11 in favor and 2 opposed; Commissioners Scott Gilbert and Howard Thompson recorded "nay." The resolution directs the County Assessor to provide values used to calculate the loss and contemplates amortized, immediate payments by the City for the current tax year followed by full payments for two subsequent years.
The meeting adjourned at 12:28 P.M. EST.
Votes at a glance: - Resolution 2025-38 (Journey Mental Health): mover: Milan M. Blake; second: Josh Rogers; outcome: approved; roll-call: Daniel Beaty (yes), Mike Hughes (yes), Louie Alford (yes), Thomas L. Crye (yes), Milan M. Blake (yes), Denny Collins (yes), Scott Gilbert (yes), Howard Lewis Thompson (yes), Bobby Goins (yes), Tim Mason (yes), Tommy Ledford (yes), Josh Rogers (yes), Bill Winters (yes); total: 13 yes, 0 no, 1 absent. - Resolution 2025-39 (HostMyCalls telephone extension): mover: Milan M. Blake; second: Bill Winters; outcome: approved; roll-call: same 13 yes, 1 absent. - Resolution 2025-40 (LifePak 35 equipment lease with Flex Financial/Stryker): mover: Josh Rogers; second: Tommy Ledford; outcome: approved; roll-call: same 13 yes, 1 absent. - Resolution 2025-41 (City of Cleveland fire-tax proration and two-year hold-harmless): mover: Mike Hughes; second: Bill Winters; outcome: approved; roll-call: 11 yes, 2 no (Scott Gilbert, Howard Lewis Thompson), 1 absent.
What happens next: the County Mayor is authorized to execute the agreements where described in the resolutions; the fire-tax hold-harmless mechanics require County Assessor calculations and payments from the City of Cleveland as specified in the approved policy.
