Newsletter

Friday Recap March 20th, 2026

Bill Petty

21 Mar 2026 — 22 min read

My Comment

This past week HB2419 got voted down in the Tennessee House State and Local Committee. It would have given counties the ability to disprove the annexation of a property if the development for that property had a significant negative impact on the county. Needless to say, it was very controversial. You can go here to watch the video and see how each representative voted.

We are in budget season at the county and if you really want to see how your money is spent, stay tuned because every week I will be publishing the various committee meetings so you can see the process. This week you can see the Law Enforcement and Public Safety proposed budget and the conversation around that.

My Campaign

I am running for a full term as commissioner for District 10. You can go to Votebillpetty.com to get to my website. There are going to be over 40 people running for office in the primary on May 5th. Each district has two commissioners and District 10 has five people running with three Republicans and two Democrats. I will need all the support I can get. If you want to help, please go to my website and donate and/or get involved. I have just created a FaceBook page that you can follow by going to www.facebook.com/BillPettyDistrict10WCC/

Why I'm running video here

Final Candidates for the May 5th primary

Candidates running for county office in the May 5 primary.

Candidates for August 6th primary*

Candidates running for state and federal office office in the August 6th primary. Filing deadline is noon March 10th.

*This is a correction from earlier reports where I had the primary listed for May 5th.

If you don't know who is running for office in your district or where and when to vote, you can go to Grassrootscitizens.com

Also, there is an interview with me by grassrootscitizens here

Sheriff's Report for January 26

Meetings this past week were:

Public Health Commission Law Enforcement and Public Safety Planning Commission

Meetings next week:

Tuesday, March 24th

Growth Management Round Table Agenda Will meet at 8:30 am in the Executive Conference Room in the County Building at 1320 W. Main St., Franklin.

Opioid Task Force will meet at 1:30 pm in the Executive Conference Room in the County Building at 1320 W. Main St., Franklin. Agenda

Human Resources Committee will meet at 5:30 pm in the Executive Conference Room in the County Building at 1320 W. Main St., Franklin. Agenda Personnel Policy Amendment New Personnel requests

Wednesday, March 25th

Storm Water Appeals Board will meet at 8:30 am and I have no further information.

The Election Commission will meet at 4:30 pm at 405 Downs Blvd, Franklin Agenda

The Property Committee will meet at 5:30 pm in the Executive Conference Room in the County Building at 1320 W. Main St., Franklin. Agenda Packet

For all Franklin City meetings, go here

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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

Thursday, March 19th

WCS Work Session Agenda Video

AI Summary

Action Items

[ ] Jason Golden - Present screen time committee update at April work session Item was pulled from tonight's agenda due to time; committed to giving the full update in April.
[ ] Jason Golden - Send board a memo on library book program update Cover parent opt-outs, the immature reading list, and progress librarians have made this year. Due within the next week, ahead of the April work session discussion.
[ ] Jason Golden - Provide effect size citation for instructional coaching data Board member asked for the source behind the effect size figures — identified as the Gym Knights Instructional Coaching Group.
[ ] Jen Sauer - Send Tanya the social studies grade-level standards shift summary in writing The slide-puzzle breakdown of which standards are moving between grades 3–5 (geography, US history, 20th century history).
[ ] Rachel Farmer - Send TISA funding letter to board members The first full TISA estimate letter received from the state, showing the base increase and full funding calculation.
[ ] Rachel Farmer - Email budget PowerPoint to board members Digital copy of the full budget presentation slides.
[ ] Vicky Hall - Pull teacher turnover comparison data vs. peer districts Board member asked how Williamson County's retention compares to Metro and surrounding counties. TDOE collects this data from all districts.

