Richard Banks
Bradley County Schools Director Johnny McDanielCLEVELAND, Tenn. – The Cleveland City Council would like to discuss the Bradley County School Board’s request for $720,000 in previously collected liquor tax revenues if the county school system will provide good reasons.
According to a recent County Technical Assistance Service study performed on behalf of Bradley County and the county school system, $720,000 is the amount that Cleveland should have distributed to Bradley County Schools over the last 30 years.
On Monday, the Cleveland City Council voted to invite Bradley County School Director Johnny McDaniel, the Bradley County Board of Education and any of their advisers to meet with them during their 1 p.m. work session on Feb. 10.
“I suggest the last thing we need to do is get into litigation with the county,” said Cleveland City Councilman Richard Banks. “We’ll run up attorney’s fees and throw rocks at each other and in the end, the taxpayers foot [the bill for] it.”
Before the proposed meeting, city leaders said they wanted to review the legal basis for the county school system’s pursuit of liquor tax revenues that have been previously distributed by Cleveland.