Gary Farlow, CEO of the Cleveland Bradley County Chamber of CommerceCLEVELAND, Tenn. — Officials say an ongoing sales tax dispute between Bradley County and Cleveland could put future partnerships between the two governments at risk.
On Monday, Bradley commissioners are expected to vote on a resolution declaring that the county won’t be able to participate in joint capital projects with the city “due to a potential loss of sales tax revenues.”
“This dispute has an effect on a lot of stuff, period,” commission Chairman Louie Alford said. “We need to mend our fences.”
Potentially $2 million in annual sales revenue could be at stake, and “no one’s budget can take a hit like that,” Alford said.
Cleveland City Councilman Richard Banks recently cited the development of a new industrial park, upgrades to Interstate 75’s Exit 20, the public library and the Museum Center at Five Points as examples of jointly funded programs that could suffer if the county withholds funding.