Overview

Budget gap narrowed from $39M to $20.1M after operational cuts (5.14% reduction, exceeding the county's 5% directive), revenue revisions, and position reductions — but the budget remains unbalanced heading into commission negotiations
Total proposed budget is $569M with budgeted revenue of $526M; personnel is 86.34% of expenses; a 4% raise ($12.6M) is included per county direction — without it, the gap would be ~$7.5M
Net 28.9 FTE reduction; over 100 retirees already identified, so no involuntary separations are expected
Elementary social studies textbooks deferred to next year to save costs — board members expressed frustration and raised the possibility of using fund balance instead
Unassigned fund balance has dropped $17M since 2021; the one-time fix of budgeting at 94% property tax collection (vs. 92%) is now baked in with no further cushion available
Instructional coaches ($8M+ total cost) were defended strongly by administration and school principals as mission-critical; board member Dr. Johnson questioned the data supporting their impact
Health and CTE textbook adoption recommendations ready for Monday March 23 vote; two board policies go to first reading on consent agenda
Key upcoming dates: education committee March 27, budget committee March 28, joint budget/education committee March 30, full commission vote June 18

Superintendent updates

Screen time committee presentation moved off the agenda; update coming in April work session
Library book policy update (parent opt-outs, immature reading list) coming by memo next week, then full update at April work session
Q3 threat report: zero threats requiring outside law enforcement intervention — down from 3 in Q2 (last one was September 17th)
America 250 celebration committee is active — planning a post-TCAP kickoff event this spring, fall halftime shows, uniform elements, in-game recognitions, and arts/choir events tied to key dates including 9/11 and Veterans Day; a logo has been approved

Legislative bills update

SB 328 / HB 0349 (out-of-county open enrollment): passed the Senate with amendments — districts set their own capacity criteria, can charge tuition for out-of-county students, and can deny enrollment for four reasons (no space, doesn't meet participation criteria, expulsion history/poor behavior, desegregation plan); House hasn't voted yet
Mr. Golden is concerned about the bill — tuition is capped at the local share by a separate law, TISA funding source for transferring students is unresolved, and the discipline language only covers expulsion (not the broader rules-violation discretion Williamson County uses for in-zone transfers)
Mr. Golden also noted that because of fiscal capacity, Williamson County receives less per pupil than most counties, which complicates the financial math for incoming out-of-county students
SB 1957 / HB 1834 (prayer at public board meetings): passed Senate 32–0, placed on House Education Admin Committee calendar March 17
Founding documents/"Ten Commandments" bill: passed House February 12, currently in Senate education committee and deferred
HB 2327 / SB 2055 (IEP private-pay providers): would require LEAs to allow private-pay providers contracted by parents of students with autism or developmental delays to access students during the school day; providers must pass background checks and show licensure/insurance; concern raised that this pulls students from regular classes and adds scheduling complexity
Immigration status bill: House version (March 16, 70–25) is data-collection only; Senate version is stricter and could allow districts to refuse enrollment or charge full tuition to undocumented students — competing versions going to a conference committee

Enrollment & staffing changes

K–12 enrollment projection is 22 students below current first-month actuals — a slight decrease driving staffing standard reductions
Early childhood (EC/special ed pre-K) enrollment is currently 730 and tends to rise through the year as three-year-olds age into eligibility (current projection is 555)
Only one staffing standard change: strings goes from 0.5 to 1.0 FTE when school enrollment reaches 1,400
Net FTE reduction is 28.9 positions — 34.6 FTE were cut last year, putting the two-year total at roughly 63.5 FTE
Reductions came from staffing standard adjustments and a deliberate decision not to refill positions that had been vacant and were being managed without
Additions include 5 staff for the Innovation Center, 1 transition teacher, special ed bus growth positions, and 2 attendance positions
Over 100 retirees already identified; teacher retention rate was 90% last year, so no involuntary separations are anticipated

Budget revenue outlook

Total budgeted revenue: $526M — an increase of $12.3M over last year
Sales tax: +$4.3M (using same 3% increase over actuals as prior year)
Property tax: +$3.6M (using 1% increase over this year; numbers came in slightly better than February)
TISA: +$3.9M — first full estimate received; base increased from $7,295 to $7,530 per pupil statewide
The $7,530 TISA base is a starting point before reductions for state/local share split and fiscal capacity — Williamson County's high fiscal capacity means it covers more than its proportional share of students
Fiscal capacity percentage (6.74%) could still change; final number expected April at earliest, possibly May
Revenue is local 63%, state slightly higher than the usual 33–35% range (due to TISA base increase), federal ~0.29%, other ~2.8M
Federal special ed funding sits in a separate fund — approximately $10M this year

