The Bradley County Urban Growth Boundary Committee approved a 2025 urban growth boundary map on Thursday and agreed to incorporate a property owner’s requested change before the map is forwarded to each legislative body.

At a public hearing on the draft boundary, Matt Bentley, who identified himself as manager of Bendabout Properties, asked the committee to exclude portions of his family’s farm from the growth boundary. Bentley said he was concerned that inclusion could make it easier for adjacent properties to secure city services and for infrastructure such as sewer lines to be extended in ways that would affect his private land. "I just want to make sure that I'm not giving up any rights that I don't already have currently by agreeing to it," Bentley said during public comment.

Committee members and city staff responded by explaining how annexation and infrastructure extensions have operated locally, including that easements and, in narrow cases, eminent domain can be used to extend utilities but that current Tennessee law forbids forced annexation — property owners must request annexation to become city residents. Committee members also said the map could be updated to reflect Bentley’s request before the map goes to the cities and the county commission.

After public comment, Cindy Slater moved to approve the 2025 urban growth boundary map with the changes requested by Bentley; Mayor David Lattimore seconded the motion. The committee approved the map by voice vote and recorded affirmative votes from the majority of members present. The motion explicitly allowed the map to be updated to exclude the Bendabout area before it is presented to the three legislative bodies for formal adoption.

The committee’s approval advances a 20-year urban growth boundary plan that staff said meets statutory requirements for a 20-year planning horizon. The draft interlocal agreement that accompanied the map also includes provisions on how future annexations and plan-of-service reviews will be handled; the committee asked counsel and staff to refine those provisions when the documents are sent to each legislative body.