Friday Recap August 21st 2026

My Comment

The big thing coming up next week is the Property Committee meeting on Wednesday. As I am sure most people know about the tragedy that happened at Ascension this past week, that subject will come up. Since Ascension is the choice of the Williamson Health Trustees, we will be asking some pointed questions during the Property Committee meeting. I and my colleagues on the County Commission have the responsibility to do our due diligence with regard to the hospital sale and we want to get it right.

If you are following the process and want to stay informed, coming to the meeting on Wednesday would be a good way to learn more about where we are in the process. Of course, if you can't come, I will publish a full report next Friday.

Highlights from this week

The school board met on Monday

• Board approved all budget amendments, policy first readings, and operational items unanimously (12–0 on every vote)
• 5 departing board members gave final remarks — Dan Cash, Josh Brown, Jay Galbreath, Drason Beasley, and Eric Welch — representing over 46 combined years of service leaving the board tonight
• Sam Jackson of Spencer Fane law firm approved as new board attorney effective September 1st, 2026
• District opened the year ranked highest proficient school district in Tennessee, 30 percentage points above the state average in grades 3–11
• Athletic period committee already underway; recommendations expected by February 1st, 2027
• Innovation Center launched with 400+ students enrolled across programs including aviation, culinary arts, cybersecurity, and fire science

County HR Committee met on Monday

• County Clerk budget amended by $78,013.98 (funded by restricted $3 title fees) to create a new position — approved 4–0; position is funded for this fiscal year only, with intent to request it in next year's budget cycle
• Veterans Treatment Court full-time caseworker position approved 4–0, contingent on continued grant funding — converted from a previously approved part-time service coordinator role

TDOT held an informational meeting on Tuesday. If you missed it, you can go here to see what the PEL study for I-65 Corridor is all about.

Law Enforcement and Public Safety Committee met on Wednesday

• Meeting worked through 17 budget resolutions — all passed unanimously — covering rollovers, grant acceptances, and new appropriations across public safety, courts, and the sheriff's office
• Notable items: $50K donation from a TV production company (Nicole Kidman project) to the Sheriff's Office, $97,610.69 and $197,479.03 in federal grant rollovers for substance abuse and mental health services across Veterans and DUI courts, and a new $10,415 DOJ grant for Jail Management Software
• Detention Division Q2 report showed the jail at 57% capacity (265 peak population vs. 454 rated beds), low incident rates, and strong fingerprinting uptake (716 prints in 57 days)
• Courthouse location question raised at the end — the Beasley property (currently used by property management, across from the jail) floated as a candidate; Deputy Chief Freddie Moore said proximity is a plus but traffic on Beasley is a concern

Purchasing and Insurance Committee met on Thursday

• Voted unanimously to switch retiree Medicare Advantage from UHC to Humana, effective January 1, 2027 — rate of $278.75/month vs. UHC renewal of $309.75
• Voted unanimously to adopt the OAP targeted option for active employee premiums — Local Plus rates unchanged, OAP rates increased to push employees toward lower-cost plans
• Voted unanimously to increase the spousal surcharge from $100 to $200/month (Option 2)
• Voted unanimously to adopt the half-increase deductible/OOP change (Option 2) — estimated $2.8M in claims savings
• Voted unanimously to increase the ER additional copay from $155 to $300 on deductible plans and add a new $50 urgent care copay
• Dental network complaints are ongoing — root cause is employees picking the DHMO without checking if their dentist is in network, not the plan itself

For full reports from the meetings, scroll down.

Meetings Next Week:

Tuesday, August 25th

Opioid Abatement task Force meeting info

Both BOMA Work Session Agenda and BOMA Agenda

Wednesday, August 26th

The Property Committee will meet at 5:30 pm in the Executive Conference Room of the Williamson County Administrative Complex at 1320 W. main, Franklin Committee members: Ricky Jones (C), Jennifer Mason(VC), Barb Sturgeon, Brian Clifford, , Matt Williams.