Budget cuts & gap

Gap reduced from $39M (February) to $20.1M through $4.2M net operational cuts, payroll/benefit reductions, and $3.8M in additional revenue
The $4.2M is a net figure — gross cuts were substantially larger because the budget also absorbed $5M in new textbooks, increased liability/content insurance, and Innovation Center startup costs
Every line item was reviewed against the test: is it mission critical, does it directly impact students, can it be postponed?
Specific cuts include: deferring elementary social studies textbooks to next year, not purchasing new K–2 devices, eliminating catered working lunches, cutting subscriptions and contracted services that make work easier but aren't student-facing
Board members Jay (Participant 11) and Chair Brown (Participant 1) both expressed frustration about deferring elementary social studies textbooks — Jay wants to use fund balance instead of pushing it to next year
Elementary social studies textbook decision deadline is approximately March 2027 to ensure materials are ready for the 2027–28 school year; digital access from publishers may be available earlier if a selection is made
Without the 4% raise, the gap would be approximately $7.5M
Operations are now 13.66% of budget (down from ~15%); personnel is 86.34%
Mr. Golden stated the team has concluded that any further cuts would affect services to students

Fund balance concerns

Unassigned fund balance has dropped $17M since 2021 (per audited financials through June 30, 2025)
Assigned fund balance used to balance the budget has increased $43M since 2021
The district currently holds less than half a month of operating expenses in fund balance; the recommended minimum is 3% of operating expenses (~$17M)
The $17M minimum fund balance is included within the $20M gap figure, not on top of it
The one-time fix from last year — budgeting property tax collection at 94% instead of 92% — added ~$5M to fund balance but is now fully baked in with no further room to increase
Revenues have grown 22.66% since 2021; expenses have grown 25.26% — the gap is structural, not the result of overspending relative to inflation (CPI up ~25% over the same period)
County government's unassigned fund balance as of June 30, 2025 is $104M (on ~$150M in non-school expenses); Mr. Golden plans to raise this comparison with the commission
Mr. Golden noted the budget will likely start in the red again for 2027–28

Instructional coaches

Total cost is approximately $8M plus benefits ($11.3M cited by Dr. Johnson as the full loaded cost)
Dr. Johnson questioned the impact data provided — noted no sources were cited for effect size figures and asked whether teachers have been surveyed on satisfaction
Dr. Allen said coaches were explicitly protected during the budget reduction process — identified as the tier directly supporting classroom teachers, second only to teachers themselves
Coaches follow the Jim Knight impact cycle model: one-on-one goal-setting with teachers, co-observation, modeling, and co-teaching
Laura Hall (principal, Fairview Middle) and Lindsay Nelson (literacy coach, Fairview Middle) shared that coaches enable teachers to try new instructional strategies with support, and that without coaches, complex data-driven small-group instruction simply wouldn't happen for early-career teachers
Nelson's dissertation research found 57% of new Tennessee teachers last year entered through alternative pathways with no educator preparation — coaches are a primary retention tool for these teachers
Vicky (HR) noted she can pull TDOE comparison data on teacher turnover vs. peer districts
No formal district-wide teacher satisfaction survey on coaching exists; some coaches collect informal feedback individually
Board member Participant 14 and Jay (Participant 11) both expressed support for the coaching model; Jay noted his daughter (a second-year teacher) would choose her coach over a 3% raise

Raise allocation options

The budget includes a 4% across-the-board raise ($12.6M) per county government's directive
Dr. Johnson raised the idea of giving higher raises to high-turnover positions (food service, special ed paras, general ed paras) and a lower or no raise to central office staff earning over $100K — she estimated that would free up ~$500K
Mr. Golden confirmed the board has discretion to adjust the allocation after the budget is approved, as long as a decision is made before July 1 (when 12-month employee pay rates take effect)
Any changes affecting teachers or professional staff would require going through the PECA process with WCEA first
Food service staff are in a separate fund (not GP), so any raise adjustment for them is a separate conversation
Jay suggested waiting to see what the county actually funds before deciding on allocation — a special called meeting (as happened last year) would allow the board to act once the commission decides
A salary study with Lean Frog is currently underway — results won't affect this budget year, but Vicky flagged that any manual adjustments now should be made carefully to avoid compression issues when recommendations come in
Teacher pay ranking improved from 27th to 11th in the state

