Friday Recap July 3rd, 2026

My Comment

Fiscal year 2025-26 is going out with a bang and 2026-27 is picking right up. There is so much going on it is hard to keep up. We are rapidly approaching the General Election on August 6th. I will have more information with regards to early voting times and locations in next week's edition.

4th of July

We, as a country, have always celebrated the 4th of July as the beginning of our Republic. When I read about the struggles of Washington and the Continental Army, I shake my head in dismay. How did this ragtag, under trained, underfunded, and disparate group of malcontents manage to defeat the most powerful army in the world?

Washington lost more battles than he won and spent most of the war in "on the job training" mode. And yet, he and his army prevailed. Early on there were many colonists who were not sure that they wanted to get involved in the rebellion for obvious reasons. Life in the colonies was, by and large, pretty good, and Britain was the dominant world power.

A man named Thomas Paine (I'm sure most of you know of him) wrote a pamphlet that got a distribution of 150,000 or so copies that roused the people to arms. If one is looking for an example of the power of the pen, Common Sense is exhibit A. As we reflect on the meaning of July 4th and the subsequent 250 years of our Republic, it is good to be reminded of the reasons for our rebellion as Paine so clearly expressed, and to be ever vigilant in protecting the rights our ancestors fought so hard to ensure.

Highlights from this week

A joint meeting of the Williamson County Commission and Franklin BOMA met in an informational session — no votes taken — with the explicit goal of gauging whether the three bodies (Board of Mayor and Aldermen, County Commission, Sports Authority) want staff to begin detailed work on a potential public-private ice facility partnership at The Banks at Brownland. The project is going to move ahead but there is a long way to go and many questions need to be answered about possible flooding problems, traffic, and the financial structure of the development. The developers are asking for public/private funding that will require tax dollars from Williamson County residents. I will have more specific questions in coming weeks. To be clear; this project has not been presented to the City of Franklin Planning Department for consideration. Much work has to be done before that happens. 13 action items came out of this meeting and there are more to come. Also, there will be public hearings.

If you have questions or concerns, email your Commissioners and Aldermen. We need input from our constituents and you have a right to be heard.

School Board met an chose an interim superintendent, approved the final budget, created a search committee for a new superintendent and approved pay raises.

Williamson Health Trustees and the Williamson County Mayor have announced specials meetings for Monday, July 6th. Details and links below.

Sheriff's report. This is the May numbers

Meetings this past week were:

Monday, June 29th

Joint meeting of Franklin BOMA and Williamson County Commissioners

Special meeting of Williamson County School Board

 Wednesday, July 1st

Highway Commission

Meetings Next Week:

Monday, July 6th

Williamson Health Trustee meeting will take place at 2:00 pm in the West Tower 1, Conference Rooms A and B, 4321 Carothers Parkway, Franklin, Go here for details.

The Budget Committee will meet at 4:30 pm in the Auditorium at the Williamson County Administrative Complex at 1320 W. main, Franklin Agenda Resolutions Committee members: Chas Morton (C), Guy Carden, Betsy Hester, Paul Web, Mayor Anderson

The County Commission will be meeting in the auditorium of the County Building at 1320 W. Main, Franklin at 6:00 pm. Agenda

Tuesday, July 7th

The Parks and Rec. Committee will meet at 5:30 pm in the Executive Conference Room of the Williamson County Administrative Complex at 1320 W. main, Franklin Agenda Committee members: Drew Torres (C), Mary Smith (VC), Lisa Hayes, Gregg Lawrence, Meghan Guffee, Sean Aiello

Thursday, July 9th

Planning Commission will meet at 5:30 pm in the Main Auditorium of the Williamson County Administrative Complex. Agenda/Packet

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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, June 29th

School Board met in special session Agenda Video

AI Summary

Overview

• Board approved terminating Superintendent Jason Golden's contract by mutual agreement on July 14th (11–0), ahead of his original August 7th resignation date, to avoid a transition right before school starts
• Dr. Leigh Webb was appointed Interim Superintendent effective July 15th through October 5th (83 days, the statutory limit tied to the August 6th school board election) at an amended salary of $295,000 annualized — up from the draft contract's $275,000 (11–0)
• Board authorized creation of a Superintendent Search Advisory Committee (11–0); Chair Josh Brown will appoint members in the coming weeks, with up to 6 board members and community stakeholders; the committee must be reauthorized by the new board at its first organizational meeting in September
• General purpose school fund budget amended down to $566,790,932 from $571,684,432, reflecting a $2.2M textbook deferral and a $2,693,500 reduction in medical insurance allocation from the county — approved 10–1 (Welch no)
• 2026-27 pay charts approved 11–0: 5% for hourly staff, 4% for teachers and salaried classified staff, 2% for leadership; total raise budget is $12.4M, of which $8.9M goes to teachers
• Cafeteria and extended school fund budget amendments both approved 10–1 (Welch no), reflecting the same county-driven insurance reduction and the new pay rates

