CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- Two programs unsuccessfully appealed budget cuts before the Bradley County Commission on Monday.
John Moore made the appeal for the Bradley County Soil Conservation Service. One section of the service's budget, he said, was cut from $10,000 to $8,000 for the 2010-11 budget year that begins July 1.
"The Bradley County Soil Conservation Service brings a lot of money to the county" through state and federal programs, Mr. Moore said. The service puts into place best-management practices for protecting creeks and streams, he said.
"Clean water is going to be the driving force in this nation. It already is," he said. "So every dollar spent now is a dollar we don't have to spend later."
Also, Don Graves of the Behavior Research Institute asked that his program'sallocation be restored to $2,000 instead of the $1,500 budgeted .
"According to the Kids Count database, Bradley County has the lowest sustained child abuse and neglect cases in the Southeast region," Mr. Graves said. "We believe that's because the Behavior Research Institute has been battling child abuse in this county for over 25 years."
Commissioner Michael Plumley asked that the Soil Conservation Service request be sent back to the County Finance Committee for reconsideration. But commissioners were told that would delay the budget process, now planned for a commission vote on July 6.
A vote to refer the Soil Conservation Service appeal to the committee failed to get the 10 necessary votes.
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