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Smith For Fifth
April 2025 Update
"Budgets, Storms & Septic"
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Message from the Commish...
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I hope this message finds you well after the unusually intense weather we’ve experienced over the past few weeks. I also hope that any flooding in your area has been manageable. As our county continues to grow, maintaining our watershed and addressing erosion and standing water are becoming increasingly important challenges.
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One helpful resource that was recently shared with me is USGS WaterWatch, which provides real-time data on waterways and flood stages in our area. It's worth checking out if you’re keeping an eye on local water conditions.
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Just a quick reminder, there will be no regularly scheduled County Commission meeting this month as we focus on finalizing the upcoming fiscal year’s budget. The primary challenge is identifying ways to cut costs or increase revenue without raising property taxes.
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A major area under review is our fixed costs—particularly contracts, insurance, and brokerage services. Our healthcare plan, which costs nearly $87 million and covers over 6,800 participants, stands out as one of the most significant opportunities for savings. This is also a very complicated area of our county operations as we are under a self-insured plan that relies on discounts from providers for various aspects of our healthcare.
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And while our county is one of the wealthiest in the country, I am fully aware that many residents live on fixed or low incomes. So, to me, it is critical we do all we can to avoid increasing their tax burden. That’s why we’re focused on tightening spending and redirecting funds toward essential services—public safety, infrastructure, and education—the core functions our residents rely on every day.
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Below, you’ll find updates on the budgets reviewed so far. Additional sessions will take place in the coming weeks, with a final vote—and any property tax considerations—scheduled for June.
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As always, please reach out to me if I can ever be of assistance or if you want to learn more about our county and ways to get involved. We are a truly blessed county!
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County Financial Snapshot
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Williamson County Schools Budget: What You Need to Know
Our school system faces a $12 million budget gap. While reviewing non-instructional positions and the use of Chromebooks in grades 3–5 could help, it won’t solve a bigger issue—teacher pay remains too low. Williamson County teachers rank 27th in the state, while administrative salaries, including central office staff, rank in the top 3 statewide (per the Tennessee School Board Association).
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Where Do Our Tax Dollars Go?
Williamson County educates 4.2% of Tennessee’s public-school students, yet our tax dollars support 6.74% of the state's student population. This happens because sales tax revenue from our county is redistributed to other counties. As a result, we rely more on property taxes to fund our schools. Given the high cost of living here, this puts additional strain on local resources.
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State Funding & Fiscal Capacity
Another funding challenge is "fiscal capacity." Because Williamson County is affluent, the state gives us less per-student funding than lower-income counties. However, this formula doesn’t account for our higher cost of living, making it harder to pay teachers competitive wages.
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Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs)
The state's new ESA program assigns $7,200 per student for private school scholarships, yet public school students in our county receive only $4,300 per student. This funding gap penalizes Williamson County’s success—an issue that needs attention from state lawmakers.
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What Can We Do?
It’s time to advocate for fair funding for Williamson County students and educators. Reach out to local officials to push for changes that protect our schools and ensure teachers receive the pay they deserve. With just $300 more per student funding, we could cover the current $12,000,000 gap.
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Investing in our Law Enforcement
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Sheriff Jeff Hughes has been working closely with our Human Resources Director and an external compensation consultant to improve pay for our law enforcement personnel. The current proposal would move salaries closer to the 65th percentile—an important step forward—but we recognize that more progress is needed.
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To truly attract and retain the top talent in our region, we aim to reach the 85th to 95th percentile in compensation. As the year unfolds, we will continue exploring opportunities to support our exceptional First Responders with competitive pay that reflects the value they bring to our community.
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If you want to see just how much our First Responders mean to our community, please take some time to watch this video. Our own Williamson County Sheriff's Office was highlighted.
