Welcome to 2024

Hope you all are staying nice and warm during these freezing temperatures. It's been a lot of fun seeing all of the snow and sledding pics from across our county.

As for what's going on in the county, this year is gearing up to be a busy one. There are already several important issues the Commission will be taking up over the next few months including:

A special work session is scheduled for January 29th with both the County Commission and Planning Commission to discuss the current and proposed regulations on 5G Towers and the updated Urban Growth Boundaries for the municipalities and the Planned Growth Areas for the county. It will be held from 5:30pm to 8:00pm at the Executive Conference Room located at 1320 West Main St, Franklin, TN
Nominating a Sheriff to take the place of Sheriff Dusty Rhoades prior to the County General Election to be held this August. There are currently three candidates who have filed including:
- Mark Elrod, the current interim Sheriff who took over upon Dusty's retirement effective 1/1/2024.
- Jeff Hughes, retired Brentwood Police Chief
- Darren Barnes, current WCSO Detective
Upcoming School Board Candidate Forum on January 30th at the AgExpo Center

As a voter in Williamson County, it is imperative that you stay informed as to why these elections matter. The newly elected sheriff will not only need to focus on recruiting and retaining highly qualified law enforcement officers, but he will also be overseeing the largest capital project this county has ever undertaken, currently estimated to be $325 million. The school board oversees 65% of the county budget ($517 million) and is now going to be faced with the real possibility of a significant budget cut if the General Assembly successfully passes a universal school voucher system across the state.

As always, if there is anything I can do to better serve our community, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Yours In Service,

Mary Smith

Financial State of the County (as of 11/30/2023)

Total Current Debt	$1,124,685,000.00
Original FY24 Budget	$794,197,946.00
Revised FY24 Budget	$847,845,344.00
Expenses to Date	$265,849,381.00
Revenue to Date	$197,658,843.00
Fund Balance	$152,129,565.37

OUTCOME FROM JANUARY MEETING

Click here to watch the entire meeting

CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONS

1 Citizen spoke regarding our Sister City Program
3 Citizens spoke out about Election Integrity
1 Citizen spoke to suggest better ordinances around legacy trees and tree canopies

PROCLAMATIONS

Page High School Football Team
Brentwood Blaze

APPROPRIATIONS

Resolution No. 1-24-3, Resolution Authorizing the Williamson County Mayor to Enter into a Grant Contract with the Tennessee State Library and Archives, on Behalf of the Williamson County Library and Appropriating and Amending the 2023-24 Library Budget by $12,150.00 — Revenues to Come from State Grant Funds
Yes – 23, No - 0

Resolution No. 1-24-5, Resolution Appropriating and Amending the 2023-24 Parks and Recreation Budget by $100,336.41 Revenues to Come from Donations
Yes – 23, No - 0

Resolution No. 1-24-6, Resolution Appropriating and Amending the 2023-24 Parks and Recreation Department Budget by $90,000.00 — Revenues to Come from Participant Fees
Yes – 23, No - 0

Resolution No. 1-24-7, Resolution Appropriating and Amending the 2023-24 Animal Control Budget by $12,234.92 — Revenues to Come from Donations
Yes – 23, No - 0

Resolution No. 1-24-9, Resolution Authorizing the Williamson County Mayor to Execute a Contract with the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County on Behalf of the Office of Public Safety Concerning the 2023 Urban Area Security Initiative Grant Program
Yes – 23, No – 0(As Amended)

Resolution No. 1-24-10, Resolution Authorizing the Williamson County Mayor to Execute a Grant Contract with the State of Tennessee Department of Military, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and Appropriating and Amending the Office of Public Safety 2023-24 Budget by $85,855.00 — Revenues to Come from Homeland Security Grant Funds
Yes – 23, No - 0

Resolution No. 1-24-11, Resolution Appropriating and Amending the 2023-24 Animal Control Budget by $900 — Revenues to Come from Donations
Yes – 23, No - 0

