It was back to business as usual for all 14 members of the Bradley County Commission present Tuesday evening during its first voting meeting of 2012.
Prior to the holiday break, Commissioner and Education Committee Chairman Jeff Yarber proposed a wheel tax resolution as a solution to funding requests for capital projects by the county school system. He had asked the commission to review the proposed draft before this month's work sessions.The purpose of the resolution is to call a referendum on the question of whether a county-wide motor vehicle tax (of $32) should be levied for Bradley County.
According to the resolution draft, all of the proceeds of this tax shall be deposited in the Education Debt Service Fund, which will be created and maintained by the county clerk for the purpose of education capital projects.
Upon passage of this resolution, the county election commission shall call an election on the question of whether or not the wheel tax should be levied to be held in the general election in August. The voters shall vote for or against the approval of this resolution. The cost of the election, if any, shall be paid for by Bradley County.
Commissioner Ed Elkins stated he has had a lot of calls concerning the wheel tax and questions whether the school system has adequate justification for the amount it is requesting. His concern is with the city moving forward with the growth plan which would include annexation along Mouse Creek Road.
He said, “I feel we are going to have a lot of discussion about this during next week's work session. I would like a count of how many households would be impacted by that proposed annexation.”
Commissioner Elkins said he feels the rezoning of school children as a result of the annexation could impact the need for improvements and expansion. He stated, “Before we vote to support the wheel tax to supply that extra capacity, we need to make sure that extra capacity is needed.”
The county school system needs an estimated $25.5 million for a new elementary school, improvements and expansion for Walker Valley High School and Lake Forest Middle School and land for a third middle school, officials have said. If these projects receive full funding, the Cleveland City school system would receive $1 from every $3 the county raises for county schools, based on student populations. If county schools receive full funding for their projects, Cleveland City schools would gain an estimated $12 million and would use the money to build a new elementary school.
The wheel tax would be applied each time a vehicle is registered in the county with the exception of motorcycles, scooters, farm tractors, self-propelled farm machines not usually used for operation upon public highways or roads and motor-driven vehicles owned by any governmental agency or governmental instrument. It exempts veterans and prisoners of war with 100 percent disability.
Commissioner Elkins said he would also like to include the timing of the referendum in the work session discussion and what alternatives, if any, would there be if the referendum fails to pass.
In new business, the commission unanimously passed a resolution proposed by Commissioner Brian Smith in opposition to splitting Bradley County into two senate districts. It is the opinion of the Bradley County Commission that the redistricting of the county into two senatorial districts would dilute the unified voice and power of Bradley County citizens in the Tennessee General Assembly.
The commission requested that the Tennessee Republican Leadership, the Tennessee General Assembly, Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey and Senator Mike Bell keep the entirety of Bradley County in one senatorial district in the adopted redistricting plan.
Also in new business, Commissioner Adam Lowe proposed a resolution seeking discussions for improvements in local intergovernmental cooperation. He said, “I was moved by Councilman Richard Banks' words.”
During the last Cleveland City Council meeting of 2011, Councilman Banks requested the commission and the council start working on common issues and common goals and suggested a meeting soon after the first of the year to discuss those common goals for the community.
The resolution states: Recent issues of fire service, growth planning, economic development, sales taxation, and more have resulted in less cooperation and decreased good will between the city of Cleveland and Bradley County. There is a reasonable expectation that the future will bring new challenges and opportunities that will require an increased measure of intergovernmental cooperation.
The resolution authorizes the chairman of the commission to attempt to arrange a series of joint meetings with the city of Cleveland in order to openly discuss issues past, present and future with the goal of arriving at a constructive, cooperative consensus on all matters and to develop direction of the future.
The resolution passed 13 to 1 with Commissioner Mel Griffith opposed.
The commission also voted to unanimously pass a resolution authorizing County Mayor D. Gary Davis to negotiate and enter into a contract with Ray Kerr & Associates for the grading and drainage portion of Phase II of the Elrod Park softball complex for an amount of $51,702.84 and unanimously approved the consent agenda which included several budget amendment requests from various departments and notary applicants.
The Bradley County Commission will hold its next work session meeting next Monday at noon.
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