Jason Golden's departure

• Board voted 11–0 to terminate Golden's contract by mutual agreement on July 14th, moving up his original August 7th resignation date so the transition happens mid-summer rather than days before school starts
• Golden agreed to the early termination date and noted summer is the best time to make the change
• Golden highlighted two student success metrics from his 7-year tenure: AP class participation up ~25% (from ~10,200 to 13,804) and pass rate up ~50% (from ~7,400 to 11,578), all while enrollment stayed flat or declined
• Golden noted starting teacher pay grew from $37,500 in 2019 to $52,124 with tonight's approval, and the 10-year teacher salary line grew from $43,776 to $59,194
• Golden is leaving to to go to work for Franklin Special School District

Dr. Leigh Webb's interim appointment

• Board appointed Dr. Leigh Webb as Interim Superintendent effective July 15th through October 5th (83 days) and approved her contract as amended, 11–0
• Welch moved to amend the salary from $275,000 to $295,000 annualized, noting the original $275,000 was only $5,000 more than the superintendent's salary 7 years ago and that Webb is taking on the full role without her own assistant superintendent for secondary schools; amendment passed 11–0
• Galbraith confirmed there are no meaningful budget implications — Golden's vacated salary more than covers the difference, with roughly $200,000 remaining even if an interim served a full year
• The contract is capped at October 5th by state law (TCA 49-2-203), which limits interim appointments to no more than 60 days after the August 6th general school board election; the new board would have the option to extend
• Webb said her focus is entirely on the interim role and serving the district, not on the permanent superintendency
• Golden strongly recommended approval, calling Webb "as complete an administrator as I've ever worked with"

Superintendent search advisory committee

• Board authorized creation of a Superintendent Search Advisory Committee 11–0; Chair Brown will appoint members in the coming weeks
• The committee can include community stakeholders (county commissioners, principals, staff, mayors were suggested) alongside up to 6 board members — the statutory maximum
• The committee's role is advisory: setting criteria, shaping the job description, and gathering community input — it cannot participate in candidate interviews, which under Public Chapter 1048 must be conducted by board members only and may be held in executive session
• The committee serves only until the new board's first organizational meeting in September, at which point the new board must vote to reauthorize it or take different action
• Galbraith flagged that Policy 5.801 Section C (requiring candidate interviews in open session, board members only) will need to be formally amended once the new board is seated to align with the new state law allowing executive session interviews

General purpose school fund budget amendment

• Amended budget is $566,790,932, down from the $571,684,432 approved on March 23rd, driven by two county-level changes: a $2.2M reduction tied to the elementary social studies textbook purchase and a $2,693,500 reduction in the medical insurance allocation
• The county also transferred 2 pennies of property tax rate to schools, worth ~$5.2M to WCS (split with FSD), which partially offsets next year's structural gap
• Golden recommended the $2.2M textbook cost be brought back as a budget amendment around March or funded in the FY2028 budget, noting the district alternates between high-cost adoption years (social studies, ELA, math, science) and lower-cost years — this year's textbook budget is $7M more than last year's
• Welch voted no, citing cumulative cuts since March including Chromebooks ($2.7M), deferred equipment, copy paper, and professional development, and objecting to cutting elementary textbook purchases while the state ranks 51st in education funding
• Rachel noted the budget is now only $1.7M above the minimum required 3% fund balance, leaving very little cushion
• Golden flagged that the county commission acknowledged this is a one-year solution, with several commissioners noting next year's budget will be harder