I don't have the agenda yet, but I know that the attorney representing us for the hospital sale will be giving a report and answering questions. This is a public meeting and as such, anyone may attend and will be allowed to make a public comment.

Thursday, August 27th

Board of Zoning Appeals Agenda will meet at 6:00pm in the Executive Conference Room 1320 West Main Street.

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The AI program I use is pretty accurate, but it does make mistakes from time to time and I don't always catch them. I provide agendas and videos/audios when I have them available and recommend that you watch the video and follow along with the summary to get the most accurate report.

One of the limitations of AI is that if a participant's name is not called out, then they are listed as participant 1, 2, etc. A limitation with audio, as opposed to video, is that one cannot always identify a person by voice alone. As imperfect as these AI summaries are, they still give a pretty good account of a meeting.

Williamson County School Board

Monday, August 17th

School Board Agenda, Video

AI Summary

Action Items

• [ ] - Bring innovative programming and scheduling recommendations to board by February 1 Recommendations on innovative programming/delivery methods — including high school scheduling, athletic periods, and least restrictive environment expansion — to be brought to the board by February 1, 2027.
• [ ] - Develop board data dashboard Data dashboard for board member access to be developed and operational before June 2027, per the approved superintendent goals.
• [ ] - Prepare salary study 3-year implementation plan for board review by February Salary study three-year implementation plan to be brought back to the board for review by February 2027, per the approved 2026-27 superintendent goals.
• [ ] - Begin negotiations with Sam Jackson (Spencer Fane) for board attorney role Dr. Webb and Josh Brown (as executive committee) are to reach out to Sam Jackson at Spencer Fane law firm to make an offer and begin contract negotiations, effective September 1, 2026.
• [ ] - Collect remaining textbook adoption parent nominees from outgoing board members Board members rolling off were reminded to send textbook adoption parent nominees to Miss Glenn, or communicate them to the incoming board member filling their seat, before the end of August.
• [ ] - Report to board on athletic period scheduling committee findings Dr. Webb noted the athletic period committee has already begun and will be reporting to the board soon with recommendations, tied to the superintendent's goal on innovative scheduling approaches. Recommendations due by February 1.
• [ ] - Follow up with board on Securly hall pass privacy vetting Dr. Webb committed to following up with the board on whether the specific privacy protections raised by the parent (data retention limits, pass transparency settings, access logging policies, and de-identification of reporting data) were part of the district's vetting process for the Securly hall pass system.

Overview

• Board approved all budget amendments, policy first readings, and operational items unanimously (12–0 on every vote)
• 5 departing board members gave final remarks — Dan Cash, Josh Brown, Jay Galbreath, Drason Beasley, and Eric Welch — representing over 46 combined years of service leaving the board tonight
• Sam Jackson of Spencer Fane law firm approved as new board attorney effective September 1st, 2026
• District opened the year ranked highest proficient school district in Tennessee, 30 percentage points above the state average in grades 3–11
• Athletic period committee already underway; recommendations expected by February 1st, 2027
• Innovation Center launched with 400+ students enrolled across programs including aviation, culinary arts, cybersecurity, and fire science

Public comment

• David Dunn, a data consultant and Centennial High parent, raised privacy concerns about the Securly digital hall pass system, arguing it functions as a proxy biometric tracker by logging bathroom frequency and duration
• Suggested four protections if the district keeps it: 3-month max data retention, enabling pass transparency to limit teacher access, strict written access policies with logging, and deidentified reporting data
• A football coach (Charles Rathbone) and Chris Hughes, head coach at Fairview, both pushed for an athletic period, citing coach retention losses to Rutherford County, student safety getting home before dark, and potential to increase AP enrollment
• Rathbone noted he lost 3 coaches, 2 specifically to Rutherford County, whose athletic period lets coaches leave by 4:30 PM
• Hughes cited Mount Juliet's 90% attendance increase among football players after implementing an athletic period
• Ron Binkert urged the board not to let textbook ordering deadlines rush the social studies adoption, arguing perspective matters as much as standards in that subject
• Beverly Purvis, president of WCEA, thanked the board for last year's salary increases and asked for earlier, more consistent collaboration with county commissioners on funding rather than last-minute budget conversations