LATE FILED Resolution No. 1-24-13, Resolution Authorizing the Williamson County Mayor to Enter into a Grant Contract with the State of Tennessee, Department of Commerce and Insurance and Appropriating and Amending the 2023-24 Sheriff's Office Budget by $40,000.00 — Revenues to Come from Grant Funds
Yes – 23, No - 0

LATE FILED Resolution No. 1-24-14, Resolution Appropriating and Amending the 2023-24 General Sessions Budget by $6,000.00 — Revenues to Come from Probation Fees — Commissioner Webb
Yes – 23, No - 0

OTHER

Resolution No. 1-24-4, Resolution to Overrule the Denial of the City of Franklin Planning Department’s Action Regarding the City’s Sign Ordinance
Yes – 20, No – 3(Aiello, Clifford, Richards)

Resolution No. 1-24-8, Resolution Accepting a Donation of a Microchip Scanner Kiosk from Girl Scout Troop #1255 on Behalf of Williamson County Animal Control
Yes – 23, No - 0

Resolution No. 1-24-12, Resolution Accepting a Donation of an Electric Push Lawnmower on Behalf of Williamson County Animal Control
Yes – 23, No – 0

NOMINATIONS

COUNTY MAYOR:

VOTE

Storm Water Appeals Board
3 Year Term, Expiring 1/27

Terms Expiring

Nomination

Building Contractor Rep.

Robert Adams Jr.

22 – Y, 1 – ABSTAIN (Sanford)

Engineering Rep.

Andrew Reese

George Garden

22 – Y, 1 – ABSTAIN (Sanford)

Agriculture Rep.

John Kinnie

22 – Y, 1 – ABSTAIN (Sanford)

COUNTY COMMISSION:

County Commissioner 6" District

Resigned

Nomination

Filling Unexpired Term until next
General Election (9/24)

Erin Nations

David O’Neil

22 – Y, 0 - N

Adjustment & Appeals Board

Terms Expiring

Nomination

Building Industry

Kenneth Choate

22 – Y, 1 – ABSTAIN (Sanford)

Building Industry

John Lee

22 – Y, 1 – ABSTAIN (Sanford)

Public Administrator, Guardian & Trustee

Terms Expiring

Nomination

4 Year Terms, Expiring 1/28

Russell Gill

22 – Y, 1 – ABSTAIN (Sanford)

IMPORTANT DATES

Election Commission Meeting - January 24th at 4:00pm - More Details
Please note on the agenda there is a call for the Commission to classify vendor information as confidential. This is an item that needs to be further reviewed to understand the need to limit transparency to our voters.
Joint Work Session with County Commission and Planning Commission to discuss 5G Tower Regulations and Urban Growth Plan/Planned Growth Areas for the Municipalities & County - January 29th at 5:30pm - More Details
School Board Candidate Forum - January 30th at 7:00 pm - RSVP Here
Last Day to Register to Vote for March 5th Primary - February 5, 2024
- Early Voting begins February 14th
Next County Commission Meeting - February 12, 2024 at 7:00pm at the County Administrative Building. If you are unable to attend in person, you can always view virtually by going to the WC-TV website.

REMINDER: The public is now invited to give input at any County Committee Meeting. Click here to see the full list of Committees and when the meet. You can find the most up to date public notices including County Commission, Planning Committee and Election Committee meetings here.

ICYMI

GENERAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION HAS BEGUN! Be on the lookout for legislation that will impact you both at the state and local level. Here's the latest agenda.

TN Stands does a great job of breaking down the bills that mean the most to us. Click here for more information on how you can take action.

ELECTION MACHINES WERE IN THE NEWS AGAIN...while our county no longer utilizes Dominion, the same types of vulnerabilities should be tested on any electronic device used to collect votes, manage registration or administer our elections.
I still believe that Certifiable Hand-Marked Paper Ballots are the most secure method to cast our votes. And so do these countries, Argentina and Taiwan.

FRIENDLY REMINDERS

REDUCE-REUSE-RECYCLE…There is a new way to recycle mattresses in Williamson County and to save them from going into the landfill. Click here for more details.