Health & CTE textbook adoption

All resources are new to Williamson County; the board votes on the full package March 23 (individual items can be pulled out if a board member requests it before the meeting)
Middle school health and PE: Essential Health Skills for Middle School (Goodhart Wilcox) — selected for strong Tennessee standards alignment (state did not vet middle school health/PE resources), comprehensive teacher support, and differentiation/ESL supports
High school lifetime wellness: Essential Health Skills high school version (Goodhart Wilcox) — same publisher, selected for depth of standards coverage beyond just checking boxes, current content, and teacher support
Coding 1, Computer Science Foundations, Cybersecurity 1: all selected Tennessee versions via Code HS — familiar platform already used in other CS courses, regularly updated to keep pace with technology changes
Mechatronics sequence: Digital Electronics — Electricity and Electronics (Goodhart Wilcox, updated version of current book); Mechatronics 1 — Industrial Maintenance and Mechatronics; Mechatronics 2 — Programmable Logic Controllers (Goodhart Wilcox); selected for rigor, precision exam alignment, and hands-on focus
Engineering sequence: Principles of Engineering and Technology — Foundations of Engineering and Technology (Goodhart Wilcox); Engineering Design 1 and 2 — ICEV STEM Site (CEV Multimedia); selected for project-based learning, real-world engineering alignment, and CTSO activity integration
Middle school STEM (Explorers, Innovators, Designers): only one resource passed state vetting — selected by default; noted for hands-on learning and age-appropriate engagement
Health and PE teachers universally indicated students don't need one-to-one copies — teacher guides are sufficient; CTE will be evaluated course by course (e.g., Coding 1 likely needs full student access; middle school STEM does not)
One teacher flagged that Code HS sometimes produces inaccurate output — Jen Sauer noted this wasn't a universal concern and that teachers using Code HS for the separate required CS Foundations course have been satisfied with the platform for 2–3 years
All unedited teacher and committee comments were included in the board packet

Board policies first reading

New board member orientation policy: proposed changes to revamp the onboarding process, ensuring new members get structured access to department briefings and key operational knowledge upfront (in addition to TSBA training that rolls out over time); going to consent agenda for first reading March 23
Code of conduct: two changes — (1) clarified language around mediation and restorative conferences on page 1; (2) moved "leaving campus without permission or urging others to skip" up to the next discipline level; going to consent agenda for first reading March 23

High school course approvals

Three changes from last year's course list: Theater Arts 3 and 4 elevated to honors, Coding 2 elevated to honors (both vetted and confirmed as honors-level content), and Abnormal Psychology renewed through the state special course approval process
Innovation Center courses (aviation, cybersecurity/AI, advanced power and machinery, fire management, hospitality/culinary) were already approved last year — students are already enrolled
Innovation Center enrollment: 505 applications for 525 spots; advanced power and machinery had 120 applicants for 40 spots; fire management had 29 for 12 spots; aviation had 205 for 200 spots; cybersecurity/AI had 77 for 100 spots; hospitality had 71 for 75 spots
With late applications still coming in, the IC expects to open at 100% capacity with ~800 students daily across both facilities
$15.5M in grant funding secured for the IC building and startup; funds must be spent within 5 years or returned to the state
Caterpillar partnership expected to provide ~$50K annually for tools and equipment; TCAT is providing one instructor, reducing staffing costs

Williamson County Commission Meetings

Tuesday, March 17th

Public Health Commission Agenda Audio

AI Summary (I got to the meeting late so I missed the first four votes on the agenda)

Action Items

[ ] Kristi Ransom - Email regulatory authority research report and resolution to Board of Health Report traces the history of septic regulatory authority and why changing it would require a state statute change. Resolution is the County Commission's ask to state legislators. Send this week.
[ ] Participant 2 - Check in with Martin on board term renewal Martin wasn't present to confirm whether he wants to be considered for another 4-year term on the Board of Health.