Superintendent's report

• District was the highest proficient school district in Tennessee for grades 3–11, 30 percentage points above the state average
• 11,739 AP exams passed this year; 3,200 students took dual enrollment classes, totaling over 45,000 college credits earned — roughly $15M in savings at ~$355 per credit hour
• 318 industry certifications earned by high school students
• Dr. Webb confirmed the Securly hall pass system has been used across several schools for years and the district will follow up with the board on the privacy concerns raised in public comment
• Athletic period is already part of the superintendent goals and a committee has begun work on it

Student and staff spotlights

• Ravenwood High School's JROTC team — Devin Liu, Anish Kodali, Darsh Shrivastava, and Alex Crane — won the Army Academic Bowl National Championship, competing against more than 2,000 teams in Washington, D.C.
• 8 students earned perfect ACT scores: Liam Marassa (Brentwood), Aryan Sant, Ann Cherry, and Jackson Garland (Page/Ravenwood), Eva Godesara, Anish Kodali, and Vivian Rocklani (Ravenwood), and Arman Simwall (Summit)
• Eliza McKnight (Brentwood) named Gatorade Tennessee Volleyball Player of the Year; Simon Hettrick (Ravenwood) named Gatorade Tennessee Boys' Soccer Player of the Year after leading Ravenwood to their first boys' soccer state title
• Harriet Medlin (Brentwood) received the National Speech and Debate Diamond Coaching Award — she retired from teaching after 57 years but continues coaching
• Dan Cash, Josh Brown, Jay Galbreath, Drason Beasley, and a fifth departing member were recognized with plaques for their years of board service

Departing board members' remarks

• Dan Cash reflected on the education he gained from serving District 2 and the collective dedication of teachers, principals, and parents over the past ~40 years
• Jay Galbreath highlighted 12 years on the board, emphasized finding common ground through disagreement, and called the ability to debate respectfully the legacy he wants to leave
• Drason Beasley, joining via Zoom, thanked the board for the opportunity to represent families and children across the district
• Josh Brown, board chair, noted he graduated from Page High School in 1991 and called it an unexpected honor to have served the same district 35 years later
• Eric Welch estimated he attended 330–340 meetings over 16 years — roughly 1,000+ hours — and thanked voters, three superintendents (Dr. Looney, Mr. Golden, Dr. Webb), colleagues, family, and students
• Welch used his final remarks to go on record saying the superintendent search is a waste of time and money because Dr. Webb is already the best person for the job, citing her track record from Centennial principal to Tennessee Principal of the Year to her current role

Consent agenda

• Board approved the consent agenda, which included June 15th and June 29th, 2026 meeting minutes, 16 board policy updates, field trip fee requests, right-of-way and easement approvals for Spring Hill and Franklin, and building modification requests at Nolansville Elementary, Centennial High, Fairview Middle, and Franklin High School

Budget amendments

• Three general purpose school fund amendments approved, all 12–0:
• $81,614.45 carry-forward reserves reallocating prior-year designated funds
• $41,280 transition grant carryover covering a transition teacher's salary and 3 mentors (grant runs October–September)
• $665,232 state special education preschool grant placed into the budget
• Outstanding purchase orders for activity school funds approved as an annual state-mandated agenda item

Policy 6.415: ABA private pay in schools

• First reading approved 12–0 for new policy 6.415, which requires the district to allow private pay ABA providers contracted by parents of students with autism or developmental delays to access students during the school day, per Tennessee Public Chapter 1112 passed this summer
• Galbreath noted providers will begin using the policy immediately; the board will review after one month for any procedural tweaks before second reading

