Friday Recap December 19th, 2025

My Comment

Here we are at the end of another year, and it is a time when we humans habitually ruminate about the recent year past and the one to come. The philosophical waxing that generally occurs is all great and good, but what is most important, is how we are going to live our lives going into the new year.

This past year has seen a huge split in the Republican Party here in Williamson County. Things have been said on both sides that have made me wonder about how we are living out our Christian belief.

Years ago, people would wear wristbands that had the letters WWJD, which stood for "What would Jesus do?" Maybe there are some who still wear them, but I haven't seen any lately. The point was to have a reminder of whom we were living for and how we should act. This year I saw and heard things and, I must admit, said things myself that seemed to fly in the face of the forgiving and loving attitude that Jesus modeled for us. Often, it seemed, that WWJD took a back seat to the politics of personal destruction. No human is all good nor all bad. We are all subject to error and sin. With that in mind, are we able to extend grace across the political divide?

The Bible has a lot to say about how we speak. I will be sharing some thoughts from a writer, who would prefer to remain anonymous, in the next few weeks that challenge me to be more circumspect in how I speak.

Our Speech

I know that I will be reflecting on my walk during this Christmastide and I wish you all a wonderful season of joy and fellowship. Merry Christmas.

Monday December 22nd

First day to pull petitions for public office in Williamson County. Election info here. I am running for re-election. If you are interested in running for office, email me at pettyandassociates@gmail.com and I will help you through the process.

Enjoying Friday Recap? Take a minute now and forward it to 3 people. Copy this https://friday-recap.ghost.io/ghost/#/editor/post/680aad97ab206e0001e15b3f in your email.

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 District

Monday December 15th

Policy Committee Agenda Audio

AI Summary

Overview

• Board reviewed second readings for Policy 3.210 (naming of facilities) and Policy 4.6 (GPA recalculation for transfers)—both passed with no changes
• Policy 3.210 streamlines naming process for facility portions and grounds, allows naming with or without financial contributions, and preserves board's right to rename any asset
• Staff is compiling list of all currently named spaces by school for January 2026 presentation, then will add to consent agenda for ratification
• Tonja requested discussion on sexting education—staff confirmed it's already covered by existing Title IX, cell phone, and code of conduct policies
• Family life curriculum in 7th and 8th grade specifically teaches "Nonconsensual Illegal Sexual Activity" including 2017 law on what's legal and illegal
• Tansy Radner (curriculum specialist, first year) now delivers all family life curriculum for consistency across schools—zero parent concerns after speaking with her
• Staff plans to create more PSA content with Dennis Fetting from Homeland Security Investigations early next semester

Policy 3.210 naming of facilities

• Dana presented second reading with no changes from board meeting
• Policy streamlines procedure for naming portions of facilities or grounds—previously principals could name gyms, theaters, or rooms without formal process
• New policy allows honoring individuals with or without financial contributions
• Board retains right to rename any named asset of the district (renaming and revocation clause)
• Staff is compiling list of all currently named spaces by school—Lee and Julie working with principals to finalize
• List will be ready January 2026 for board review at work session, then added to consent agenda for ratification
• Board members can flag any names for reconsideration through executive committee
• Financial contribution discussion:
• Staff has 5-year standard in SOP for sponsorships (example: Creekside scoreboard contract)
• William suggested including time limits in contracts rather than policy to allow flexibility
• Dana will highlight contract requirements including time limits
• Naming new schools still requires committee process with board members, county commissioners, and staff

Policy 4.6 GPA recalculation for transfers

• Dana presented second reading with no changes from board meeting
• Policy codifies existing SOP for GPA recalculation when students transfer
• Language developed by Lee, Dave, and Julie includes procedure, documentation, communications, and appeal process
• Claire originally requested this be added to policy