Overview

Board voted unanimously to adopt all 6 septic regulation changes — effective March 19, 2026
Key reg changes: disposal area tables replaced with state-minimum sizing plus equal-size backup, and curtain drain requirement flipped from mandatory to soil-scientist-recommended
Both the sewage management and county health dept operating budgets approved — both met the county-mandated 5% reduction
Kathy Montgomery announced her retirement after 29 years in public health; position is advertised and interviews expected over the next few weeks
Participant 1 reported that changing regulatory authority over septic from the Board of Health to the County Commission would require a change in state statute — county commission passed a resolution asking the Williamson County legislative delegation to consider it, but a change is unlikely this session
Next meeting: April 21st at 5:00 PM

Disposal area table changes

Old regs required more disposal area than the state minimum; new tables align with state-minimum sizing and require a backup area equal in size to the primary — no more excess beyond what's needed
Flexibility provision added: a design engineer, surveyor, or installer can use a smaller area than the state minimum if they can demonstrate the field lines fit and still meet treatment capacity and soil standards
Inspectors will conduct a layout inspection before any install proceeds to verify field lines aren't being crammed in and spacing and soil requirements are met
Dr. Stilwell raised the concern about "professional shopping" — Participant 1 explained the layout inspection by county inspectors is the stopgap

Curtain drain rule flip

Previous rule required a curtain drain on every LPP system; last year's revision required one unless demonstrated unnecessary; new rule flips it again — curtain drains are only required if the soil scientist recommends one based on field conditions
Soil scientists already note water and drainage conditions on soil maps; the change gives formal deference to their judgment rather than mandating a drain county-wide regardless of conditions
Curtain drain standards (materials, setbacks, installation) remain unchanged — only the trigger for requiring one has changed
Dr. Stilwell asked how "necessary" is defined — Kristi Ransom explained it's based on the soil scientist's professional assessment of groundwater and water movement on the property, backed by their professional liability

Public hearing comments

Janice Routland (Williamson County, 15-acre tract owner) said slow permitting — sometimes up to 2 years with no set parameters — has devalued her land and cost sales, and asked the board to set time parameters like other counties do
Debbie Davenport (Franklin) is mid-process on a build and asked when the new regs take effect — told they're effective immediately

Sewage management budget

Budget approved unanimously; met the county-mandated 5% operating cost reduction
Some line items increased based on projected needs but were offset by cuts elsewhere to hit the overall target
Separate from the operating budget, the department requested dedicated funds from the county commission to scan and digitize hard-copy files going back to the 1960s — Participant 5 said they're hopeful the county commission will fund it this year

County health dept budget

Budget approved unanimously; met the 5% reduction guideline
Despite having no primary care provider for the first 5 months of the year and a physician who left around October, the department saw a 5% increase in total services and nearly 7% increase in total patients served in 2025
Child health encounters nearly doubled, from 1,470 to roughly 2,800 in one year
A nurse practitioner hired in June works 3 days a week in Franklin and 2 days a week in Fairview

Kathy Montgomery's retirement

Kathy announced her retirement after 29 years in public health
Her position has been advertised and applications are already being accepted; interviews expected over the next few weeks
She plans to work with her replacement before leaving to ensure a transition

Board member terms

The following board members are up for renewal (all indicated willingness to serve another 4-year term): Dr. Stilwell, Gary, Charlie, Sam, and Rhonda; Participant 2 noted he'll check in with Martin
Cindy has 2 more years remaining on her current term
Terms are advertised in the paper per board requirements; Kathy Montgomery stays in her seat until her replacement is confirmed

TDEC vs. county regulatory authority

Kristi Ransom researched the history of septic regulatory authority in Williamson County after a November County Commission resolution requested it
Current state statute only allows the TDEC commissioner to contract with a county health department — not directly with a county government — meaning the Board of Health's regulatory authority over septic cannot shift to the County Commission without a change in state law
County Commission passed a resolution asking the Williamson County legislative delegation to consider amending the statute so TDEC can contract directly with county government
A statutory change is unlikely this session since it came after the bill-filing deadline, and even if the law changes, the contractual relationship with TDEC would also need to be renegotiated
Judy Herbert (County Commissioner, 2nd District) explained the commission's motivation: commissioners receive the bulk of constituent complaints about septic permitting and want direct authority to act on them
Participant 1 is sending the full research report and the commission resolution to board members this week

Wednesday, March 18th

Law Enforcement and public safety Agenda Drug Fund Traffic Control Jail/Corrections Workhouse/Litter Capital expense Detention and Litter Capital Expense Sheriff Video Capital Expense Sheriff

AI Summary

Action Items

[ ] Deputy Chief King - Report back findings from BMW motorcycle vendor meeting Meeting is tomorrow morning. Key unknowns: trade-in value for the four current Harleys, total cost for three BMWs, upfit costs, and whether the lighting package meets department specs.