Early release day calendar change

• Elementary school early release day moved from November 11th to November 18th, 2026, approved 12–0
• Change driven by transportation conflicts on Veterans Day — buses needed for student transport to Veterans Day assemblies and parades across the county

Innovation Center and new course approvals

• Additional honors-level CTE courses approved 12–0 — developed since the February course list approval in response to demand from the Innovation Center
• Innovation Center launched with over 400 high school students from across Williamson County enrolled across six program areas:
• Hospitality, tourism, and culinary arts — dual enrollment with Columbia State; internships with Harpeth Hotel, Halifax Properties, Marshall Hospitality, Chartwell Hospitality, and Jim 'N Nick's
• Advanced power and machinery — partnership with Thompson Cat; TCAT certification in off-road diesel and electrical power
• Fire science — instruction led by City of Franklin Fire Department; students can earn EMT certification through Columbia State
• Cybersecurity and AI — dual enrollment with Columbia State, MTSU, and Belmont
• Aviation and flight — dual enrollment with MTSU, up to 12 college credits before graduation
• Middle and elementary school students will also visit for field trip experiences
• Dan Cash suggested adding a mechatronics lab at Summit High School, where students in grades 9–12 are already earning degrees from Columbia State

2026-27 superintendent and district goals

• Board approved the 5 district goals for 2026–27, carried over from Mr. Golden's June proposal with added detail and action steps, 12–0

1. Data dashboard for board member access — targeting completion before June 2027
2. Salary study implementation — three-year plan coming back to the board by February 2027
3. Innovative programming and delivery — includes high school scheduling/athletic period review and expanding least restrictive environment for IEP students; recommendations by February 1st, 2027
4. Student achievement and growth — expanded to include measurable math and ELA indicators
5. Family and community engagement — involving families in district decision-making

• Dr. Johnson appreciated the SMART goal format and explicit evidence-of-success criteria, noting it will make superintendent evaluation easier

New board attorney

• Sam Jackson of Spencer Fane law firm approved as new board attorney effective September 1st, 2026, 12–0
• Board chair Josh Brown made the motion after an RFP process that drew 2 applicants, both of whom were interviewed; consensus at last week's work session favored Jackson
• Dr. Webb and the board chair (as executive committee) will initiate the offer and begin contract negotiations with Jackson

Williamson County Commission Meetings

Monday, August 17th

Human Resources Committee Agenda, Minutes, Resolution,Video Committee members: Judy Herbert (C), Jennifer Mason (VC) Greg Sanford, Tom Tunnicliffe, Bill Petty, Brian Beathard. Commissioners Beathard and Sanford were absent.

AI Summary

Overview

• Minutes from July 20th, 2026 approved 4–0
• County Clerk budget amended by $78,013.98 (funded by restricted $3 title fees) to create a new position — approved 4–0; position is funded for this fiscal year only, with intent to request it in next year's budget cycle
• Veterans Treatment Court full-time caseworker position approved 4–0, contingent on continued grant funding — converted from a previously approved part-time service coordinator role

Minutes approval

• Minutes from July 20th, 2026 approved 4–0 with no changes

County Clerk budget amendment

• Committee approved a $78,013.98 budget amendment to create a new position in the County Clerk's Office, funded entirely by restricted $3 title fee revenue — 4–0
• Jeff Whidby explained the office is backlogged — 4 boxes of dealer work waiting to be processed — and currently handles overflow by doing dealer work between counter transactions
• The new position is funded for the '26–'27 fiscal year only; Participant 6 plans to request it as a permanent line item in the next budget cycle
• The $3 fee is restricted to County Clerk use and must relate to title and registration work, which this position satisfies
• Commissioner Mason raised whether the position conflicts with the freeze on new positions until January 1st; Director Cochran and counsel Bullock both said this falls outside that freeze since it's a newly created position funded by a resolution after the budget was set
• Commissioner herbert hopes the added headcount will reduce overtime costs, which are also drawn from the same restricted fund — the office is already over on overtime for the year