Sexting education and prevention approaches

• Tonja requested discussion after recent incidents and parent meeting—wanted to ensure adequate education in place
• Existing policy coverage:
• Already covered under Title IX sexual harassment policy, cell phone use restrictions, and code of conduct
• Behavior matrix on each school website has section specifically on nude images
• All allegations of nude images trigger call to HR department for Title IX advisement through Jacob Crossman (Title IX coordinator)
• Family life curriculum education:
• 7th and 8th grade curriculum includes slide titled "Nonconsensual Illegal Sexual Activity" covering 2017 law on what's legal and illegal
• Also covered in lifetime wellness curriculum
• Tansy Radner (curriculum specialist) now delivers all family life curriculum for consistency—this is her first year in this role
• She's part-time teacher and part-time specialist, observed through teaching evaluations by Heather Hayes (middle school executive director)
• Held public meeting in September 2025 for parents to review all materials
• Dave reported zero parent concerns after speaking with Tansy about curriculum and approach
• Annual prevention training:
• Principals receive professional learning each summer on harassment and consequences
• Each school year starts with grade-band specific conversations about appropriate behavior, harassment, and consequences for transmitting inappropriate images
• Elementary schools (4th and 5th grade) focus on digital citizenship—teaching students not to post or share content they don't understand
• Future education plans:
• Communications staff recorded Dennis Fetting (Homeland Security Investigations) presentation for December 17, 2025 In Focus issue
• Staff plans to work with Dennis early next semester to record social media content students are more likely to see
• William suggested this could be good PSA content covering broader social media and technology issues
• Historical context:
• Sexting became hot topic approximately 9-10 years ago (around 2015-2016)
• Led to community meetings and regularized training
• Community meetings tended to reach parents already engaged ("preaching to the choir")
• Online content may help parents who become interested when incidents happen

Williamson County Commission

Tuesday December 16th

Joint City/County Advisory Committee Agenda Audio

AI Summary

Action Items

• [ ] Chairman - Coordinate Mack and Frank for solid waste meeting Set up solid waste management presentation for March meeting

Overview

• County applied for a TDOT transportation planning grant in October 2025 to develop a strategic transportation plan focused on identifying and prioritizing critical regional congestion points
• Group decided on 2026 meeting topics: infrastructure development districts in March and solid waste management in June
• County population projected to double to 535,000 over the next 20 years from current 285,000-300,000 residents
• 30,000 people commute out of county for work while 30,000 commute in, creating bidirectional traffic congestion
• GNRC/MPO completed most detailed planning process to date with extensive data collection and project scoring to prioritize regionally significant transportation projects across 13 counties

2025 transportation planning recap

• Greg Dale recapped the fourth quarterly meeting since the roundtable started in March 2025
• Transportation emerged as top priority, leading to June meeting with TDOT Deputy Commissioner Preston Elliott on planning systems and September meeting with Paul Daigle on funding
• Paul urged creating a countywide comprehensive plan to better position county for funding
• Assessment revealed stitching together individual jurisdiction plans would be impractical due to different terminology, forecasting methods, and time frames
• Group concluded a simple countywide plan identifying billions in improvements wouldn't improve strategic positioning in funding cycles

Strategic transportation plan grant application

• County shifted focus from comprehensive to strategic transportation plan targeting projects with biggest countywide multi-jurisdictional impact regardless of jurisdiction
• Grant application submitted in October 2025 uses language developed through roundtable discussions
• Timeline for grant decision unknown, but group expects to hear by next meeting
• Strategic approach focuses on identifying critical regional congestion points and targeted improvements rather than cataloging all planning needs

GNRC/MPO planning process and project prioritization

• Victor and Paul reported GNRC conducting most extensive and data-driven planning process to date
• Law requires GNRC/MPO to do coordinated comprehensive planning that is fiscally constrained
• GNRC hired consultant to deep dive into cost estimates to ensure fiscal constraint and proper project vetting
• Scoring matrix evaluates regionally important projects while allowing jurisdictions to advocate for community-specific priorities
• GNRC provides performance measures showing project status to avoid projects disappearing into "illustrative list black hole"
• Paul emphasized state government measures progress county by county, making unified county voice more impactful than individual city requests
• TCC (Technical Coordinating Committee) meets monthly with strong Williamson County representation through Franklin's John Nathan Marston as chair
• Moore's Lane and one other interchange identified as priority projects on I-65 corridor from Davidson County line to Maury County on long-range plan

