Adam Lewis - Bradley County Government

Adam Lewis - Bradley County Government Executive Assistant to the Bradley County Mayor and Director of Bradley County EMS

05/29/2026

Most people pay attention when the County Commission meets to vote on an issue. That’s understandable. The votes are important.

What many people don’t see is that, in many cases, the real work started weeks before that vote ever appeared on an agenda.

Committee meetings are where commissioners ask questions, hear presentations, debate ideas, review budgets, discuss concerns, and work through the details. Sometimes proposals are changed. Sometimes they move forward. Sometimes they don’t.

County government works best when there is time for thoughtful discussion before decisions are made. While they don’t always draw large crowds, committee meetings play a critical role in that process and are often where some of the most important conversations take place.

Good decisions rarely happen by accident. More often than not, they’re the result of people doing the hard work long before the final vote is taken.

Throwback Thursday: Downtown Cleveland in the 1950s, with the old Bradley County Courthouse standing proudly on the squa...
05/29/2026

Throwback Thursday: Downtown Cleveland in the 1950s, with the old Bradley County Courthouse standing proudly on the square.

This beautiful courthouse was actually the third courthouse to serve Bradley County on this same site. The first was a log courthouse built after Bradley County was established in 1836. A brick courthouse followed around 1839–1840. Then, in 1892–1893, the courthouse pictured here was built, a striking brick building with a clock tower, arched windows, and the kind of character that made it one of downtown Cleveland’s most recognizable landmarks.

By the early 1960s, county leaders determined that the old courthouse would be too costly to repair and maintain, so it was torn down in 1963 and replaced by the current courthouse, which became the fourth courthouse on the square.

Looking back at photos like this, it’s easy to understand why so many people still admire the beauty of that third courthouse. It had a presence, a sense of history, and a level of architectural detail that made it more than just a government building.

A lot of organizations don’t struggle because people are incapable.They struggle because expectations change depending o...
05/27/2026

A lot of organizations don’t struggle because people are incapable.

They struggle because expectations change depending on the day, the situation, or who’s in the room.

Consistency probably doesn’t get talked about enough anymore because it isn’t flashy. It’s not exciting. But whether you’re leading a business, a family, a classroom, a church, or a team, people need to know what matters, what’s expected, and where the boundaries are.

Good leadership isn’t about being the loudest person in the room. Most of the time, it’s about being steady enough that people trust what they’re walking into every day.

That kind of consistency builds strong teams, strong organizations, and strong communities over time.

One thing I’ve learned working in local government is that most people never think about county government until somethi...
05/27/2026

One thing I’ve learned working in local government is that most people never think about county government until something goes wrong.

When an ambulance shows up, a road is repaired, a polling place opens, emergency crews respond to a storm, or a school resource officer is where they’re supposed to be, most people simply expect it to happen. And they should.

The reality is that behind every service people rely on every day are county employees, first responders, teachers, utility workers, road crews, and countless others doing important work that often goes unnoticed.

Good government isn’t about headlines. Most of the time, it’s about ordinary people quietly doing their jobs well enough that nobody has to think about it.

Today, families across the country will gather for cookouts, ballgames, lake trips, and time together.For many others, t...
05/25/2026

Today, families across the country will gather for cookouts, ballgames, lake trips, and time together.

For many others, there will be an empty chair, a name on a monument, a photograph on a shelf, or a visit to a cemetery.

Memorial Day is one of the few days on the calendar that asks us to pause and remember that freedom has never been free. It was purchased by men and women whose futures were given up so that ours could continue.

Before the day gets busy, take a moment to remember them. Not as names in a history book, but as sons, daughters, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, and friends who never made it home.

That’s who today is for.

Mother’s Day probably means something different depending on what season of life you’re in.For some people, it’s loud fa...
05/10/2026

Mother’s Day probably means something different depending on what season of life you’re in.

For some people, it’s loud family lunches and crowded living rooms. For others, it’s a phone call they wish they could still make. For some, it’s another Sunday working a shift, coaching ball, driving kids around, or trying to hold things together the best they can.

Life moves fast. Most people probably don’t say thank you enough while they still have the chance. Today’s a good reminder to do that.

Now that the election is behind us, I first want to congratulate all of those who were elected or re-elected to serve ou...
05/06/2026

Now that the election is behind us, I first want to congratulate all of those who were elected or re-elected to serve our community. I also want to thank every candidate who was willing to put their name on the ballot. Running for office is not easy, and regardless of the outcome, it takes courage to step forward and serve publicly.

One thing this election reminded me of is that it truly matters who governs. Local government impacts our daily lives more than most people realize, from schools and public safety to roads, growth, budgets, and emergency services. The decisions made at the local level shape the future of our communities in very real ways.

At the same time, one thing that stood out to me was the low voter turnout. That’s not meant as criticism, but as encouragement. Our communities are strongest when people stay informed, stay engaged, and stay involved, not just when they’re frustrated or something directly affects them.

You don’t have to run for office to make a difference. Showing up matters. Voting matters. Paying attention matters. Asking questions matters. Being involved in your community matters.

I’m thankful to live in a place where people care deeply about Bradley County and its future. My hope is that after the signs come down and the campaigns end, we continue moving forward together, focused on service, solutions, and building an even stronger community for the next generation.

Let's go, Bradley County! Barely 4,000 votes so far. Don't take this election for granted. Please get out and vote.Fo...
04/28/2026

Let's go, Bradley County! Barely 4,000 votes so far. Don't take this election for granted. Please get out and vote.

