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Bradley County finance committee recommends 12–15% pay raises; public divided over tax to pay for them
Summary
The county Finance Committee amended the mayor's budget to recommend 15% raises for employees earning under $75,000 and 12% for those earning $75,000 or more. Commissioners heard roughly equal public comment urging both support for raises and opposition to a tax increase to fund them.
On June 8, 2026, at a Bradley County Commission work session, Commissioner Milan Blake reported that the Finance Committee amended County Mayor D. Gary Davis's proposed budget to include across‑the‑board pay increases for county employees: 15 percent for employees earning less than $75,000 annually and 12 percent for employees earning $75,000 or more. Blake opened the floor for any elected official or department head to appeal their budget allocation; none did.
Why it matters: The committee change increases personnel costs in the county budget and, as residents noted during public comment, could require a tax increase or other revenue source to pay for the raises. Commissioners did not take a commission‑level vote on the amendment during the work session; the Finance Committee reported the recommended change.
During the public‑comment portion of the meeting, several residents urged the commission to reject a tax increase tied to the raises, while others said the county must pay more to retain and fairly compensate employees. Deborah Gleason, Maria Lavestacova, Amber St. Anna and Alan Nerren voiced opposition to raising taxes to fund higher pay. Conversely, Katelin Arceri, Will Carter, Guinn Green and Eduardo Choate spoke in favor of approving pay increases to adequately compensate county staff. Dan Rawls said he supported the pay increases but urged the commission to review the process for negotiating tax agreements with industry; Jane Galay asked commissioners to explore alternative funding options rather than relying on a tax increase.
The work session also included a procedural action on a separate agenda item: Commissioner Josh Rogers presented a resolution to authorize the mayor to enter an annexation interlocal agreement with the City of Cleveland for a non‑contiguous annexation of roughly 42.5 acres on Dalton Pike South (parcels 066 044.00 and 066 046.00). Chairman Thomas Crye moved to carry that resolution to the July 13, 2026 work session so the Bradley County Planner could attend and answer questions.
No formal commission vote on the pay‑increase recommendation was recorded at the June 8 work session. The commission's next scheduled Voting Session is June 15, 2026; the annexation resolution was deferred to a July 13 work session for planner participation.
What to watch: Whether the commission places the Finance Committee's recommended pay‑increase amendment on the June 15 voting agenda and, if so, what funding source commissioners adopt. The letters from the Tennessee Comptroller regarding county debt were presented to the commission and entered as attachments to the meeting record.