East-west corridor connectivity needs

• McEwen Road emerged as critical east-west connector with Franklin securing over $30 million in federal funding (started at $10 million)
• Franklin and Brentwood coordinating to extend McEwen Road with next phase ready to go
• Highway 96 interchange became major choke point as road widened to the east but funnels into congested interchange near Franklin
• East-west corridor from I-65 to I-24 discussed twice in past 8 years but died due to lack of funding
• No land procured but multiple routes studied through Nolensville, county, and Franklin

I-65 choice lanes and public-private partnerships

• TDOT concluded state government can't afford I-65 widening with zero political will to raise taxes
• New model uses public-private partnerships where vendor bankrolls new capacity and recoups investment over 50 years
• Choice lanes use variable tolling to guarantee 45 mph minimum travel speed by managing congestion
• Tennessee law requires maintaining all existing free lanes—only new capacity can be tolled
• Governor and General Assembly made clear existing 8 free lanes today means 8 free lanes tomorrow with only new capacity tolled

Public comments on growth and development

• Mrs. James urged group to focus on root causes of overgrowth rather than just transportation solutions
• James advocated revising land development ordinances and zoning to better manage growth and protect taxpayer finances
• James opposed high-density affordable housing developments that negatively impact resources and tax burden
• Janet Curtis questioned accuracy of TDOT traffic counts, noting website shows 2-year-old data and projections without clear methodology
• Kathy Green expressed frustration with traffic congestion and feeling county prioritizes new development over existing residents
• Kathy criticized municipalities for annexing property from UGB and rezoning to allow developments that worsen known problems
• Commissioner Bill Petty noted county loses $12 million annually on ambulance service
• He raised concerns about volunteer firefighter recruitment challenges requiring future paid firefighters and new firehouses in unincorporated areas

Wednesday December 17th

Law Enforcement and Public Safety Committee Agenda Audio Presentation Resolutions Minutes Accreditation Documents late Filed Resolutions

AI Summary

Action Items

• [ ] Chairman Tunnicliffe - Schedule special law enforcement meeting Week prior to January County Commission meeting to discuss Emergency Services Task Force resolution.
• [ ] Bill Petty - Revise Emergency Services Task Force membership Include Arrington Fire Chief and incorporate input from other commissioners via email.

Overview

• Jail achieved Tier 2 accreditation in December 2025, making Williamson County one of only 6 jails in Tennessee (out of 95 counties) with this status
• Tier 2 accreditation increases state inmate reimbursement from $38 to $50 per day—projected $500,000 annual increase based on last year's numbers
• Committee passed interlocal agreement with City of Franklin for emergency response on I-65 and portion of 840 at no cost to the county
• Committee deferred Emergency Services Task Force proposal to special meeting before January County Commission to allow further review of membership and scope
• Five-year capital improvement program for schools, roads, fire protection and recreation failed due to lack of supporting budget numbers