For early voting times and locations visit: https://bradleyelections.com/early-voting/

Today marks 15 years since the tornado outbreak of April 27, 2011.We still remember. We remember the chaos, the fear, a...
04/27/2026

Today marks 15 years since the tornado outbreak of April 27, 2011.

We still remember.

We remember the chaos, the fear, and the destruction.

We remember the lives lost.

Eva Calett
Tommy Evans
Rhonda Smith Casteel
Chase Glasgow
Tammi Glasgow
Lisa Pack
Robert Smith "Smitty" King
Evelyn Johnson
Kandice "Kandy" Satterfield

We also remember the way our community pulled together in the days, weeks, and months afterward.

We remember the first responders and thank you.
We remember the community leaders and thank you.
We remember the countless volunteers and thank YOU.

All working towards one thing...recovery.

Fifteen years later we cannot forget.
We are wiser as we look to the sky.
We are stronger as we live together.

Today, April 27th, we remember.

🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨No one “raised” your county property taxes!DISCLAIMER:Please read the entire post. It is based on fact...
04/22/2026

🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨

No one “raised” your county property taxes!

DISCLAIMER:
Please read the entire post. It is based on fact, with proof, and references. If you’re more interested in misinformation, hysteria, rumor, assumptions, and feeling like the world is coming to an end…stop reading here!

——-

MYTH: Corrupt local politicians raised my county property taxes to line their pockets! Time to vote them out!

FACT: No one raised your county property taxes. Your property increased in value, which increases how much you pay in taxes

——-

MYTH: Property taxes are illegal and no one should have to pay them.

FACT: Property taxes are necessary to fund local government services. Without that funding public safety, education, the local judicial system, and a variety of other necessary public services wouldn’t exist.

——-

MYTH: We are overtaxed already! Down with King George!

FACT: Bradley County is one of the lowest taxed counties in the entire country, by like A LOT!

——-

So what’s my point?

Really, I just wanted to share facts and bring clarity to a topic that gets brought up frequently.

A property reappraisal is required by state law. It is not done by the County Mayor or County Commission. That work is handled by the Bradley County Property Assessor’s Office under Stanley Thompson and his team, and they do an outstanding job managing a process that is complex, important, and often misunderstood. In Tennessee, higher values after a reappraisal do not automatically mean higher taxes countywide, because the certified tax rate law requires local governments to recalculate the rate so they do not receive a windfall just because values changed.

https://comptroller.tn.gov/boards/state-board-of-equalization/sboe-resources/certified-tax-rate.html

That means this is not as simple as saying, “My property value went up, so politicians raised my taxes.” A reappraisal updates property values to reflect the market. Some people will pay more, some will pay about the same, and some will pay less, depending on how their property changed compared to others across the county. If your property increased more than average, your tax bill can go up even when the county as a whole is not collecting extra money from the reappraisal itself. That is exactly why the certified tax rate exists.

https://comptroller.tn.gov/boards/state-board-of-equalization/sboe-resources/certified-tax-rate.html

If you disagree with your property appraisal, you do have the right to appeal it. The Bradley County Assessor’s Office encourages property owners to first contact their staff for an informal review, and appeals can be made through that office if you believe your property value is inaccurate or does not fairly reflect your property. If needed, the process can then move forward through the Board of Equalization. The important thing for property owners to know is that there is a process in place, and if you believe your appraisal is wrong, you do not have to simply accept it without asking questions or requesting a review.

https://www.bradleycountyassessor.com

It is also worth remembering that when people buy property, they usually want it to increase in value. Nobody buys a home, farm, or piece of land hoping it will be worth less in the future. Just like nobody puts money into the stock market hoping their investment loses value, property owners generally want their investment to grow. When it does, that can affect your individual tax bill, even though the county is not allowed to profit from the reappraisal alone.

And while nobody enjoys paying taxes, property taxes are what fund the local services people depend on every day, including public safety, schools, courts, and other core county functions. Bradley County’s 2025 county property tax rate is $0.9922 per $100 of assessed value, which is the 4th-lowest county rate in Tennessee. Tennessee also ranks 48th out of 50 states in overall state-local tax burden in WalletHub’s 2026 analysis, meaning it is the 3rd-lowest overall.

If you want to go even further, Bradley County also compares very favorably nationally. ATTOM’s 2025 property tax analysis placed Tennessee among the 10 states with the lowest effective property tax, and Bradley County has been highlighted among the low-tax larger counties as well. Compare Bradley to the 1,502 counties across the country with populations over 100,000 and we rank 4th lowest in the country! The point is not that anyone wants taxes to go up. The point is that facts matter, and the facts show Bradley County is not some high-tax place where local officials are quietly lining their pockets. We are fortunate to live in a county and state with very low property taxes.

https://bradleycountytn.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2025-Tax-Year-Tax-Rates.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-highest-lowest-tax-burden/20494

https://www.attomdata.com/news/market-trends/figuresfriday/top-10-u-s-counties-with-highest-effective-property-tax-rates-in-2025/

Before getting angry, it helps to understand the difference between a reappraisal, a tax rate, and your individual tax bill. Those are not all the same thing. I’ll also say this, I’m not making the argument to raise property taxes.

I’m just pointing out that it could be A LOT worse!

We are blessed.

Address

155 N. Ocoee Street
Cleveland, TN
37311

Telephone

+14237287165

Website

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