2026-27 pay charts

• Board approved the 2026-27 pay charts 11–0 with differentiated increases: 5% for hourly staff (teachers' assistants, maintenance, cafeteria, school-aged childcare), 4% for teachers and salaried classified staff, and 2% for leadership
• The 5% for hourly staff was driven by LeanFrog market analysis showing significant gaps at hourly pay rates; reducing leadership to 2% freed up enough to fund the extra 1% for hourly staff (within ~$10,000)
• Total raise budget is $12.4M, with $8.9M going directly to teachers (roughly two-thirds), plus an additional ~$4M roll increase
• Cash raised concern that principals and assistant principals — who drive student outcomes — are receiving only 2%, calling it a difficult tradeoff in one of the wealthiest counties in the country
• Galbraith cautioned the incoming board that redesigning the pay scale without additional funding won't solve compression — the scale was intentionally built to be competitive at entry and at the top end (21+ years), with a known gap in the middle, and fixing that gap would require tens of millions more
• Brown noted the board can't cut its way out of the pay scale problem

Cafeteria & extended school fund budget amendments

• Central cafeteria fund budget amended to $21,615,317, reflecting the county's insurance allocation reduction and the new pay rates — approved 10–1 (Welch no)
• Extended school program fund budget amended to $8,226,127 for the same reasons — approved 10–1 (Welch no)

Williamson County Commission Meetings

Monday,

Joint meeting of Williamson County Commissioners and Franklin BOMA Presentation Video

AI Summary

Action Items

• [ ] Danny Butler - Provide long-term capital plan for the Franklin ice facility Commissioners and aldermen flagged surprise capital expenditures as a concern; provide a long-term capital plan for the proposed Franklin facility similar to those done for Antioch, Bellevue, and Centennial.
• [ ] Eric Stuckey - Begin staff-level evaluation of the ice facility partnership agreement City and county staff to begin legwork on the interlocal agreement, financing structure, and operating agreement framework so options can be brought back to elected leadership.
• [ ] Greg Gamble - Add Commissioner Petty's flagged intersections to the traffic study Add Mack Hatcher/96 (West Haven), Mack Hatcher/96 (downtown), and Murfreesboro Road intersections to the traffic study scope, per Commissioner Petty's request.
• [ ] Greg Gamble - Advance flood study and submit CLOMAR to FEMA FEMA CLOMAR/LOMAR process must be completed before construction can begin; team to advance the flood study and submit for FEMA review.
• [ ] Greg Gamble - Finalize program elements and initiate traffic study Prepare and submit the traffic study to the City of Franklin and third-party reviewer once program elements are finalized, targeting master plan submittal in August.
• [ ] Jim Darter - Correct sales tax distribution in the economic impact pro forma Commissioner Williams flagged that the draft pro forma (March 10) incorrectly splits sales tax 50-50 between city and county; since the site is within city limits, the split needs to be corrected.
• [ ] Jim Darter - Establish lease and profit-sharing terms with the Predators Next steps per the summary slide: establish lease and profit-sharing terms with the Nashville Predators.
• [ ] Jim Darter - Bring horse show relocation proposal to BOMA Multiple attendees asked about preserving equestrian use; Jim indicated active work to find a permanent home for the Anderton horse shows in Franklin — bring a proposal to BOMA.
• [ ] Jim Darter - Confirm number of structures outside the floodplain in the master plan Vice Mayor Baggett asked how many structures would be outside the floodplain; confirm the final count as the master plan is refined.
• [ ] Jim Darter - Facilitate introductions to Dory Bowles at Harpeth Conservancy for interested commissioners/aldermen Commissioner Sturgeon asked about communication with Harpeth Conservancy; Jim offered to facilitate a connection for anyone who wants Dory Bowles's perspective on the project.
• [ ] Jim Darter - Address downstream flood impacts in the flood study for Fernvale residents Commissioner Hayes and others asked about impacts to downstream Harpeth River residents (e.g., Fernvale); ensure the flood study addresses downstream effects beyond the immediate site.
• [ ] Jim Darter - Finalize intergovernmental agreement for ice facility repayment Next steps per the summary slide: finalize the intergovernmental agreement outlining repayment sources and obligations between the City of Franklin, Williamson County, and the Sports Authority.
• [ ] Jim Darter - Negotiate development agreement with the Sports Authority Next steps per the summary slide: negotiate and execute the development agreement between BLVD Capital and the Sports Authority.