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| Account |
25/26 Budget |
| Sheriff Dept |
$ 25,903,413 |
| Traffic Control |
$ 376,365 |
| Drug Control Fund |
$ 196,150 |
| Jail/Corrections |
$ 11,620,202 |
| Workhouse/Litter Crew |
$ 247,063 |
| Total Budget Request |
$ 38,343,193 |
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County General Budget Updates
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Here are some key highlights from our latest update on the County General Fund:
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- Total Highway Fund: $15,874,597
- Total County Employee Benefits(does not include WCS personnel): $27,932,846
Debt Service Overview
The total Debt Service Budget for FY2025–26 is projected to increase to $109,279,904, allocated as follows:
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$42,140,101 for County General Projects (including Parks & Recreation, Jail, etc.)
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Please Note: Over $260 million in approved bond resolutions have not yet been issued to the market.
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Current Funding Gap
There is approximately a $34 million shortfall between projected revenues and County and School expenses. There are basically three ways we can work on closing this gap:
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- Reducing Expenditures
Personnel costs, including salaries and benefits, are the County’s largest expense. While some staff are well-compensated, we continue to face challenges in offering competitive wages to educators and law enforcement. Reviewing fixed costs such as contract services and insurance is also a possibility in reducing our expenses.
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Raising Revenue
The most straightforward option is a property tax increase. Other potential revenue streams—such as increasing the sales tax or implementing a wheel tax—would require changes to state law or voter approval via referendum. Finding alternative revenue sources through fees and memberships would also be worth investigating.
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Using Fund Balance
Our AAA bond rating depends on maintaining a healthy fund balance to cover annual operations. While it could be used in exceptional circumstances, relying on it to close the gap is not a sustainable long-term solution.
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- In 2024, the total assessed value of property in Williamson County = $19.3 Billion with a Tax Rate of $1.88 which was a total of $362,840,000 in tax collection.
- In 2025, the total assessed value of property in Williamson County = $29.9 Billion with an Indicated Certified Tax Rate of $1.21 to keep $362,840,000 in tax collection.
55% Increase in Assessed Property Values
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If your property assesses at greater than 55%, you will see an automatic increase in your property taxes. Please see the example below:
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While the General Session will quickly be coming to an end, there are still several bills that I am tracking that will impact our County Government but the ones that I am most focused on are:
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- SB843/HB842 Local Govt/Taxes, Real Property - If passed, this bill would return half of the real estate transfer fees back to the local county government on a recurring basis. This could mean a significant source of revenue for Williamson County. Please click on the link to find the latest status.
- SB0160/HB0083 - Local Govt/General - As introduced, requires a municipality that does not provide ambulance service to reimburse the county for such service in proportion to the municipality's population to the population of the county, up to 50 percent of the total cost of providing the service
- SJR48 - Ratifies the increase of the 911 surcharge rate to $1.86 as approved by the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board
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Septic Code Regulation Updates
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As of March 18, 2025, the Board of Health has approved amendments to the Regulations with two implementation dates:
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- April 1st - All sections on slippage soils take effect
- July 1st - Sections on pretreatment devices, effluent filters, and drip dispersal begin
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The July date gives us time to update our systems and train staff and consultants.
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All of the following meetings will be held at:
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Executive Conference Room
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April 14th @ 4:30PM - County General - Health Dept/Animal Control/Non-Profits/Senior Citizens
April 15th @ 4:30PM - County General - Solid Waste/Beer Board/Elections Commission/Parks & Rec
April 21st @ 4:30PM - Judicial Services
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April 22nd @ 4:30PM - Risk Mgmt/Capital Projects
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April 29th @ 4:30PM - School Budget - 2nd Review
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May 5th @ 4:30PM - Resolutions - 2nd Reading
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Next County Commission Meeting:
May 12th @ 6:00PM
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Auditorium at 1320 West Main St.
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If you like what you see, please be sure to share with your friends. The more we educate ourselves, the more we can become active participates in our amazing community. You can subscribe here. Also, if you are interested in supporting my efforts to preserve and protect Conservative values in Williamson County, please consider making a donation.
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