CLEVELAND, Tenn. – A task force has about four months to work through the logistics of merging Cleveland and Bradley County’s two fire departments plus the county emergency medical service.
The Bradley County Commission, on a 10 to 4 vote Tuesday, approved a joint resolution adopted last week by the Cleveland City Council. Voting against the resolution were Howard Thompson, Bill Ledford, Mel Griffith and Robert Rominger.
Task force members are County Mayor D. Gary Davis, Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland, County Commission Chairman Louie Alford, Cleveland Vice Mayor Avery Johnson and Julian Sullivan, chairman of the county’s Fire Board. Commissioners were assured before the vote that employees of the agencies also will be working with the task force.
The resolution puts a timeline on an issue that has recurred between the city and county for more than 16 years. The task force is mandated to have at least eight meetings before May 25, when it is to make recommendations to both the city and county. The commission and the council will then vote on the agreement June 20.
Currently the county pays the city $1.8 million to provide fire service in urban areas outside the city limits. The county department serves rural areas.