Overview

• This was an informational session — no votes taken — with the explicit goal of gauging whether the three bodies (Board of Mayor and Aldermen, County Commission, Sports Authority) want staff to begin detailed work on a potential public-private ice facility partnership at The Banks at Brownland
• The Sports Authority (Larry Westbrook) confirmed interest in moving forward; Alderman Brown and Vice Mayor Baggett both expressed support for further exploration; Commissioner Petty and others raised traffic and flooding concerns but did not oppose exploration
• Key deal terms on the table: BLVD Capital donates land, Sports Authority of Williamson County issues ~$45M in bonds, annual debt service of $2.5–3.5M split equally between the City of Franklin and Williamson County, Nashville Predators operate under a up to 30-year lease
• Economic impact study (Younger Associates) projects $555M annual impact, $18.9M in annual local taxes, and a $7.44-to-$1 benefit-to-cost ratio over 20 years
• Flooding and traffic are the two dominant unresolved concerns — flood study is in early stages, traffic study hasn't started yet (pending finalized program elements), and no off-site road improvement commitments exist yet
• Commissioner Williams flagged that the sales tax split in the pro forma shows 50/50 city-county, but because the site is within city limits, the county won't receive a significant share of sales tax — this was not resolved

Public comment

• Patricia Cooper (figure skating parent) supported the project but asked for guardrails against a monopoly on ice programming, citing concerns about the Predators' relationship with Total Package Hockey limiting independent coaches and programs
• Diane Bridges (equestrian, Franklin resident) opposed rezoning to commercial, arguing it accelerates the loss of horse facilities in Williamson County and that a prior ice rink at Cool Springs failed
• Alicia Bell, CEO of GraceWorks Ministries, spoke in strong support, noting the land donation would give GraceWorks — which serves 15,000 neighbors annually — a permanent home after 30+ years in the community
• Randy Lovelace, lead pastor of Christ Community Church, noted the congregation was 98% in approval of the partnership with BLVD Capital
• Carol O'Connor (identified as "Terrell" in the meeting) supported the project, specifically asking developers to keep it family-friendly rather than upscale dining
• Greg Robinson spoke in favor of the public golf component, citing a lack of accessible driving range and practice facilities for junior golfers in Williamson County
• James Bardsley raised a series of questions about the financial structure — specifically who bears costs for maintenance, infrastructure, and long-term liabilities — and asked that all study results be posted publicly

Banks at Brownland overview

• BLVD Capital's Jim Darter introduced the project: 238-acre site at the northwest corner of Mack Hatcher and Hillsboro Road, framed by the Harpeth River, with over 400,000 SF of planned uses
• The site plan includes an ice facility, 9-hole/200-bay golf practice facility, 11 multipurpose athletic fields, public pickleball courts, lifestyle retail, fitness, medical office, specialty grocery, and dining
• A paved greenway wrapping the Harpeth River horseshoe and a kayak/canoe launch are also planned, intended to connect to the existing greenway system
• Commercial uses are intentionally concentrated in the roughly 57 acres above the floodplain; athletic and community uses occupy the lower-lying areas
• The Predators will operate the ice facility; Brooks West (Franklin Bridge Golf Club) will operate the golf component; Tennessee Titans and Nashville Soccer Club are partners for the athletic fields, with an emphasis on open community access over private club control
• Alderman Brown noted the Planning Commission changed the land use designation in 2023 from single-family residential to commercial recreation, which created the path for this proposal, and said he was a driving force in denying the prior residential project

Graceworks land donation

• BLVD Capital is under contract to purchase 18 acres from Christ Community Church, 6 of which will be donated to GraceWorks at no cost
• In addition to the land, BLVD Capital will prepare a construction-ready building pad and bring utilities to the site — a combined investment of over $3M in the nonprofit
• Alicia Bell confirmed GraceWorks serves 15,000 Williamson County neighbors annually and has struggled to find a permanent home due to rising land costs

Flood map revision

• Of the 238.45 total acres, 200.41 acres are currently in the floodplain, leaving only 38.04 acres above it
• The proposed revision consolidates two floodways into one on the east side, installs larger culverts under Hillsboro Road so water passes under rather than over the road, and lowers the floodplain elevation — increasing above-floodplain area to 57.42 acres, a gain of 19.38 acres
• The City of Franklin requires 150% volume replacement for any floodplain fill, so the project will actually increase water storage capacity on site
• FEMA must approve a Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMAR) before grading begins, and a Letter of Map Revision (LOMAR) after construction is complete before any building can start — the city and county have no authority over this process
• All commercial buildings must have finish floor elevations at least 1 foot above the floodplain per City of Franklin regulations — no buildings will be in the 100-year floodplain
• Commissioner Hayes raised concerns about downstream flooding impacts on Fernvale residents along the Harpeth River; Greg Gamble (Kimley Horn) confirmed the flood study is still in early stages and that FEMA requires the same volume of water flow, not an increase

