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Officials: Dade County paid nearly $680 toward commissioner’s New Orleans conference expenses

Dade County, Georgia / Dade County Lookout Mountain Commissioner Melissa Christiansen Bradford is pictured.
Dade County, Georgia / Dade County Lookout Mountain Commissioner Melissa Christiansen Bradford is pictured.


Dade County paid almost $680 toward a commissioner’s conference expenses after she reimbursed the county for two alcoholic drinks, according to county officials.

Commissioner Melissa Bradford’s expenses for a New Orleans conference exceeded a $3,000 scholarship that covered part of the trip by about $710, according to Dade County Chief Financial Officer Rebecca Jones.

Jones said by email that, as of Thursday, Bradford had reimbursed the county $35 for the two drinks.

The $677 not covered by the scholarship or Bradford’s reimbursement was paid from the county’s general fund, which is supported by property taxes, according to Dade County Executive Don Townsend, who also chairs the county’s Board of Commissioners.