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Hard to believe summer break has come to an end and school is now back in session. I hope you all enjoyed your summer as much as my family and I did.
While there will be no August Commission meeting, there are committee meetings that are continuing to ramp up for this next year. If you are interested in attending a committee meeting, please be sure to mark your calendar. Pursuant to the General Assembly adopting Public Chapter 300 of the 2023 Public Acts, there will now be a period of public comment at the beginning of each committee meeting. This is a great time to share any thoughts or concerns you have with regards to county business. If you are interested, please check the days/times of committee meetings here.
Also, as of July 1st, 2023, the county budget for FY24 has been set at $794,197,946, which represents an almost 10% increase over the proposed FY23 budget. Most of this increase was due to a 6% pay increase for all county departments including schools along with an increase in material costs across almost all departments.
Now that the budget is set it is up to the commission to work diligently with the mayor and county departments to ensure we stay within our budget and avoid tapping into our fund balance. One of the biggest challenges we face each year is the percentage of our budget that goes to schools. Currently, the schools take approximately 74% of our budget (65% ($517,589,466) for operational expenses and 10% ($81,931,967) for debt service) which leaves only 26% ($194,676,513) of budget to run the remaining county services including but not limited to Public Safety, Roads, and Judicial services.
As for my first year on the Commission, it has been a huge learning experience and at the same time it has been extremely rewarding to be able to assist constituents with a variety of different issues including:
- Approving a much needed and well-deserved increase in pay for our teachers and law enforcement officers
- Supporting a 100% increase in funding for our local Arrington Volunteer Fire Dept
- Road Improvements (Crockett Ln, & Rocky Fork @ Rock Springs)
- Bringing a mattress recycling program to Williamson County
- Obtaining clarification on enforcement of zoning concerns
- Greater allowance of private property usage with regards to pool installation (coming soon)
- Bringing greater awareness to Election Integrity Issues (more to come)
- Working with developers to preserve District 5 historical artifacts
- Working with communities on resolving storm water issues
- Approving the ability to have a new non-traditional wastewater system come to the district to allow for more commercial development based on the Triune Special Area Plan
It has also been an honor and privilege to support many of the charitable organizations across District 5 and the broader Williamson County area including:
Finally, it was a thrill to be able to recognize two outstanding sports teams from our district, Nolensville Little League Baseball Team for making the final round in the Little League World Series and Page High Girls Soccer Team for becoming State Champions. It was most definitely an exciting year.
While the above is just a glimpse of what this past year has entailed, I am excited to see what the next year has in store and will continue to work hard to serve the great people of District 5 and the beautiful county we all call home.
FINAL NOTE: I am considering holding virtual town halls via Zoom to allow for a more interactive time for all of you to ask questions and to hear more detail about what’s going on around the district and the county. Please let me know (via email to mary@votemarysmith.com) if you might be interested in participating.
God Bless!
Mary Smith
The People’s Commissioner
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