Credit Card Spending Questioned During Commission Meeting

Watch the full meeting below

Questions surrounding Dade County government credit card spending took center stage during public participation at September’s Board of Commissioners meeting, as two residents raised concerns about receipts, travel expenses and oversight of county-issued cards.

The concerns included specific allegations involving expenses connected to Commissioner Melissa Bradford’s July trip to the National Association of Counties conference in New Orleans, as well as broader questions about credit card use throughout county government.

Bradford was not present during the September 3 meeting. County Executive Don Townsend told those attending that Bradford was at the emergency room with her mother, who had experienced a health crisis earlier that day.

Susan Talbot was the first to address commissioners, telling the board she had concerns about the county’s handling and documentation of credit card spending.

Talbot said her review indicated there are at least 36 county credit cards issued among commission departments and elected officials. She also alleged that many cards appeared to lack signed departmental spending agreements establishing responsibility for their use.

Talbot told commissioners she submitted an open-records request on August 24 seeking documentation involving 23 transactions.

Among the transactions she questioned were restaurant purchases in Alabama, Savannah and Chattanooga, along with purchases at Lowe’s in Kimball and Sam’s Club in Chattanooga.

She referenced two Lowe’s purchases in Kimball — $2,554.84 and $1,504.52 — which she described as reportedly involving building supplies, along with other restaurant, retail and Sam’s Club transactions.

Talbot emphasized that she was not alleging the transaction was improper, but said taxpayers should be able to see what was purchased, who it was for and the governmental purpose of the expenditure.

Again, Talbot stopped short of saying the expenditures were improper.

She called for itemized receipts and documentation showing the public purpose behind expenditures made with county cards.

A second resident, Joy York, focused much of her public comment on credit card transactions associated with Bradford’s attendance at the National Association of Counties conference in New Orleans from July 17 through July 20.

York said she had reviewed 19 months of county credit card statements.

According to York, records associated with Bradford’s conference trip showed a scholarship reimbursement request totaling $3,029.62, with reimbursement capped at $3,000. She said that request covered round-trip mileage, conference registration and hotel accommodations.

York told commissioners that the food and beverage spending she identified for the four-day conference totaled $1,181.52, along with another $206.58 in Uber charges.

York broadened her concerns beyond the New Orleans trip.

York called for an independent external forensic accounting review of county credit card spending over the past two years and also requested a review covering Bradford’s tenure.

She additionally called for Bradford’s county-issued credit card to be revoked.

Thursday night’s comments raise questions but do not establish that Bradford or any other county official violated county policy or state law.

Other Business at September Dade County Commission Meeting

Several other items were addressed by the Dade County Board of Commissioners during its September 3 workshop and regular meeting,

Commissioners voted 3-1 to move forward with an Appalachian Regional Commission Inspire Grant project involving Hand Up Ministries, with Commissioner Phillip Hartline voting against the measure.

The project would commit $150,000 over three years from Dade County’s opioid settlement funds, along with $9,000 in county in-kind services. Hand Up Ministries would contribute another $91,000 in in-kind resources, while the county seeks $250,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission, bringing the total three-year project to approximately $500,000.

The recovery-to-work initiative is designed to help people affected by substance-use disorders prepare for work, obtain employment and remain employed. County officials emphasized that the $150,000 commitment would not come from the county’s general fund or property taxes, but from opioid settlement funds restricted for substance-use-related purposes.

During the earlier workshop, Hartline indicated he could not support the proposal, resulting in the item being removed from the consent agenda and placed on the regular agenda for a separate vote. It later passed 3-1.

Commissioners also moved forward with the intergovernmental agreement between Dade County, the Dade County Board of Education and Sheriff’s Office covering school resource officers.

Under the agreement discussed at the meeting, resource officers are assigned to Dade County schools. The school system pays half of the officers’ salaries during the school year, while the county covers the other half as the officers return to regular patrol duties when school is not in session.

Another agreement involves the Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation and a proposed study of Dade County’s housing needs.

The county applied for and was offered funding of up to $25,000 for the study. Officials said comparable studies generally cost between $20,000 and $25,000 based on population, and there was no county cost identified for the grant during the discussion.

The study is connected to the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing and is intended to provide a third-party assessment of housing needs in Dade County.

Commissioners also moved forward with an agreement with Overlook Materials that could bring glass recycling back to the Dade County transfer station.

The company currently handles glass recycling in the Chattanooga area and Dalton and proposed placing large collection containers at Dade County’s facility. Once the containers fill, the glass would be collected and transported to the company’s Chattanooga processing facility.

The company told commissioners that recycled glass can be processed into products including sandblasting media.

Commissioners also approved the county’s final FY 2026 budget amendment ahead of the annual audit.

County officials explained that Georgia law requires individual departments to remain within their adopted budgets, making year-end amendments necessary when expenditures or revenues differ from the original projections.

Officials reported approximately $567,200 in revenue changes and $509,700 in expense changes across the county’s various funds.

Staffing at the Dade County Road Department was another concern discussed during the meeting.

Public Works Director Billy Massingale told commissioners the department previously operated with 15 employees but has been working with significantly fewer employees for years. He said staffing had fallen so low on some recent days that only three or four employees were available.

The shortage is particularly affecting paving operations because several employees are required just to operate the paving equipment, leaving fewer workers available to drive asphalt trucks and perform other duties.

The county is particularly seeking employees who already hold Class A or Class B commercial driver’s licenses.

Commissioners also received an update on construction of Dade County’s new Elections Building.

Officials reported that the roof is now in place, much of the interior work has progressed, glass installation has been underway and work continues around the building and parking area.

Despite the progress, county officials reminded residents that the November 3 election will still be conducted at the county’s normal voting locations. The new Elections Building will not be used for voting until after that election.

The county’s official calendar confirms a November election is part of its 2026 election schedule, and commissioners said voters will also consider the Floating Local Option Sales Tax and Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax questions.

Tax Commissioner Angie Galloway reported that the county had received its collection order and property tax bills were available online, with mailed bills set to go out following the meeting.

Her office also reported more than 21,000 motor vehicle transactions and approximately 11,500 property-tax collections, along with continued growth in residents using online services.

Commissioner Bob Woods provided an update on the planned animal center, reporting that revised plans had been sent to the architect and that the City of Trenton was moving toward interior work.

Woods also reported that the animal center took in 90 animals during the month and released or transferred 67, while maintaining a reported 100-percent live-release rate.

Dade County’s senior transportation program reported another busy month, with more than 1,000 trips provided to local seniors.

Those included 78 trips for dialysis appointments, along with transportation to the Senior Center, other medical appointments and shopping. County vehicles traveled more than 13,000 miles, with employees spending approximately 816 hours providing transportation services.

The Dade County Board of Commissioners normally on the first Thursday of each month.