The longtime EMS director for Bradley County is retiring. At the county commission meeting Monday afternoon, praise was profuse for Director Danny Lawson, who has headed the department for the past 16 years and worked in the field 20 years prior to that in ambulances for the county.
He told the commissioners that when he started in 1980, dispatchers announced emergency calls over loud speakers.
The commissioners one after another gave thanks and paid tribute to Mr. Lawson for his contribution to the community. Commissioner Thomas Crye said, “Your track record will be hard to beat” and Commissioner Johnny Mull thanked him for leaving Bradley County in a good place. Commissioner Charlotte Peak said that Mr. Lawson is the most humble man she knows and Commissioner Bill Winters said he is known as a faithful parent as well as a man of integrity.
Director Lawson said that since 1972 his goal was to be faithful, answering every call and meeting every need as best as possible. He gave thanks to the men and women who worked under him for their commitment every day. "I want to thank you for your support," he told the county officials.
He spoke of the value of EMS services for residents of Bradley County including residents of the city of Cleveland. He said it costs less than $5 per person to operate 24 hours, seven days a week.
“You have big shoes to fill,” said Commissioner Winters to Shawn Fairbanks, who will replace Mr. Lawson as director of the department.
County Mayor Gary Davis reported to the commissioners on the lawsuit that was filed last week against a Bradley County clerk. The suit claims that no valid marriage license can be issued due to the Supreme Court ruling regarding same sex marriage. County Mayor Davis reported that he found that the matter is not covered by the county’s insurer and the county attorney cannot handle the case because of a conflict of interest. James Logan, who is on retainer for the county, will handle the case on behalf of the court clerk.
Community needs were addressed by Hailey Woods, coordinator for the United Way. She presented the results from a community assessment made by the United Way done in order to get a base line. She said the results were based on calls to 211 and surveys of non-profit agencies to determine the greatest needs. Calls to 211 will quickly provide information and referrals for residents of Bradley County to social services.
The calls were broken down by district and by needs. There were a total of 1,761 calls to 211 during the duration of the study. The breakdown found the number one need was help with utility payments. The second was assistance with rent payment and the third was for food. A survey was also distributed to non-profit organizations in the community which passed them onto clients. Of the people completing the surveys it was found that 48 percent make less than $10,000 a year. In this survey, 50 percent cited the lack of affordable housing and 31 percent paid over 30 percent of their income for housing.
Vice Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Jeff Yarber asked Ms. Woods to find out how much Bradley County Utilities helps out since utility needs were the top requests for assistance. He also noted that TVA is helping to address the problem by making homes more energy efficient rather than just putting on a Band-Aid. Commissioner Dan Rawls said answers to the problems may not be to ask the government to give more money but to take less. “Why are you taking so much and wasting so much? he said should be asked of governing bodies.
The Housing Coalition, another agency involved in the surveys, has determined that an issue that is causing a great deal of the need is substance abuse. It was said that mental health and substance abuse need to be addressed.
Vice Chairman Yarber praised the litter crew run by the Bradley County Sheriff’s Department. A litter grant was received from TDOT to assist the efforts. He reported on the amount of litter collected from 397 roads in the county. He said 14,741 pounds of tires were collected. Materials sent to be recycled totaled 7,150 pounds including 3,035 pounds of metals. In all, he said that 128,325 pounds of trash have been collected since the drive began, dump sites have been cleared and the appearance of roads improved. . The county has made $18,467 by selling the recyclables.
Items that will be included for discussion in the next session of the commission are stormwater mandates and a hybrid retirement plan.