Overview

The committee reviewed and approved all sheriff's department budget sections for FY2027 — all passed unanimously
Every operating budget was cut 5% per guidelines, with two carve-outs: the Axon lease (year 3) and inmate medical costs, both excluded from the 5% calculation
The 4% across-the-board pay raise falls short of the 7–9% the consultant recommended to maintain the 75th percentile; HR director quoted closer to 5% locally
Capital plan approved for FY2027, covering the second half of the radio replacement ($1.18M), 28 fleet vehicles, aviation equipment, and IT infrastructure
Sheriff flagged gasoline as the line item most likely to require a budget transfer mid-year given recent price increases

Sheriff's operating budget

Total operating budget is up 13.6%, but excluding the Axon year-3 lease payment brings it to the 5% reduction target
The only personnel change is reclassing the civilian position formerly held by retired chief pilot Keith Chapman back to a sworn position — no net new headcount
Sheriff raised concern that the 5% cut leaves little margin, and the department may need to request budget transfers or fund balance draws during the year
Gasoline is the top concern — the budget was set before recent price spikes, and the mayor acknowledged a mid-year return would be permissible if prices keep rising
Deputies can't turn off vehicles because rebooting the computer system (CAD, RMS, GPS) takes significant time, and canines can't be left in a powered-down vehicle
Support services are stretched: evidence volume is up over 300%, the department took 130 pieces to the lab on March 18th and brought back 137; records is behind on expungements and archives need to be relocated before jail construction begins

Axon contract

The current contract is an 11-year agreement covering body cams, in-car cams, tasers, records management software, and a drone program — all hardware, software, and upgrades included at a fixed price
The contract has a non-appropriation clause: if the commission doesn't fund it in a future fiscal year, the contract terminates — no other penalty for early termination
The Axon lease cost is excluded from the 5% operating budget reduction calculation

Pay raises and staffing

4% raise applies to all deputies and civilians
State projects 2.7% cost of living; HR director quoted closer to 5% locally to hold the 75th percentile; the consultant recommended 7–9% to maintain it — the 4% raise doesn't keep pace
As of March 18th, the department had 5 open positions; 4 staff moved from jail to roadside on March 16th, and an internal investigation is likely to result in 2 terminations, putting vacancies at roughly 7
The prior salary study didn't account for prior experience; the sheriff used available mid-year budget funds to adjust salaries for deputies who came in with experience
Experience credit is capped at 13 years because the Muniz survey only went back to 2015
The department recently hired 4 officers from Brentwood at starting pay higher than what they were earning there
Participant 2 wants the commission to push toward the 80th percentile in the next budget cycle

Traffic control and crossing guards

The 54130 traffic control budget is almost entirely for crossing guards — roughly $377,000 — and was cut 5%
Only 11 of 37 crossing guard positions are filled; the part-time nature (~2 hours/day at $20/hour) makes recruitment very difficult
The sheriff suggested shifting crossing guard responsibility to the school system, but general fund money can't be transferred to the school general purpose fund
Participant 6 suggested advertising the crossing guard role to school employees as a part-time county job, similar to a coaching stipend — it would require running them on both county and school payroll systems
Phoebe noted the school system is already struggling to meet its current budget, so any transfer of responsibility would need to come with funding
Unfilled positions return unused funds to the general fund

Jail budget and inmate medical costs

The 54210 jail budget was cut 5% across all operating lines except inmate medical costs, which were excluded from the 5% calculation
Last year's inmate medical budget was $2.4M; Carol estimates the department will run $200K–$500K over budget this year due to unusual cases (including a recent retina surgery)
Participant 2 raised concern about single-person overnight booking coverage; the sheriff acknowledged the issue but said no new personnel are being added per budget guidance