Traffic study

• The City of Franklin identified 16 intersections to be studied, counted during the school year in early December 2025
• The traffic study can't begin until the program elements are finalized — Kimley Horn said they're close, with a target to submit the development plan to the city in August 2026
• Once submitted, the study goes to a third-party reviewer who determines required off-site road improvements — the developer doesn't choose them
• Commissioner Petty (District 10) raised that Mack Hatcher/96 and Murfreesboro Road intersections weren't on the current list; Greg Gamble said he noted them and will add them to the study scope
• Vice Mayor Baggett noted a planned improvement project at Mack Hatcher and Hillsboro Road is currently in design and going to bid imminently, which will be part of the broader traffic conversation
• The development will be subject to both arterial and collector road impact fees, which can fund off-site road improvements

Nashville Predators ice program

• The Predators currently operate 5 facilities: Ford Ice Center Antioch (opened 2014), Ford Ice Center Bellevue (2019), Ford Ice Center Clarksville (2023), F&M Bank Arena (2023), and Centennial Sportsplex (took over operations May 2026)
• Each facility draws over 1 million visitors annually, hosts 30+ tournaments and camps per year, and generates over $3.5M in annual revenue
• The Predators invest over $700,000 annually in free programming and equipment across their facilities
• Danny Butler noted Tennessee has only 10 sheets of ice statewide, 8 of which are in Middle Tennessee, and that current facilities operate at roughly 110% capacity — demand consistently exceeds supply
• Over 60,000 Williamson County participants currently leave the county for ice sports, spending more than $1.1M annually outside the county
• Commissioner Turr asked what's different from A-Game, which failed as a private operator; Sean Henry explained the public-private partnership model removes building costs from the operator and that the Predators absorb operating losses (currently $250K–$500K/year per facility) because community impact is the goal, not profit

Ice facility deal structure

• Land: donated by BLVD Capital to the Sports Authority of Williamson County at no cost
• Project cost: approximately $45M, funded by bonds issued by the Sports Authority
• Annual debt service: $2.5–3.5M for 20 years, split equally between the City of Franklin and Williamson County via an intergovernmental agreement
• Predators enter a lease of up to 30 years, covering all operating expenses, routine maintenance, staffing, programming, and marketing
• Predators contribute to an annual capital reserve fund on a tiered schedule: $150K/year (years 1–5), $200K (years 6–10), $225K (years 11–15), $250K (years 16–20)
• Profits split 75% to the City and County, 25% to the Predators, after any prior-year losses are fully recovered
• Sports Authority retains responsibility for major capital items and replacement/damage insurance
• Commissioner Lawrence asked about long-term capital improvement projections — none have been formally studied yet, but Danny Butler said the Predators have long-term capital plans for all existing facilities and can produce one for this site; he noted they're 12 years into Antioch without drawing any capital dollars from the city
• Vice Mayor Baggett flagged the conference center as a cautionary example of surprise capital expenditures and asked staff to scrutinize the capital reserve structure carefully in any agreement

Economic impact

• One-time construction impact: $218.9M investment, $344.6M total one-time impact, 955 jobs, $84.9M wages, $4M in local taxes and fees
• Annual impact at full operation: $555M total, 2,811 jobs, $93.6M wages, $18.9M in local taxes (sales, property, and other, direct and indirect)
• Benefit-to-cost ratio: $7.44 returned for every $1 invested by city/county — $4.17 for the City of Franklin, $4.13 for Williamson County
• Visitor spending (hockey only): 1.6M projected visitor days, 124,080 hotel nights, $301.1M annual spending impact, $5.8M attributable sales tax, $1.7M hotel lodging tax
• Commissioner Williams flagged that the pro forma (marked draft, dated March 10th) shows a 50/50 sales tax split between city and county, but since the site is within city limits, the county won't receive a meaningful share of sales tax — Darter noted not all visitor spending occurs on-site, but Williams maintained the preponderance still falls within city limits
• Revenue model is untrended (no inflation adjustments) and phases in conservatively over 4 years (25% → 57% → 100% capacity), with retail vacancy factored in

Wednesday, July 1st

Highway Commission Agenda. Since these meetings are not recorded, I have no further information at this time

Franklin Board of Mayor and Alderman

Monday,

See Williamson County meetings above

For all other meetings go here.

Election Commission

No meetings this past 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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