Jail tier 2 accreditation and quarterly update

• Chad presented quarterly jail update covering 9/1 to 11/30/2025
• Williamson County voluntarily pursued Tennessee Corrections Institute accreditation starting in 2023
• Tier 1 requirements: 5 mandatory standards and 17 out of 20 optional standards—county met 18 out of 20 and earned Tier 1 in 2023
• County pursued Tier 2 in 2025 and was awarded accreditation in December 2025
• Tier 2 increases state inmate reimbursement by $12 per day (from $38 to $50)
• Based on last year's numbers, county would have received approximately $1.5 million without any tier accreditation
• With Tier 2, projected reimbursement increases to roughly $2 million annually (approximately $500,000 increase)
• County loses $75 per day on each state inmate since housing costs are $125 per day
• Population and housing statistics:
  • Average daily population: 301 inmates (246 male, 55 female)
  • Rated bed capacity: 454
  • Total bookings: 1,420
  • Total releases: 1,307
• Incident and security statistics:
  • 9 inmate-on-inmate assaults
  • 2 inmate-on-staff assaults
  • 5 use-of-force incidents
  • 1 suicide attempt
  • 0 inmate deaths
  • 0 inmate escapes
  • Tasers used 3 times, chemical agents used 2 times
• Medical activity: 12 emergency medical transports and 53 inmates placed on suicide watch
• Programs: 12 GED graduates during the quarter
• Staffing: 103 authorized positions, 88 filled, 15 vacancies—14 positions currently in hiring process leaving 1 vacant
• Grievances and discipline: 1,109 grievances submitted, 220 disciplinary reports on staff, 58 criminal reports completed
• Significant developments:
  • Boss, a 2-year-old male narcotics dog, was donated and passed U.S. Police K9 Association certification in November 2025
  • One housing unit retrofitted to meet ADA compliance to reduce future litigation
• Lieutenant Driscoll serves as accreditation manager and led the effort to achieve Tier 2 status
• Tier 2 accreditation requires quarterly updates to Law Enforcement Committee and staffing analysis every 4 years by outside department

Jail staffing analysis report

• Jim Hart from County Technical Assistance Service presented required staffing analysis for Tier 2 accreditation
• Analysis covers both jail operations and medical components
• Report is informational for sheriff to use in future budget planning—no committee action required
• Staffing challenges identified:
  • Recruitment improved but retention remains difficult—new employees leave after gaining training and experience
  • High turnover requires significant training officer effort
  • Jail shifted from 12-hour to 10-hour shifts in June 2025 to improve work-life balance
  • Recently moved to 8-hour shifts due to staffing challenges but plans to return to 10-hour shifts when 14 new positions are filled
  • No relief coverage for staff breaks—requires shift supervisors to leave duties to cover posts
  • Outside transports require calling deputies in on overtime or pulling from existing shifts, creating coverage gaps
• Coverage plan addresses both relieved positions (must be covered when vacant) and non-relieved positions (duties absorbed by others)
• Staffing analysis recommendations by category:
  • Administration: 16 positions
  • Support (food service, maintenance, work crew): 14 positions
  • Floor operations: 69 positions (based on 10-hour shifts)
  • Booking section: 20.5 positions
  • Total recommended staffing: 119.5 positions
• Relief factor calculated using 3-year average of employee time off to capture highs and lows
• Training hours are under-tracked—food service showed 0 hours, booking specialists 0 hours, deputies 5.4 hours per person over 3 years despite 40-hour annual in-service requirement
• Schedule evaluation found 30 of 42 shifts were 1 to 4 people short of needed staffing
• 4 shifts had deputies assigned to hospital, further degrading coverage
• 4 shifts were overstaffed—could shift those resources to understaffed periods
• 27 shifts had 8 or fewer people present despite plan calling for 9 to 10
• Healthcare provider is responsive and coverage is adequate
• Medical deputy position often pulled for other duties, impacting healthcare operations and medication pass
• More detailed intake screening at booking improves care but delays intake process
• Recommendations:
  • Monitor 10-hour shift implementation closely and reconsider 8-hour shifts if staffing doesn't support it
  • Create exterior transport team for hospital appointments and transports
  • Continuously review daily activities to balance workload peaks and valleys
  • Improve tracking of training time off to accurately calculate relief factor

Five-year capital improvement program

• Committee failed resolution amending five-year capital improvement program for schools, roads, fire protection and recreation
• Resolution lacked supporting budget numbers and details
• Committee voted against advancing resolution due to insufficient information

Interlocal agreements for fire response and software

• Committee passed interlocal agreement with City of Franklin for firefighting and emergency response services
• Franklin agreed to provide emergency response on I-65 southbound from their station behind AG Center and small portion of 840
• Franklin can reach these areas more quickly than County Station 24 in Goose Creek or Station 28 in Batesville
• No payment associated with agreement—Franklin volunteered and initiated the request
• Resolution previously made partial progress through approval process but was confused with Nolansville and Fairview agreements that involved county payments
• Committee passed interlocal agreement with Town of Nolansville for reimbursement of software license costs
• State law allows one local government to make purchases for another with legislative body approval
• Nolansville wanted optional feature in county's area dispatch system that county didn't need
• County offered to purchase it and Nolansville will reimburse full cost
• One-time payment, not recurring cost

