CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Cleveland and Bradley County have their own ideas on how to fund Bradley County 911, and the two governments have approved different funding agreements that begin in the 2016-2017 fiscal year.
Both agreements call for a phased approach to increases in funding and additional dispatcher positions. The current 911 agreement, which ends on Dec. 31, called for $450,000 in matching contributions from Cleveland and Bradley County and long-maintained 21 dispatcher positions.
On Monday, the Bradley County Commission voted 13-0 in favor of a agreement that calls for the city and county to each commit $550,000 to the 911 district in 2016, and $650,000 for each of the three following years. Commissioner Milan Blake, who is chairman of the county’s finance committee, sponsored the measure, stating it was recommended by that panel in a 5-0 vote.
The reason for a different plan than the city comes down to certainties, Blake said.
The county’s version of the 911 agreement differs from the funding plan approved by the Cleveland City Council, which called for funding needs to be determined by a formula based on audited expenses, instead of projected costs, in the contract’s fourth year. The agreement approved by the city was recommended by the Bradley County 911 board. Like the county’s proposal, the city plan funded $550,000 in 2016-2017 and $650,000 in the second and third years of the 911 agreement.