Veterans Treatment Court caseworker position

• Commission approved converting a previously approved part-time service coordinator role into a full-time caseworker for the Veterans Treatment Court, contingent on continued grant funding — 4–0
• The position was never filled as part-time; the grant approved the conversion to full-time with a title change to caseworker
• The grant covers the full cost including benefits, vetted by finance; if the grant ends, the position ends
• Commissioner Petty, a veteran, spoke in support of the court and the need for a caseworker

Wednesday, August 19th

The Law Enforcement/Public Safety Committee Agenda Video Committee members: Tom Tunnicliffe (C), Greg Sanford (VC), Pete Stresser, Matt Williams, Bill Petty. Commissioners Williams and Stresser were absent.

AI Summary

Overview

• Meeting worked through 17 budget resolutions — all passed unanimously — covering rollovers, grant acceptances, and new appropriations across public safety, courts, and the sheriff's office
• Notable items: $50K donation from a TV production company (Nicole Kidman project) to the Sheriff's Office, $97,610.69 and $197,479.03 in federal grant rollovers for substance abuse and mental health services across Veterans and DUI courts, and a new $10,415 DOJ grant for Jail Management Software
• Detention Division Q2 report showed the jail at 57% capacity (265 peak population vs. 454 rated beds), low incident rates, and strong fingerprinting uptake (716 prints in 57 days)
• Courthouse location question raised at the end — the Beasley property (currently used by property management, across from the jail) floated as a candidate; Deputy Chief Freddie Moore said proximity is a plus but traffic on Beasley is a concern

Minutes approval

• Minutes approved unanimously with no changes

Firefighter education incentive pay rollover

• Resolution passed to carry over unspent state firefighter education incentive pay so the county can track down former volunteers who haven't yet been paid

EMA school bus routing grant rollover

• $102,087.84 rolled over into the 2026–27 EMA budget to finish the design stage of a school bus routing program developed by Vanderbilt University in cooperation with Williamson County
• The grant covers design only — whether school systems adopt the program is up to them, and it's in the final stages of development

Juvenile court and general sessions rollovers

• Juvenile court: $22,150 rolled over from grant funds for the parent education and mediation program
• General sessions: $5,800 rolled over from prior-year state funds — passed with no questions

Veterans Treatment Court budget amendments

• $25,000 rolled over from Veterans Treatment Court Reserve for veteran services
• $97,610.69 rolled over from federal grant funds for the Veterans Court Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Grant
• $119,235 rolled over from last year's grant funds — commissioners noted the underlying grant was already previously approved

DUI and recovery court budget amendments

• $37,532.20 appropriated to the 21st District Recovery Court from DUI fees — Bobby flagged a typo in the resolution (account number should read 5510, not 55101)
• $25,134.32 appropriated to the 21st District Recovery Court from a dedicated restricted account — these fees can't roll to the general fund, so annual appropriation is required
• $150,231 rolled over for the DUI Recovery Court from a five-year grant already approved by the commission
• $141,726.46 re-appropriated to the General Sessions DUI Court from the county general fund balance — funds originated from the DUI Court Foundation (a 501c3), flowed to the general fund, and are now being appropriated back for court use
• $197,479.03 rolled over for the General Sessions DUI Court Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Grant from unspent federal funds

Sheriff's Office grant amendments

• Sheriff's Office prior-year state funds rolled over, including $5,200 in accumulated interest, earmarked for mental health transports
• $400 grant from the State of Tennessee DOT accepted — nearly all funds had already been approved through the budget process, leaving only this small remainder
• $10,415 new DOJ Office of Justice Programs grant accepted for Jail Management Software — Franklin split the grant last year but didn't spend their half, so the full amount goes to Williamson County this year
• $17,183.32 in grant funds appropriated for the Sheriff's Office hiring and retention grant
• $3,942.18 rolled over from a federal pass-through state grant — remaining balance from an original $32,000 grant