Equipment rental and surplus weapons

• Committee passed equipment rental agreement with Diverse Computing Incorporated for approximately $3,000 per year
• Agreement allows installation of fingerprint machine in courthouse
• Equipment includes Cisco Firepower 1010 gateway/firewall managed by DCI to connect to state computers
• County cannot manage device directly because it would provide access to state systems
• County already has approval and funds to purchase fingerprint machine but needs gateway to link to state
• Captain Yeager explained people can go to courthouse to get fingerprinted
• Committee passed resolution declaring certain county-owned weapons as surplus
• Resolution is follow-up to correct weapons mistakenly left off previous month's surplus declaration

Emergency services task force proposal

• Commissioner Petty proposed creating Williamson County Emergency Services Task Force to study current and future ambulance service and fire protection needs
• Key issues driving proposal:
  • Ambulance service agreements with Spring Hill need cleanup due to portions of city in Maury County
  • Long response times in outer areas of county
  • Difficulty recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters
  • May need to transition to paid firefighters and build additional fire stations in unincorporated areas in future
• Connor Scott, Public Safety Director, outlined concurrent activities affecting fire and EMS planning:
  • State legislature referred EMS funding bill to TASSER for statewide study
  • Potential hospital sale creates uncertainty about whether new owner would provide EMS or if it would revert to county
  • Election year
  • CTAS fire service study starting in January 2026 to examine staffing and station placement for potential career department transition—will take several months
• Connor noted EMS is financially unsustainable at current level—county must either find funding through cuts elsewhere, revenue increases, or reduce service level
• Current volunteer fire model also not sustainable despite efforts to improve retention and recruitment
• Commissioner Sanders raised concerns about task force approach based on previous fire task force experience that started with 75-100 people, ended with 15, and produced report with inaccuracies
• Sanders noted Arrington Fire Department not included in membership despite answering 80% of Station 12's calls and some Station 28 calls due to volunteer shortages
• Sanders questioned why county answers calls in Maury County
• Commissioner Petty expressed confidence in current leadership and stated this would be different from previous task force
• Committee Chair Tunnicliffe raised concerns about undefined task force size and membership, lack of inclusion of other cities like Thompson Station
• Tunnicliffe noted Spring Hill's request for new ambulance for third fire station felt like sudden emergency despite years of planning and county involvement in building design
• Tunnicliffe requested deferral to allow time to review resolution in detail due to recent surgery
• Committee deferred resolution to special meeting scheduled for week prior to January 2026 County Commission meeting
• Commissioner Petty agreed to accept input on task force membership amendments via email

Hurricane response reimbursement

• Committee passed resolution appropriating $4,966.87 to Office of Public Safety budget for overtime, supplies and vehicle maintenance
• Reimbursement from Tennessee Emergency Management Agency for emergency management assistance to North Carolina
• Funds cover personnel deployment to North Carolina for Hurricane Debbie response
• Reimbursement includes costs for Butch's F550 vehicle and communications trailer
• Deployment contracts allow billing for man hours, food, equipment hours, and detailed costs like generator run time
• Butch and one other person qualified to drive trailer—Sean Cauthorn also qualified to deploy but in elevated role

Special Note: Since Williamson County does not record any meetings other than the commission, budget committee and planning commission meetings, I am recording all the meetings that I attend on my iPhone. Starting on January 1, 2026, all county committee meetings will be recorded and posted on the county website.

Board of Mayor and Aldermen

there was only one meeting this past week and you can go here. Next BOMA meeting is January 9th.

Election Commission

No meetings this week or next

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

If you like Friday Recap, check out these other grassroots conservative projects!

• Grassroots Citizens of Williamson County Provides free tools and information to help grassroots conservatives exercise their citizenship here in Williamson County.
• Tennessee Voters for Election Integrity is helping restore confidence in Tennessee Elections.
• 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.

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