Bradley County announces new committees

Arkansas-Ole Miss Live Blog
photo Bradley County Commission Chairman Louie Alford

CLEVELAND, Tenn. - A 50 percent turnover on the 14-member Bradley County Commission has led to major changes in the makeup of its numerous committees for 2014-15.

On Monday, Bradley County Commission Chairman Louie Alford announced his appointees for those committees.

The Finance Committee was a special concern because it had lost all of its members after the recent election cycle and needed to be rebuilt from scratch.

Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis serves as the nonvoting chairman of the new Finance Committee, which includes Commissioners Milan Blake, Thomas Crye, Charlotte Peak, Dan Rawls and Robert Rominger.

"The Finance Committee is by far the most important committee, because you all deal with the mayor and money and all that," Alford told the new members of the panel. "That's why I put you on it."

It is the hardest-working committee, which has to meet a couple of times a month to make recommendations to the Bradley County Commission on whether to spend -- or not to spend -- money, said Alford.

Davis told the new committee not to expect too much in the way of budget amendments from county departments at this time of year.

For a couple of months after the start of the new fiscal year, which began July 1, most departments are simply submitting changes related to closing out last year's budgets, said Davis.

After Christmas, more items will come before the Finance Committee that entail requesting transfers from the county's general fund to department budgets, he said.

The Law Enforcement Committee was a popular choice, said Alford. He said that 11 commissioners had contacted him in regard to serving on the panel.

Commissioner Jeff Yarber serves as chairman of that committee, which also includes Commissioners Terry Caywood, Johnny Mull, Howard Thompson and Bill Winters.

The Education Committee is chaired by Commissioner Mark Hall. Other members include Commissioners Mike Hughes, Rawls, Winters and Yarber.

A matter that may be brought before the Education Committee regards providing school supplies for students, which was discussed at length by Crye.

If funding can be found for transportation and lodging costs associated with trips for education officials, money ought to be found for providing school supplies, he said.

Yarber expressed some concern regarding Crye's approach before the whole Bradley County Commission and the message it sent to the Bradley County Board of Education.

"If we are going to micromanage them, we might as well dissolve the school board," said Yarber.

"People tend to do a better job when they know when they're watched," said Rawls. "That's my theory on things."

Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.

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