Drug task force equipment donation

• 21st Judicial District Drug Task Force donated surplus equipment to the Sheriff's Office: bolt cutters, video cameras, a currency counter, a tripod, and a coin sword

$50k TV production donation

• A production company filming a TV show (featuring Nicole Kidman) at the Sheriff's Office donated $50,000 to the Sheriff's Office upon completion
• The sheriff's administration approved the filming arrangement — commission approval wasn't required; Bobby offered to send commissioners an email notification for future filming arrangements

Detention Division Q2 report (April–June 2026)

• Peak population was 265 inmates against a rated capacity of 454 — 57% occupancy — averaging 216 males and 44 females
• Bookings totaled 1,481; releases totaled 1,384
• Incident counts were low: 2 inmate-on-inmate assaults, 0 staff assaults, 3 use-of-force instances, 2 suicide attempts, OC spray used 3 times
• Medical: 11 emergent hospital transports, 18 via EMS, 14 non-emergent; provider saw 108 inmates; 31 dental visits conducted inside the jail
• Fingerprint machine logged 716 prints across 57 days (April 13–June 30) — averaging 13 per day — reducing unnecessary outside traffic into the facility
• OCJP-funded office space inside the jail was completed, housing 2 full-time Franklin Recovery Center employees offering in-jail treatment programs
• 13 cadets graduated from the DDA class in May and are now working in the jail
• Jail currently has ~10 open positions with candidates in various stages of the background process; applications paused temporarily due to high volume

Beasley property as courthouse site

• Commissioner Tunnicliffe raised the Beasley property (currently used by county property management, directly across from the jail) as a potential courthouse location
• Deputy Chief Freddie Moore said proximity to the jail is a clear plus; traffic on Beasley is the main concern
• No decision made — Tunnicliffe noted it's worth having on record and commissioner Petty agreed it's worth exploring further

Thursday, August 21st

Purchasing and Insurance Committee Agenda Minutes Presentation slides Video Video Committee members: Sean Aiello (Chair), Meghan Guffee, Gregg Lawrence (Vice Chair), Steve Smith, Mayor Anderson. Sean Aiello was absent

AI Summary

Action Items

• [ ] Participant 4 - Draft and distribute employee benefits education materials in September Newsletters and in-person Q&A sessions planned for September ahead of open enrollment, based on the committee's decisions today.
• [ ] Participant 5 - Develop RFP for Gordon Getz's solution for next year Gordon Getz presented at the last meeting; Charles, Gina, and Mike met with him and see potential — will pursue an RFP for next year.
• [ ] Participant 5 - Implement Humana retiree Medicare Advantage plan for 2027 open enrollment Following the committee's vote, move forward with Humana as the retiree Medicare Advantage carrier effective 1/1/2027 and ensure open enrollment is ready.
• [ ] Participant 5 - Set up process to reverse urgent care copay when patient is referred to ER Establish a policy/process to reverse the $50 urgent care copay when a patient is referred from urgent care to the ER, so employees aren't double-charged.
• [ ] Participant 7 - Refer dental complainants to Cigna dentist nomination process Direct employees with dentist network complaints to the Cigna dentist nomination form (online or paper) so their dentist can apply to join the network.
• [ ] Participant 7 - Confirm exact urgent care facility definition with Cigna for plan amendment Confirm the exact plan language/term used for urgent care facilities so it's correctly reflected in the plan amendment resolution.
• [ ] Participant 7 - Send targeted communication to OAP enrollees about Local Plus Target current OAP enrollees specifically with messaging explaining why Local Plus may be a better fit, and include physician network lookup guidance.