Workhouse litter crew budget

The 54220 budget was cut 5%, excluding the litter grant line which is fully grant-funded
The gasoline line was held flat given current price uncertainty — any unused funds return to the general fund
The litter crew also handles mowing for county buildings, cemeteries, and tower sites
The crew will be at Leapers Fork for the annual trash cleanup event on Saturday, March 21st

Drug control fund

The 54150 drug control fund came back flat with no changes — it's a self-supporting fund balanced by its own revenue, so the 5% reduction guideline didn't apply

Fleet vehicles and replacement plan

The FY2027 capital request covers 28 vehicles: 25 routine fleet replacements plus 3 for accident losses (the department lost 6 vehicles to accidents this year but is only requesting 3 replacements, with risk management covering the depreciated value of the totaled vehicles)
The fleet has 280 total vehicles; 16 marked and 12 unmarked are being replaced, representing 10% of the fleet — implying a 9-year vehicle life, which the sheriff called unrealistic
Patrol vehicles typically reach 40,000–60,000 miles in about 2 years, then get transferred to SROs where lower daily mileage extends their useful life by roughly another 4 years
Newer vehicles go to patrol; older patrol vehicles transfer to SROs; unmarked vehicles serve detectives, narcotics, and warrants

Motorcycle fleet

The department has 4 motorcycles; 1 was wrecked and is used only for training, leaving 3 operable
The proposal is to trade all 4 in for 3 BMW motorcycles at roughly $80,000 plus $7,500 upfit
Chief King has a meeting with the vendor on March 20th and doesn't yet have confirmed specs on compartments, lighting, or whether the upfit cost covers everything needed
Current Harleys have 7,000–13,000 miles and could potentially last a few more years
Franklin County tried BMWs, didn't like them, and switched to Harleys

Fleet management standards

Commissioner Williams wants to establish agreed-upon objective metrics — such as engine hours or total cost of ownership thresholds — to remove subjectivity from annual vehicle replacement decisions
The idea is to define a planned obsolescence point (where maintenance cost exceeds vehicle value) and replace to that standard rather than debating it each year
The sheriff welcomed the proposal; Participant 6 suggested bringing it back to a future committee meeting

Aviation equipment

The FY2027 capital plan includes a helo wagon — a portable flat platform the helicopter lands on and rolls into the hangar, replacing the current clamp-on lift system that has been bending skids and breaking steps (a recent incident broke a step, which was repaired using a spare part)
A new portable aviation fuel trailer with a proper aviation-grade pump is also requested to replace the current open-top tank with a leaking TSE pump; a permanent in-ground tank was ruled out because fuel suppliers require a minimum 6,000-gallon tank and it would require monthly EPA and survey compliance
The state is selling the department a surplus FLIR unit for approximately $250,000 — about 4 generations newer than the current unit — saving the department from purchasing a new one at roughly $1.4M; the unit must be returned to the state when the department is done with it and cannot be sold
The department currently has 2 certified pilots, 3 in training, and is sending one pilot to a TFI-4 trainer certification program so the department can conduct in-house check rides

IT infrastructure and MDTs

MDTs (mobile data terminals) in patrol vehicles are at end of their 5-year rotation and are end-of-life on Windows 10; the FY2027 capital request covers replacements for patrol, warrants, and supervisors
The VMware renewal is a 3-year maintenance and support contract covering the virtual server infrastructure that runs all department systems
Domain controllers (network security and user management) are being upgraded to a newer version; the two controllers replicate each other for redundancy with automatic failover
IT maintains 3 backup layers: an in-house shadow copy plus a backup at the public safety building server room

Litter crew mowers

The litter crew has 5 mowers; 3 are approximately 20 years old (originally donated) with thousands of hours on them and rising repair costs
The capital request is to buy 3 new mowers to replace 4 of the old ones, leaving the crew with 4 total mowers going forward

Franklin Board of Mayor and Alerman

For all meetings next week go here. The next BOMA meeting is January 13th

Election Commission

The Election Commission will meet at 4:30 pm at 405 Downs Blvd, Franklin Agenda

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.

Help educate citizens of Williamson County

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