Overview

• Voted unanimously to switch retiree Medicare Advantage from UHC to Humana, effective January 1, 2027 — rate of $278.75/month vs. UHC renewal of $309.75
• Voted unanimously to adopt the OAP targeted option for active employee premiums — Local Plus rates unchanged, OAP rates increased to push employees toward lower-cost plans
• Voted unanimously to increase the spousal surcharge from $100 to $200/month (Option 2)
• Voted unanimously to adopt the half-increase deductible/OOP change (Option 2) — estimated $2.8M in claims savings
• Voted unanimously to increase the ER additional copay from $155 to $300 on deductible plans and add a new $50 urgent care copay
• Dental network complaints are ongoing — root cause is employees picking the DHMO without checking if their dentist is in network, not the plan itself

Retiree Medicare Advantage RFP results

• Committee voted unanimously to move retiree Medicare Advantage from UHC to Humana at $278.75/month — below UHC's $309.75 renewal and only $9 above current UHC rate of $269.75
• UHC hit its contractual 15% rate cap for year two; their renewal is still significantly below the prior carrier's (HealthSpring) pricing from a year ago
• Aetna declined to quote as non-competitive; BCBST's three options all came in higher than UHC's renewal, and two of them exclude Vanderbilt from network
• Humana's key advantage over UHC: single insurance card even though the plan is unbundled — retirees currently get two separate cards (medical and pharmacy), which has caused ongoing confusion, especially for diabetics
• Ascension is in active contract negotiations with UHC and may leave the UHC network on September 15, 2026, which factored into the recommendation
• At 1,708 participants and an 80/20 county/retiree cost split, switching to Humana costs the county roughly $147K more annually vs. current — compared to $655K more if they had stayed with UHC's renewal
• Rate guarantee is one year only; Charles noted they'll go back to market if the renewal is unreasonable

OAP vs. Local Plus and plan cost differences

• Williamson County claims run $500/employee/month ($6,000/year) higher in OAP than Local Plus because OAP contracts pay providers at a higher rate — even for the same in-network hospitals
• The deductible plan runs $300–$400/month more expensive than the HSA on a premium equivalency basis, even after factoring in the county's $500 annual HSA contribution
• 2025 utilization data showed Vanderbilt leads by a wide margin; Centennial had only ~130 total users (98 outpatient, 29 inpatient) despite roughly 2,000 employees enrolled in OAP plans
• Participant 1 raised a third benefit of moving employees to Local Plus beyond premium and claims savings: lower claims should produce lower renewals in future years
• Local Plus has no out-of-network benefits for non-emergencies, which is a known employee fear — Gina's team noted that Cigna's Local Plus network is national, so employees or dependents in other states (e.g., college students) can call Cigna to find in-network providers in their zip code

Active employee premium changes

• Committee voted unanimously for the OAP targeted option — all Local Plus premiums stay unchanged (employee-only remains free), and OAP premiums increase by more than 8% with a $10 spread between OAP HSA and OAP deductible to create separation
• The BOE's preference was a more modest increase to give time for employee education before hitting them with costs alongside recent raises; the adopted option was positioned as a middle ground
• Gina's team suggested targeting a direct communication to current OAP enrollees specifically, asking them to compare Local Plus before open enrollment
• Charles noted the savings figures shown are based on current enrollment — the real savings will show up in claims as employees migrate to lower-cost plans, not in premium revenue
• Open enrollment education is planned for September, including newsletters, in-person Q&A sessions, and administrator-led outreach to staff

Spousal surcharge update

• Committee voted unanimously to raise the spousal surcharge from $100 to $200/month (Option 2) — the surcharge hasn't changed since it was implemented in 2007
• At average participation of 936 employees, Option 2 generates $187,200/month in surcharge revenue vs. $93,600 currently
• The surcharge applies only to spouses who are employed and have coverage available through their own employer but elect Williamson County's plan instead; it has no impact on children on the plan
• Participant 1 noted spouses tend to be the highest claimants on health plans, which adds a cost-management rationale beyond revenue

Deductible and out-of-pocket changes

• Committee voted unanimously for Option 2 (half increase / DOE recommendation) — deductible increases $150 for employee and $300 for family; OOP max increases $800 for employee and $1,600 for family
• Estimated claims savings from Option 2 is $2.8M, compared to $4.8M for the full Option 1 increase
• Charles had originally recommended Option 1 (full increase to match the state's local government and higher education plan) but moved to Option 2 given the BOE's feedback that the larger increase would be poorly received alongside recent raises

ER and urgent care copays

• Committee voted unanimously to increase the ER additional copay from $155 to $300 on deductible plans (copay waived if admitted) and add a new $50 urgent care copay — changes apply to deductible plans only, not HSA plans
• ER costs are running 25% above the national average for comparable plans, and the intent is to redirect non-emergency visits to urgent care or telehealth
• Participant 1 raised Cigna's free telehealth as an additional tier employees should be educated on — call first, get directed, and avoid unnecessary ER visits
• Participant 6 raised the scenario where an urgent care visit results in an ER referral; Charles confirmed the self-funded plan can reverse the $50 copay in those cases, and Participant 3 noted this should be handled as policy rather than written into the contract language
• Participant 3 asked for clarity on what qualifies as "urgent care" for the $50 copay — Gina's team will confirm the exact plan language with Cigna

Dental network complaints

• Commissioner Herbert reported widespread employee complaints about the dental plan, describing it as "basically useless" — Gina clarified the issue is that employees' dentists aren't in the Cigna network, not a problem with the plan itself
• The DHMO option (very low or no cost) has a significantly smaller network, and many employees selected it without verifying their dentist was in network
• Cigna's PPO network had about a 9% disruption vs. Delta Dental's PPO; the DHMO disruption was around 40%
• Dentists can be nominated to join Cigna's network via an online or paper form — Gina's team has been referring employees to this process
• Charles noted the dental changes saved an estimated $500K–$600K this year and that Delta Dental had proposed multi-year rate increases before the RFP
• Charles suggested more dentists may join the Cigna network over time now that a large employer like Williamson County is on it, citing a similar pattern when the state moved to MetLife

Franklin Board of Mayor and Alderman

For all meetings this past week and next go here.

Election Commission

Friday, August 21

Election Commission Agenda

Notes from Frank Limpus:

The Williamson County Election Commission met today primarily to certify the August 6^th election.  Which they did.

 They also accepted the call for elections for the City of Fairview, Town of Nolensville and Town of Thompson Station for municipal offices, which would appear on the November 3, 2026 state general election ballot. 

They established early voting locations, dates and hours for the November 3, 2026 state general election.

Finally, they set the date and time for the post-election performance audit of the WCEC’s performance for the August 6, 2026 federal/state primary and county general election.  Friday, September 11, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. at the Election Office.

 It was a short, 25-minute meeting.

If not me, who?

If not now, when?

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1)

“We work hard with our own hands. When we are vilified, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer gently.” (1^st Corinthians 4:12-13)

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves" (Philippians 2:3)

Blessings,

Bill

pettyandassociates@gmail.com

Community resources

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• Grassroots Citizens of Williamson County Provides free tools and information to help grassroots conservatives exercise their citizenship here in Williamson County.
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• TruthWire Local news and commentary.
• Williamson County Republican Party is one of the most active parties in the state and captures the conservative heart of Tennessee.
• Mom's For Liberty Williamson County is dedicated to fighting for the American family by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.
• Tennessee Stands produces video media, podcasts, and live events, and provides social commentary on relevant issues in our state.
• M4LU is a new site developed by the national Mom's for Liberty but generated right here in Williamson County. The mission of M4LU is to to inform, equip, and empower parents with knowledge, understanding and practical tools.

Help educate citizens of Williamson County

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